Q. How do I cite a special issue of a journal?

APA Style (7th ed.)

A special issue of a periodical combines articles from multiple authors on a topic chosen by the editors of that issue (Elsevier, n.d.). For example, the first of five issues published in Technology, Pedagogy, and Education in 2021 was dedicated to the topic of online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic (Starkey et al., 2021). As in the last sentence, a citation to the entire journal issue should reference the editors of the special issue indicated as "authors" of the issue in the reference below: 

Starkey, L., Schonfield, M., Prestridge, S. & Cervera, M. G. (Eds.) (2021). Covid-19 and the role of technology and pedagogy on school education during a pandemic. [Special issue]. Technology, Pedagogy, and Education, 30(1), https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2021.1866838

As per the APA Style manual (2020), the reference above includes both the title of the special issue ("Covid-19 and the Role of Technology and Pedagogy on School Education During a Pandemic") and excludes page numbers, since the reference and citation are for the entire issue.

Alternatively, unlike a reference to a chapter of an edited book, a reference entry for a specific article from the issue does not include the editor names or the title of the special issue, and is instead cited and referenced in the same format as all other articles from other issues of the journal:

Howard, S., Tondeur, J., Siddiq, F., & Scherer, R. (2021). Ready, set, go! Profiling teachers' readiness for online teaching in secondary education. Technology, Pedagogy, and Education, 30(1), 141-158. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2020.1839543

For more information on citing and referencing journal articles in APA Style, see How Do I Cite a Journal Article that has a DOI in APA Style? and How do I Cite a Journal Article in APA Style (No DOI)?. For further examples of references to special issues in APA Style, please see pages 319 or the APA Style publication manual.

Reference

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Elsevier. (n.d.). Publishing in a special issue. https://www.elsevier.com/authors/submit-your-paper/special-issues#:~:text=A%20special%20issue%20focuses%20on%20a%20specific%20area,within%20the%20aims%20and%20scope%20of%20the%20journal