Special Issue on Fuzzy Indices: New Developments in Theoretical, Computational, and Applied Topics Submission Date: 2026-02-15 This special issue “Fuzzy indices: new developments in theoretical, computational and applied topics” will highlight the latest theoretical, computational and applied advancements in constructing indices based on fuzzy set theory. Over the past decade, a significant body of work has emerged on indices grounded in fuzzy set theory, demonstrating broad applicability across diverse fields, including economics and sociology. However, theoretical and computational progress has not consistently matched these applied developments. Many of the indices proposed to date exhibit excellent properties and practical value, yet their theoretical underpinnings remain relatively underexplored.
The aim of this special issue is to address this gap by providing a strong theoretical foundation to support the practical utility of fuzzy-set-based indices, which challenge traditional Aristotelian dichotomies. By establishing robust theoretical justifications, we hope to extend the legitimacy of these indices beyond mere philosophical discussions.
Guest editors:
Gianni Betti, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
Federico Crescenzi, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
Lorenzo Mori, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Angeles Sánchez, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
Special issue information:
We encourage submissions that address one or more of the following areas:
Development of novel membership functions tailored for socio-economic datasets with inherent fuzziness and imprecision.
Exploration of statistical estimation methods for fuzzy data derived from probabilistic and nonprobabilistic sample surveys.
Computational techniques for optimizing fuzzy set applications within social science contexts.
Derivation of composite indicators based on fuzzy geometry.
Machine learning and fuzzy metrics.
Applications across emerging research areas such as inflation measurement, food and transport poverty, educational poverty, computational social science, energy efficiency, cyberbullying, gender equality metrics, etc.
Manuscript submission information:
Important Dates:
Submission Open Date: February 15, 2025
Final Submission Deadline: February 15, 2026
Editorial Acceptance Deadline: April 30, 2026
Authors should submit their manuscripts via the Fuzzy Sets and Systems journal submission portal (https://www.editorialmanager.com/fss/default.aspx), adhering to the standard formatting and review guidelines. All submissions will undergo a rigorous, single-anonymized peer review process managed by the Guest Editors.
Please select the article type “VSI: Fuzzy Indices” when submitting your manuscript online, and refer to the Guide for Authors (https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/fuzzy-sets-and-systems/publish/guide-for-authors) to prepare your manuscript.
For questions, please contact the guest editors at their institutional emails:
Gianni Betti: [email protected]
Federico Crescenzi: [email protected]
Lorenzo Mori: [email protected]
Angeles Sánchez: [email protected]
Keywords:
Membership Functions, Fuzzy sets, Fuzzy indices, Socio-economic indicators