Instructions to Authors

Submit work that advances a clear question in law, governance or regulation and falls within the journal’s scope. Authors must approve the submission collectively and disclose related publications.

Article types and suggested lengths

Type Suggested length Focus
Research article 5,000–8,000 words Original doctrinal, comparative, theoretical or empirical contribution
Review article 4,000–7,000 words Critical synthesis with a clear selection method
Case note or legislative analysis 2,000–4,000 words Significance of a judgment, instrument or reform
Commentary or policy analysis 1,500–3,000 words Focused, evidence-supported argument
Book review 800–1,500 words Critical assessment of relevant scholarship

Suggested lengths exclude the abstract, bibliography and tables. Footnotes should be concise. Editors may consider justified departures.

Files for submission

  1. Separate title page: title; author names and affiliations; corresponding author email; contributor statements; funding, competing interests and acknowledgements; author identifiers where available.
  2. Anonymised manuscript: title, abstract, keywords, main text, footnotes, references, tables and figure captions. Remove identifying headers, acknowledgements, tracked changes and document-property information.
  3. Supplementary material: appropriate instruments, source lists, code or other supporting material, anonymised when reviewed.
  4. Cover letter: explain the contribution and disclose related work, ethical matters and relevant competing interests.

Presentation

Submit an editable Word document. Use English, consistent spelling, a readable 12-point font, 1.5 line spacing, numbered pages and clear heading levels. Include an abstract of 150–250 words and 4–6 keywords for research and review articles. Case notes and commentaries may use a shorter summary.

Structure and legal sources

Introduce the question, explain the method or analytical approach, develop the argument, discuss limitations and conclude with the contribution. Empirical studies should describe sampling, ethics and analysis. State the jurisdiction and date to which legal developments have been checked.

Use OSCOLA, 5th edition, consistently for legal citations, with footnotes and an appropriate bibliography or list of authorities. Give pinpoint references where they support specific propositions. Verify case names, neutral citations, statutory provisions and quotations against authoritative sources. Use a jurisdiction’s established legal citation form where needed to identify its authorities unambiguously.

Declarations

Provide author contributions; funding; competing interests; ethics approval or exemption and consent where relevant; data or materials availability; and substantive AI-use disclosure. Put identifying declarations in the title page during anonymised review and restore them for publication.

After review

A revision should include a point-by-point response and identify changes. Do not restore author identities until requested. At acceptance, authors confirm the final text and publication rights. Proof correction is for accuracy; substantial new material may require further review.

Publication is free for accepted articles. Submission does not guarantee acceptance or a particular publication date.