Submissions

Research Articles

A Research Article presents original research on law and issues concerning society. The manuscript must formulate a clear research problem or question, employ an appropriate and academically justifiable methodology, and present findings or analyses that contribute to the development of legal scholarship, legal practice, or the understanding of law in society.

Research Articles may employ doctrinal/normative, empirical, socio-legal, comparative, historical, or other appropriate approaches. For studies involving human participants or field research, authors should clearly explain the data sources, data collection procedures, analytical methods, and relevant ethical considerations.

Publication Criteria

A Research Article must:

• present original research that has not been previously published;
• formulate a clear research problem or research question;
• provide a transparent and appropriate research methodology;
• present findings and discussion supported by relevant data, legal materials, documents, or scholarly sources;
• demonstrate originality or a meaningful contribution to existing scholarship;
• use credible and relevant academic and legal references; and
• comply with applicable research and publication ethics.

Manuscripts consisting primarily of personal opinion, unsupported commentary, or descriptive discussion without sufficient research-based analysis will not be classified as Research Articles.

Review Article

A Review Article provides a critical, systematic, and comprehensive examination of existing research, theories, legal doctrines, regulations, or scholarly debates concerning a particular legal or socio-legal topic. A Review Article should go beyond summarizing previous studies by identifying patterns, debates, theoretical developments, research gaps, and opportunities for future research or legal-policy development. Review Articles may take the form of a systematic review, narrative review, critical review, or another appropriate literature-review approach.

Publication Criteria

A Review Article must:

• address a clearly defined and relevant topic within the scope of law and society;
• use relevant, credible, and sufficiently current literature;
• explain the literature-search or selection process when a systematic review methodology is employed;
• provide critical evaluation rather than merely summarize existing literature;
• identify significant gaps, controversies, or unresolved issues in previous scholarship;
• synthesize the reviewed literature into meaningful scholarly insights; and
• demonstrate the author's analytical contribution to the subject under review.

A manuscript that merely summarizes several sources without critical evaluation or meaningful synthesis will not meet the standards of a Review Article.

Communit-Based Practices

Community-Based Practices articles document, analyze, and critically reflect upon legal practices, initiatives, or experiences developed or implemented within communities. This category provides a platform for examining community-level knowledge and practices that have significance for legal development, legal empowerment, access to justice, public policy, or the relationship between law and society. Relevant topics may include community-based dispute resolution, community legal aid, legal empowerment, customary or indigenous legal practices, community legal education, grassroots advocacy, or other initiatives demonstrating the interaction between law and communities.

Publication Criteria

A Community-Based Practices article must:

• describe a practice, initiative, or program that has actually been implemented within a community;
• explain the relevant social, legal, institutional, and community context;
• identify the principal actors, processes, objectives, and mechanisms involved;
• provide critical analysis or scholarly reflection rather than merely report activities;
• discuss relevant benefits, challenges, limitations, outcomes, or lessons learned;
• observe appropriate principles of informed consent, confidentiality, and protection of community members where applicable; and
• demonstrate the relevance of the practice to legal development, access to justice, or community empowerment.

Authors must avoid disclosing information that could harm, stigmatize, or unnecessarily identify individual community members without appropriate consent or other lawful and ethical justification.

Case Note

A Case Note provides a focused and critical analysis of a judicial decision, adjudicative decision, or significant legal case that has relevance to the development of law or its impact on society. A Case Note should not merely summarize the decision. It should identify the principal legal issues, explain the relevant factual and legal context, analyze the reasoning or legal principles applied by the decision-maker, and critically evaluate the implications of the case for legal doctrine, legal policy, legal practice, or access to justice.

Publication Criteria

A Case Note must:

• examine a case or decision of significant legal or social relevance;
• present the relevant facts and procedural background accurately and proportionately;
• identify the principal legal issues or questions;
• analyze the applicable law, legal arguments, and reasoning of the decision-maker;
• provide a critical assessment of the decision or its reasoning;
• engage, where appropriate, with relevant legislation, legal doctrine, jurisprudence, or scholarly literature; and
• discuss the broader implications of the case for legal development or society.

A manuscript that merely reproduces the chronology of a case or summarizes the contents of a judgment without substantive critical analysis will not meet the requirements of a Case Note.