Submission Policy

Guidelines for Publication

  1. The submissions sent to HNLU-Student Law Journal must be original and should not be simultaneously considered for publication by any other journal or book.
  2. The submissions must be free from any copyrighted or plagiarized material, and must not contain any offensive, derogatory or racially prejudiced material that may be discriminatory in nature.
  3. Any submission found to be in violation of the guidelines or infringing the rights of any other person, will be rejected in the first instance. The decision of the Editorial Board in this regard shall be final and binding.
  4. The copyright of all published articles/essays/case analysis/commentaries/book reviews vest with the publisher and the publisher shall have the sole right to publish, reproduce and distribute copies of the same. The license subsists during the existence of the copyright subject to any extension(s) or renewal(s).

Submission Details

The HNLU-SLJ invites submission from external contributors on contemporary legal issues and law reviews in the form of Articles, Essays, Commentaries, and Book Reviews. The submissions must be accompanied by a cover letter (i) with the name(s) of the author(s), institution/affiliation, the title of the manuscript, and contact information (email ID and phone number); and (ii) a short abstract of not more than 250 words. The subject line of the submission should read- “Title of the document_Name of the Author.” (e.g. The Problem of Defection in Indian Politics_Ganesh Shankar) 

All submissions must be sent in document (.docx) format to: studentlawjournal@hnlu.ac.in

Formatting Guidelines:

The following formatting guidelines must be followed: –

The authors submitting manuscripts for publication must follow the formatting guidelines mentioned below:

  • The main text must be in Times New Roman 12 point with 1.5 line spacing.
  • The footnotes must be presented in Times New Roman 10 point with 1 line spacing.
  • Page numbers should be positioned at the centre of the bottom of each page.
  • The article should be formatted with 1-inch margins.
  • A one-line gap must be maintained between all paragraphs and headings.
  • The paragraphs after headings/sub-headings must not have any indent. In other words, the paragraphs after headings/sub-headings must start from the margin and the subsequent paragraphs must begin with an indent of 0.5 inch.
  • The manuscript should contain only footnotes (not endnotes) as a method of citation. Citations must conform to OSCOLA (4th) style of citation.

Word Limit: Except in extraordinary circumstances and cases of discretion exercised by the Editorial Board, the length prescribed for each category of submissions shall not be exceeded. Any article, essay, commentary, or review, exceeding such a limitation will not be considered for publication. The following word limit is exclusive of the one prescribed for abstract.

  1. Articles: Between 5,000 to 8,000 words. Articles are comprehensive discussions in a particular field of law that seek to provide a creative re-evaluation of the theme along with suggesting a solution for issues. The structure of an article usually encompasses a background of the subject matter at hand, introduction, critical analysis, arguments advanced, and a conclusion to summarize the author’s stance. It is suggested, but not required, that the topic chosen is of current relevance to the legal scenario and not a burden on the existing literature for the same.
  2. Essay: Between 3,000 to 4,000 words. Essays are conceptually narrower in scope as compared to articles but follow a similar structure in content and style. The author can choose to comment on a specific area of law or suggest modifications in an already existing one. This category permits flexibility to authors in writing, structurization and imaginative rethinking of contemporary legal doctrines.
  3. Case Analysis/Commentaries: Between 2,500 to 5000 words. Commentaries analyze a new piece of legislation or a judicial pronouncement and its impact on the status quo, from India or elsewhere. Commentaries on legislation(s) must discuss the objectives and aims to be achieved, and its prospective success. Manuscripts on judicial pronouncement should include a critical review of the judgment and the legislative development that it fosters.
  4. Book Reviews: Between 2,000 and 3,000 words. Book review includes a comment on the scholarly literature available in any relevant area of law and goes beyond a mere description of the book. It provides a critical analysis of the arguments presented in the book and a comment on the merit of those arguments by the author.

Language: The language of the submissions must be English. Where there is conflict between the British and American English standards, authors are requested to follow the British standard.

Review Process

Due to Journal’s commitment to publishing good-quality and thoroughly reviewed contents, the review process takes some time. All the manuscripts received are blind reviewed by at least two reviewers. It may be subjected to review by the scholars in our peer network and/or faculty advisors. The authors can expect a response within 4 to 8 weeks from the date of their submission. Considerations for publication include creative presentation of ideas, relevance of the subject matter, effectiveness of the arguments presented, accuracy in grammar, punctuation and citation, as well technical proficiency. The editorial team will contact the author if an article is accepted for publication. We request the authors not to send repeated emails inquiring about the status of their submission or individual feedback. The authors will be responded to within two months of the date of receiving the submissions. However, it may be delayed due to academic constraints and commitments of the members of the Editorial Board.

Withdrawal

The authors wanting to withdraw their submission from consideration for publication may please do so by writing an email to: studentlawjournal@hnlu.ac.in

In such a case, the authors are advised to mention “Withdrawal of Submission from Consideration for Publication” in the subject line and furnish the author’s name and title of the manuscript in the running text of email. No submission can be withdrawn once the confirmation of acceptance has been conveyed to the author. The final decision will be taken at the sole discretion of the editorial board.

For queries, if any, please contact:

Editor-in-Chief
Student Law Journal
Hidayatullah National Law University
Uparwara Post, Nava Raipur Atal Nagar, Chhattisgarh – 493661
Email: studentlawjournal@hnlu.ac.in

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