As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
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JCALS welcomes submissions of manuscripts at any time. Accepted manuscripts are published online immediately after approval of the Editorial Board.
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Submissions are made online through the Journal’s submissions portal.
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Title of the paper is clear and expresses what the manuscript is about.
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Names of all authors and their affiliations have been indicated on the cover page. In case of co-authorship, ensure that one author has been designated as the corresponding author.
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The abstract is short (150 words), clear and summarises the aims, key methods, findings, and conclusions of the paper.
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A list of key words is provided below the abstract.
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The Manuscript conforms to conventions of scholarly writing.
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The Manuscript has been spelling and grammar-checked and language-edited.
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Formatting, citations, and references conform to CALS’ house style.
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A list of references has been provided at the end of the manuscript.
JCALS HOUSE STYLE/AUTHOR GUIDELINES
General:
JCALS considers all manuscripts on the strict condition that:
- the manuscript is your own original work, and does not duplicate any other previously published work, including your own previously published work.
- the manuscript has been submitted only to JCALS and it is not under consideration or peer review or accepted for publication or in press or published elsewhere.
- the manuscript contains nothing that is abusive, defamatory, libellous, obscene, fraudulent, or illegal.
- JCALS publishes long articles (7,000-10,000 words); and case notes, commentaries, and reviews (5,000-7,000 words). Word count is inclusive of references and footnotes.
JCALS may use software to screen manuscripts for unoriginality. By submitting your manuscript to JCALS you are agreeing to any necessary originality checks your manuscript may have to undergo during the peer-review and publication processes.
Language Formatting:
- The language of the journal is English (United Kingdom). Before submitting a manuscript, author(s) should ensure that it has been language-edited by a professional Editor.
- Articles are formatted in Times New Roman, Font size: 12, alignment: Justified.
- Line spacing is 1.5.
Authors:
- Any person who has made a significant contribution to a manuscript is a co-author.
- All authors of a manuscript should include their full name and affiliation on the cover page of the manuscript. One author should be identified as the corresponding author.
Abstract and Keywords:
- Abstracts of 150 words are required for all manuscripts submitted.
- Each manuscript should have at least 6 to 8 keywords listed below the abstract.
Headings:
- Hierarchical numbering is used for
- Main section headings should be in bold capitals and numbered thus:
1. INTRODUCTION
5. CONCLUSION
- Sectional subheadings should be in bold lower case and numbered as follows:
- 2 African human rights system
4.5 Recognition of human rights in Tanzania
- Second tier and further subheadings should be in lower cases, italics and numbered as follows:
- 2.1 The African Court on Human and People’s Rights
4.5.1.2 Limitations to human rights enforcement in Tanzania
Quotations:
- Quotations should be used limitedly.
- Quotations in the text should be indicated by single quotation
- Quotations in excess of 40 words should be stand-alone and indented. Quotation marks should NOT be used.
Italics:
- Italics are used for emphasis in the text.
- Italics are used also for foreign words in the text.
‘Foreign words’ refers to words or phrases NOT listed in a standard English
dictionary.
Abbreviations:
- Abbreviations are used in footnotes, but NOT in the text.
For example:
‘section’ in the text is abbreviated to ‘s’ in footnotes
‘article’ in the text is abbreviated to ‘art’ in footnotes
‘paragraph’ in the text is abbreviated to ‘para’ in footnotes.
- Abbreviations of terms should be given in brackets the first time the term is used (either in the text or in a footnote). Thereafter the abbreviation should be
For example:
Prevention and Combating of Corruption Act (PCCA)
Southern African Development Community (SADC)
References and citations:
- References and citations should follow the latest edition of the Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) which can be found at https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/oscola
- Footnotes are used for citation.
- A list of references should be attached at the end of the manuscript.
The Journal of Contemporary African Legal Studies (CALS is an Open Access journal. By submitting a manuscript to CALS, the Author(s) grant the Journal right of first publication. Once published, the Author(s) retain copyright of the respective manuscript. However, author(s) cannot republish the manuscript in any other form without written approval from CALS.
The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.