Preliminary notes

• Published date: 30 October 2020
• Date: 30 October 2020

135

EDITORIAL POLICY

The Journal of Comparative Law in Africa (JCLA) aims to promote

indigenous African scholarship. It targets researchers, practitioners, and

policy makers interested in theories and practice of law in Africa.

The JCLA primarily seeks to publish r igorous research in the field

of comparative law in Africa and for this purpose, comparative law is

broadly defined to cover public and private law involving more than one

jurisdiction.

The JCLA will consider for publication, case studies, empirical findings,

and review papers using comparative approaches, methodologies, and

viewpoints. Manuscripts without a clear comparative focus will only be

accepted if they are significant for broadening understanding of law in

Africa.

Rigorous research is understood as work which expands human

knowledge on a subject by presenting original data or introducing new techniques

or theories, or by blending, refuting, or contrasting existing ideas in a convincing

manner.

REVIEW PROCESS

Manuscripts must be written in standard academic format. One or more

members of the JCLA editorial board, consisting of senior researchers

conducts an initial review of manuscripts to determine suitability for

peer review. The JCLA employs a double-blind peer review system. Since

neither authors nor reviewers are identified in the review process, authors

are encouraged not to use personal identifiers which cannot be removed

from the manuscript such as details in document properties.

Authors are notified officially by the editor if their article is accepted

for peer review and publication. Articles returned from peer review are

sent to the editorial board for decisions. Authors are required to address

reviewers’ comments and respond to any issues flagged by the editorial

board. Sometimes peer review results may indicate that a manuscript be

revised and resubmitted for further review. The decision whether or not

to comply with such a recommendation lies with the author.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

All manuscripts submitted to the JCLA must adhere to the specifications

and general guidelines below. Article length must be between 8000 –

12000 words, inclusive of footnotes, and must be submitted with an

abstract of 100-250 words. Notes and Comments on recent developments

such as new judgments and legislation must be between 3000 – 5000

words, inclusive of footnotes. Book reviews must not exceed 2000 words.

Manuscripts that do not comply with these rules may be rejected by the

editorial board and will then not proceed to peer review.

(2020) 7(1) Journal of Comparative Law in Africa Editorial

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