Guidelines for Authors of the Journal of Legal Studies

In view of the importance of ensuring consistency in the processes of receiving, evaluating, and publishing scholarly findings in the Journal of Legal Studies, authors are kindly requested to carefully review the following requirements and procedures before submitting their research and to make every effort to comply with them. Failure to observe these requirements may not only prolong the evaluation and review process but also increase the likelihood that manuscripts will not be accepted or will be rejected.

1. Manuscript Submission

All procedures relating to the submission, tracking, and publication of manuscripts in this journal are conducted through the journal’s online submission system in order to maintain records and enhance transparency. Accordingly, authors are requested to refrain from using alternative methods, such as email or similar means.

To register and submit a manuscript, authors must register through the “Login to the System” section of the journal’s website. After creating a username and password, they should log in to their user account and follow the subsequent steps provided on the website to submit and track their manuscripts.

1. Preliminary Requirements for Submitted Manuscripts

Compliance with the following requirements at the time of submission is essential. If these requirements are not met, the manuscript will be marked in the system either as “Returned to the Author for Formal and Substantive Revisions” or as “Rejected for Failure to Comply with the Journal’s Standards.”

1. Complete Registration: Registration in the online system must be completed in full. All fields, particularly those relating to author information, must be filled in accurately and completely in both Persian and English.
2. ORCID iD: All authors are required to obtain an ORCID iD from the designated link in the “Personal Information” section and enter it in the relevant field.
3. Author Declaration and Conflict of Interest Forms: Submission of the completed author declaration and conflict of interest forms is mandatory at the time of manuscript submission. The forms must be downloaded from the respective links provided, completed by all authors, and uploaded to the system as files.
4. Similarity Check and Publication Ethics: In accordance with the journal’s commitment to publication ethics and the prevention of misconduct in scholarly publishing, authors are required to submit their manuscripts to the Samim Noor system for similarity checking before uploading the final version of the manuscript. The final similarity report must then be uploaded as a PDF file in the designated section of the submission system.

According to a decision of the journal’s editorial board, the maximum permissible similarity index between a manuscript and other published works is 10%. Any manuscript exceeding this threshold will be rejected at the initial screening stage.

1. Extended Persian and English Abstracts: In addition to a short English abstract, authors must submit extended Persian and English abstracts as a separate, single file, in accordance with the following requirements:
• Each extended abstract must contain a minimum of 600 and a maximum of 700 words.
• The extended Persian abstract must provide a concise yet informative summary of the manuscript and include the following sections: “Introduction and Objectives,” “Methods,” “Findings,” and “Conclusion.”
• These four headings must be explicitly stated in the abstract, with each section clearly distinguished from the others.
• The sections of the extended Persian abstract must be logically proportionate, with approximately 20% devoted to “Introduction and Objectives,” 20% to “Methods,” 50% to “Findings,” and 10% to “Conclusion.”
• The extended English abstract must include the following sections: “Introduction,” “Methods,” “Results and Discussion,” and “Conclusions.”
• Five keywords must be provided after the abstract.
• The English translation of the abstract must be accurate, fluent, and professionally written. A preliminary translation produced by software or Google Translate alone is not considered sufficient. (Very Important)

The Journal of Legal Studies welcomes manuscripts derived from doctoral dissertations and gives such manuscripts priority in publication. For this purpose, when submitting a manuscript of this kind, authors must provide both the written consent of the dissertation supervisor (if the manuscript is submitted by the doctoral candidate) and a PDF copy of the research proposal approved by the Graduate Studies Council of the originating university.

According to a resolution adopted by the editorial board, at least one author of each manuscript must hold a doctoral degree or be a faculty member at a reputable university or a recognized academic or research institution. The journal is unable to review or accept student manuscripts submitted without the participation of a dissertation supervisor.

Given the large number of manuscripts received, the need to reflect the diverse perspectives of scholars, and the requirements of the regulations of the Ministry of Science and the Commission for Specialized Journals concerning the geographical distribution of authors across different universities, the journal will publish only one manuscript by each author during each publication cycle (four issues), whether the author serves as the corresponding author or as a co-author.

Furthermore, while an author has a manuscript under review, no new manuscript by that author will enter the review and evaluation process until a final decision has been made on the previous manuscript (acceptance, rejection, or withdrawal).

Authors must undertake that their manuscripts have not previously been submitted to, or simultaneously submitted to, any other journal. They must also agree not to submit their manuscripts to other journals until a final decision has been reached by the Journal of Legal Studies. If a violation of this requirement is identified, the journal’s editorial office will take action in accordance with the applicable regulations.

The journal reserves the right to accept or reject manuscripts and to edit them.

Authors bear full responsibility, in all respects, for the content of their manuscripts.

Important Notice: The Journal of Legal Studies requests that authors whose manuscripts are currently under review, peer review, or in preparation for publication refrain from submitting new manuscripts until a final decision has been reached on their previously submitted manuscripts. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in the newly submitted manuscript being marked as rejected.

1. Specific Scholarly Requirements for Submitted Manuscripts

In view of the academic standing and reputation of the Journal of Legal Studies, the journal will consider for evaluation only manuscripts that have a genuine research orientation and contain original legal analysis. In particular, submitted manuscripts must meet the following requirements:

• Manuscripts must present the results of investigations and analyses conducted by the author or authors.
• The presence of a novel and influential idea within the relevant field of specialization is the principal criterion for a manuscript to be admitted into the evaluation process.
• Manuscripts must follow a systematic and methodologically sound approach, employing scientific methods to analyze data.
• The Journal of Legal Studies is unable to accept manuscripts that are primarily translations or consist solely of compilations of existing material.