For authors
Information for authors
The journal is in preparation, and submissions will open when the route is announced. This page records the current status, the scope for authors, and the manuscript template that will be used.
Submission status
Submissions: to be announced. A call for papers and submission route will be published before the journal receives manuscripts.
| Item | Current status |
|---|---|
| Submissions | To be announced |
| Call for papers | To be announced |
| Submission route | To be added |
| Author guidelines | In preparation |
| Manuscript format | LaTeX, two-column |
| Peer review model | To be announced |
A submission form and manuscript portal will be published here when the journal is ready to receive manuscripts.
Scope for authors
The journal publishes work on procedural law in the broad sense: its doctrine, its history, its comparison, and its theory.
Suitable subjects include civil procedure and the conduct of litigation, criminal procedure, evidence and proof, adjudication and the courts, enforcement of judgments, and arbitration and other forms of dispute resolution. The journal also welcomes work on the history of procedure and comparative procedural law, procedural theory, and the interaction of procedural law with technology, the courts, and social institutions.
The journal is international in outlook. Authors should write for readers outside their own jurisdiction and explain legal materials that may be unfamiliar. Comparative claims should be supported by engagement with the relevant systems rather than by assertion.
What makes a strong submission
- A clear question and a stated argument
- Close engagement with legal materials
- An explicit method and acknowledged limits
- Situating the argument in existing literature
- Accessibility to an international readership
- A contribution that matters beyond the immediate case
Languages
The journal publishes in English. The manuscript template supports Chinese manuscripts for drafting and review; the language of publication and any translation arrangements will be stated in the author guidelines.
Manuscript preparation
Manuscripts are prepared in LaTeX. The journal shares a two-column manuscript template with the other Acta journals. The template provides a full-width title block, an abstract and keywords panel, a two-column body, numbered sections, footnotes, a table example, and an author–year reference list.
The template is a formatting aid; the author guidelines will set out the submission route and questions of style.
Compilation
Compile with pdfLaTeX, running the file twice (or using latexmk) so that the page total resolves. For manuscripts containing Chinese, compile with XeLaTeX; the template loads ctex automatically under XeLaTeX.
Length and structure
Article length, abstract limits, and structural requirements will be published in the author guidelines. The template's section headings are illustrative and may be adapted to the argument.
LaTeX template
A two-column template is available now for preparation and testing.
Download
The source file compiles to a journal-style PDF. The compiled preview is provided so that authors can see the intended layout before working with the source.
Download the compiled PDF preview
What the template contains
- Full-width title, authors, and affiliations
- Abstract and keywords panel
- Two-column body with numbered sections
- Footnote and citation examples
- A column-width table example
- An author–year reference list
The template is illustrative. The journal's final citation style and author guidelines will be published when available.
Peer review
The review process is in preparation; its model and expected timelines will be announced before submissions open.
The journal will publish its review model, the criteria used in editorial assessment, and the responsibilities of editors and reviewers before submissions open. It is committed to independent editorial judgment and to confidentiality in the review process.
Editorial decisions will be made by the journal's editors. They will not be directed by the journal's society, and the separation between editorial and operational decisions will be stated in the journal's editorial policy.
Review information to be added
Review model, reviewer guidance, and expected timelines will be published here.
Open access & APC
The journal will publish open access, online, with no article processing charge at present.
Published articles will be available online without a subscription. No APC is currently planned. Any change to the publication model or to charges will be published clearly on this site before it takes effect.
Licensing terms, copyright arrangements, and reuse permissions will be published with the first issue and in the author guidelines.
No charge at present
There is no submission fee and no article processing charge at present. This position will be kept under review and any change will be announced on this site.
Publication ethics
The journal's ethics policy is in preparation. The commitments below describe the standards the journal will adopt.
Authorship and contribution
Authorship should reflect substantial contribution to the work. All authors should approve the submitted version and agree to its publication. Contributions that do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged.
Conflicts of interest
Authors will be asked to disclose financial and non-financial interests that could bear on the work. Editors and reviewers will be asked to declare conflicts and to withdraw where a conflict cannot be managed.
Research integrity
Submissions must be original, must not be under consideration elsewhere, and must properly attribute the work of others. Fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism are incompatible with publication in the journal.
Corrections and retractions
The journal will publish corrections where errors affect the scholarly record and will consider retraction where findings are unreliable or misconduct is established. Procedures will be published in the ethics policy.
Policy in preparation
The full publication ethics policy, including procedures for complaints and appeals, will be published before submissions open.
Calls for papers
Calls for papers: to be announced. Any call will be published on this site, stating the question, the timeline, and the submission route.
Any future call will be announced here, together with the submission route.
Contact
Contact details for the editorial office will be published when they are confirmed. The journal is a Standard Law Academic journal and is editorially independent.
Contact information
Editorial contact details: to be announced.
Correspondence will be invited once the editorial office's contact details are published.