AUTHOR GUIDELINES

1. General Requirements

  1. Manuscripts submitted to Comparative Law and Sustainable Development (CLSD) must be original scholarly works resulting from research, comparative legal analysis, or theoretically grounded conceptual studies in the fields covered by the journal’s aims and scope.

  2. Manuscripts must be written in English.

  3. Manuscripts must not have been published previously or be under consideration by another journal.

  4. Authors must ensure that submissions are free from plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, and other forms of academic misconduct.

  5. Manuscripts should demonstrate a clear research problem, appropriate methodology or analytical framework, critical legal analysis, and a substantive contribution to comparative law and/or sustainable development.

  6. The recommended length is 5,000–8,000 words, including references, tables, and figures.

  7. Authors should avoid excessively descriptive or enumerative writing. Arguments should be presented analytically, critically, and systematically.

2. Manuscript Structure

Research articles should generally follow the structure below:

  • Title

  • Abstract

  • Keywords

  • Introduction

  • Methodology

  • Results and Discussion

  • Conclusion

  • References

The structure may be adjusted for conceptual or doctrinal legal studies where appropriate, provided that the manuscript maintains a clear research question, analytical framework, and scholarly contribution.

Title

The title should:

  • Clearly reflect the central issue and contribution of the manuscript.

  • Be concise and informative.

  • Use Cambria, 16 pt, bold, centered.

  • Use title case.

  • Contain no more than 15 words.

Abstract

The abstract should be written in English and should concisely present:

  • the research problem or objective;

  • methodology or analytical approach;

  • principal findings or arguments; and

  • the main contribution or implication of the study.

The recommended length is 150–250 words.

Authors should provide 3–5 keywords that accurately represent the main concepts of the manuscript.

3. Manuscript Formatting

  • Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt.

  • Line spacing: 1.5.

  • Text should be consistently formatted throughout the manuscript.

  • Headings and subheadings should be clear and systematically organized.

  • Authors should follow the journal's prescribed manuscript template where available.

4. Legal Citation and Terminology

  1. Legal provisions must be cited accurately and consistently.

  2. The names and abbreviations of legislation may follow the author’s preferred style, provided that the format is used consistently throughout the manuscript.

  3. When referring to specific legal provisions, authors should clearly identify the relevant article, paragraph, section, or clause, as applicable.

  4. Direct quotations must reproduce the original text accurately. Omissions within quotations should be indicated by […].

  5. Foreign legal terms may be italicized where appropriate.

  6. Authors should use internationally recognized terminology when discussing comparative legal concepts and legal systems.

5. Tables and Figures

  1. Tables and figures must be numbered consecutively according to their order of appearance.

  2. Each table and figure must have a clear and descriptive title.

  3. Tables and figures must be referred to and discussed in the main text.

  4. Every table or figure must contribute to the manuscript’s argument and must not merely reproduce information already presented in the text.

  5. Sources must be provided where tables or figures are based on external data or previous publications.

  6. Figures must be of sufficient resolution to ensure clarity in both digital and printed formats.

6. References and Citation Style

  1. Authors must use a reference-management tool such as Mendeley, Zotero, EndNote, or equivalent software.

  2. The journal uses the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition citation style.

  3. References should be relevant, authoritative, and up to date.

  4. Authors are encouraged to prioritize recent peer-reviewed journal articles and other primary scholarly sources, particularly literature published within the last five years.

  5. At least 50% of the references should preferably consist of peer-reviewed journal articles.

  6. Authors should provide DOI links whenever available.

  7. Every source cited in the manuscript must appear in the reference list, and every reference listed must be cited in the manuscript.

  8. Academic degrees, professional titles, or honorifics should not be included in reference entries.

7. Recommended Sources

Authors should prioritize high-quality scholarly sources, including:

  • peer-reviewed international and national journals;

  • primary legal materials;

  • legislation and regulations;

  • judicial decisions;

  • international treaties and official legal documents;

  • authoritative books and book chapters; and

  • official reports and institutional publications.

Authors should avoid excessive reliance on non-scholarly websites, blogs, news articles, Wikipedia, and other informal sources, except where such sources are directly relevant to the research.

8. Comparative Legal Analysis

Because CLSD focuses on comparative law, manuscripts involving comparative analysis should clearly explain:

  1. the jurisdictions, legal systems, or legal traditions being compared;

  2. the rationale for selecting those jurisdictions;

  3. the comparative framework or analytical criteria;

  4. the substantive similarities and differences identified; and

  5. the broader implications of the comparison for legal reform, policy, governance, or sustainable development.

Manuscripts should move beyond merely describing two or more legal systems and should provide meaningful comparative analysis and an original scholarly contribution.

9. Research Ethics and Transparency

Where applicable, authors must disclose:

  • ethical approval and informed consent;

  • conflicts of interest;

  • funding sources;

  • data availability; and

  • other relevant research or publication disclosures.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research complies with applicable ethical and legal standards.

10. Submission and Editorial Process

All manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the journal’s Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform.

Following submission, manuscripts undergo:

Initial Screening → Plagiarism Check → Editorial Assessment → Double-Blind Peer Review → Revision → Final Editorial Decision → Copyediting → Proofreading → Publication

Submission of a manuscript does not guarantee publication. Final publication decisions are based on the manuscript’s quality, originality, relevance, methodological rigor, contribution, and peer-review outcomes.

11. Author Declaration

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that:

  • the manuscript is original;

  • the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere;

  • all authors have approved the submitted version;

  • all sources have been appropriately acknowledged;

  • relevant conflicts of interest have been disclosed; and

  • the manuscript complies with the journal’s publication ethics and editorial policies.