Information for Contributors
MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSIONS
The Journal of Law and Social Policy invites the submission of scholarly articles, critical commentaries, reflective essays—including those that speak to the impact of law and social policy on human experience—and book reviews. While scholarly articles are included in the Articles section of each volume, other works are included in the Voices and Perspectives section. Non-traditional and creative works are encouraged, for example creative non-fiction and poetry. The Journal accepts submissions throughout the year and considers them on a rolling basis. Please consult our Submission Instructions, below, for information about submitting your manuscript. If you have any further questions, please contact us at JLSP@osgoode.yorku.ca.
Review Process
| Submission | Peer Review | Editorial Review |
| Scholarly Articles | ☑ | ☑ |
| Critical Commentaries | ☑ | |
| Reflective Essays | ☑ | |
| Book Reviews | ☑ |
For scholarly articles the review takes place in two stages:
- internal review by JLSP editors to determine fit with the mandate, contribution to debates, and publishable quality; and
- external review by experts for articles judged to be prima facie suitable for publication in the JLSP. Reviews are double blind such that the identity of the author is not disclosed to the reviewer and the reviewer’s identity is not disclosed to the author.
The Editorial Board does not make a decision to publish a scholarly article until both stages of the review process have been completed. Offers of publication may be made conditional on the satisfactory completion of revisions by the author.
For the critical commentaries, reflective essays, and other works to be included in the Voices and Perspectives section of the Journal, an internal review is undertaken by JLSP editors to determine fit with the mandate, contribution to debates, and publishable quality. Offers of publication may be made conditional on the satisfactory completion of revisions by the author.
Timing
The Journal reviews submissions year-round, and the review process typically takes between eight (8) and twelve (12) weeks for scholarly articles and three (3) to four (4) weeks for other submission, depending on the time of year and the number of submissions under consideration.
Authors will be informed of the Journal’s decision by email. Questions regarding the status of submissions should be directed to JLSP@osgoode.yorku.ca.
SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Submissions can be made by going to the “Submit Articles” link on our Home Page.
Manuscript Specifications
- FORMAT
Text should be double-spaced with one-inch margins. Footnotes should be formatted in compliance with the Journal of Law and Social Policy style guide for authors, available by going to the “Style Guide for Authors” link on our Home Page. - LENGTH
Articles should not ordinarily exceed 12,000 words including footnotes. Submissions for the Voices and Perspectives section of the Journal are ordinarily under 4,000 words.