Publication Ethics Statement
The Osgoode Hall Law Journal (OHLJ) is committed to meeting the highest standards of publication ethics at all stages of the editorial and publication process. All parties involved in the publication process at the OHLJ, including editors, external reviewers, and authors must comply with the highest standards of ethical conduct and best practices for scholarly publications.
Role of Editors: The role of the OHLJ editors is to evaluate the suitability of submitted manuscripts for the journal, including: (a) the quality of the manuscript, (b) whether it meets the aims and scope of the OHLJ mandate, and (c) the originality of the work. Editors will evaluate the merit of manuscripts for intellectual content through a blind review process without regard to race, gender, country of origin, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. Even in cases where external reviews are positive and recommend publication, the editors may choose to decline to publish a manuscript or suggest further edits prior to publication. Editors are also responsible for moving the manuscripts down the pipeline of the editing process, from the initial primary edit to final reviews by the author(s) and senior editors. Associate editors of the OHLJ substantiate and edit footnotes. Senior editors of the OHLJ focus on the body of the article and oversee associate editors’ work. All editors are attentive to ensuring that citations and claims are substantiated, complete, and accurate.
Editors are responsible for reporting any suspected misconduct or infringements of publication ethics to senior editors. In cases of suspected misconduct or disputed authorship, editors are guided by COPE Best Practice Guidelines and flowcharts.
Role of External Reviewers: Peer review is essential to the OHLJ publication process, particularly in assisting with making editorial decisions and making recommendations to authors on improving the manuscript prior to publication. Reviewers should identify relevant publications not cited in the manuscript and indicate any similarities with previously published works. If a potential reviewer feels unqualified to review the manuscript, that reviewer should notify the editors immediately and decline the review. Manuscripts received for review will be treated as confidential documents and not shared or discussed with others without authorization from the editors. Reviewer misconduct including breach of confidentiality, undue delay of peer review, plagiarism, or conflicts of interest will not be tolerated.
Role of Authors: Authors are those who have made substantial contributions to the manuscript, such as through the design, research, or writing of the manuscript, and are able to take responsibility for the integrity and accuracy of the work within the manuscript. The OHLJ does not consider manuscripts that are simultaneously under consideration for publication elsewhere, or have been published previously. Authors should ensure that any research submitted for publication is original, not previously published, and not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Authors should provide an accurate presentation of their work, a discussion of the significance of the work in context with previous works, and, in cases involving experimental work, should contain sufficient methodological detail to allow other scholars to replicate the work. Appropriate citation of previously published works must always be included. Authors should disclose any conflicts of interest that may be construed as having influenced the manuscript, including personal, financial, and/or professional relationships. All persons making significant contributions should be included as co-authors.
The OHLJ follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) position on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. AI tools do not meet the OHLJ’s criteria for valid authorship. AI tools are unable to take responsibility for submitted work, and cannot be listed as authors on any scholarly work submitted to the OHLJ. Authors may use such tools in their research, but must declare which tools were used, and in what way, within their manuscript. Authors take responsibility for any content created or influenced by such tools, and are liable for any breaches of publication ethics that may stem from their use.
Corresponding authors are those who take responsibility for correspondence with the OHLJ and its editors throughout the publication process. Corresponding authors will ensure that all OHLJ submission requirements are met. Corresponding authors should reply to requests and inquiries from the editorial team in a timely manner. Authors retain copyright over their articles published with the OHLJ, but grant permission to the journal to publish the work under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.
The OHLJ does not charge any fees to authors for publication.
Research Ethics: The OHLJ requires that all studies involving human subjects are conducted ethically, meet the legal requirements of the study country, and are approved by an ethics review board. Authors must include a description of the studies' use of human participants in the methods section. Authors are accountable for obtaining ethics approval certificates and must certify that approval was secured as part of the submission process. If any personal information from participants is used or disclosed in the research, the author must state the perimeters of the consent granted and a description of how consent was granted in the methods section. Canadian researchers should adhere to the guidelines outlined in the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans. Editors may request documentation of the formal review and recommendations of the ethics review board.
Role of the Publisher: In cases of proven misconduct, plagiarism, or fraudulent publication, the OHLJ, in collaboration with the editorial board, will take appropriate action to clarify the situation, publish an erratum, or retract the work in question.
Complaints Process: The OHLJ is committed to addressing complaints, such as ethical concerns or issues of potential misconduct, in a timely and thorough manner. Complaints should be raised to the OHLJ through email at journal@osgoode.yorku.ca. The Managing Editor and Executive Editor will investigate the complaint and take appropriate action. The identity of complainants will be kept in strict confidence throughout. In complex cases, complaints may be referred to the Editor-in-Chief on a case-by-case basis. If a complaint is found to be unsubstantiated, or if the OHLJ has already taken corrective action, appeals and/or further communication will only be considered if additional evidence is presented in support of the complaint.
Post-publication Corrections: Minor changes that do not affect the substantive content of articles (such as spelling or grammar) will not be made to articles that have already been published. Substantive corrections, such as errors affecting scholarly validity, will be considered and should be raised to the OHLJ through email at journal@osgoode.yorku.ca.