Submit to JCIL

Information for Authors

Guidelines, submission requirements, house rules, and citation standards for the Journal of Community & International Law (ISSN: 2992-6017).

Subject Coverage

Scope & Topics

The Journal of Community and International Law (JCIL) welcomes submissions from academics, government and organisation officials, practitioners, students, and other individuals in the following subject areas:

01

Public International Law

Scholarly articles on all aspects of public international law, including international humanitarian law, the law of the sea, state responsibility, treaty law, and jurisdiction.

02

ECOWAS Community Law

Articles on specific areas of ECOWAS laws and institutions; the relationship of ECOWAS laws and institutions with those of member states; and the relationship of ECOWAS with other international institutions and with general international law.

03

Conflict Resolution & Collective Security

Articles on peace and security mechanisms in West Africa, including past and present peacekeeping operations and the efficiency of pre-conflict intervention mechanisms within the ECOWAS region.

04

Case Reviews — International Courts & Tribunals

Reviews of cases decided by international courts and tribunals relating to human rights, institutional law, and the relationship of international organisations with their member states.

How to Submit

Submission Process

01

Prepare Your Manuscript

Submit in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx). Times New Roman, 12pt, 1.5 line spacing. Include an abstract of no more than 200 words. Attach your author biography in a footnote.

02

Send to the Editor-in-Chief

Email your manuscript to journal@cfcomlaw.com. Include the article title, author name(s), and article type in the email subject line. All co-authors must be in agreement on the submission.

03

Peer Review

Upon submission, your manuscript will be peer-reviewed for accuracy, quality, and relevance. Two field experts conduct a blind review. Receipt is acknowledged promptly.

04

Decision & Revision

A notification of acceptance, rejection, or revision will be given within 10 weeks of receipt. Resubmission after revision does not automatically guarantee acceptance.

Originality & Exclusivity

Submissions are accepted on the understanding that they are the original work of the named author(s), have not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere, and will not be submitted to any other journal while under consideration by JCIL — unless the consideration process has been unduly delayed and notice has been given to the Editor-in-Chief.

Upon final acceptance, the submitting author must sign and return a Consent-to-Publish form to be provided by the Editors. Copyright for accepted articles is transferred to the publisher.

Article Categories

Article Types & Word Limits

Article Type Word Count Notes
Full Article 12,000 – 13,000 words Standard submission. Articles making outstanding contribution to knowledge may extend to 18,000 words in exceptional cases.
Short Article 4,000 – 11,999 words Considered for the shorter article section. Must engage substantively with the journal's subject areas.
Case Review 2,000 – 3,000 words Review of a judgment from an international court or tribunal. Submit to the Editor.
Book Review 500 – 1,500 words Critical review of a recently published academic book. Submit proposals to the Editor.
Conference Report Maximum 1,500 words Must state: title and date of report, presenter, and forum at which it was presented.

All articles must be accompanied by an abstract of no more than 200 words.

Formatting Standards

House Rules

Layout & Typography

Font Times New Roman, 12pt
Line spacing 1.5 (body); single spacing for indented quotations at 11pt
Paragraphs Justified. No indent at paragraph start. One blank line between paragraphs; two blank lines before main headings
Language British or American spelling — consistent throughout
Title Bold, initial capitals, at top of page
Author name Below title in capitals, with bio in footnote

Quotations

  • Use single quotation marks for all quotations
  • Quotations within quotations: double quotation marks
  • Quotations of more than three lines: indent to middle of text, no quotation marks
  • Omission of words: use three full stops in square brackets [...]
  • Errors in quoted text: use [sic]

Footnotes & Abbreviations

  • Numbered consecutively throughout the work
  • Footnote numbers placed after punctuation marks
  • For M-dashes, footnote comes before the dash
  • Abbreviations followed by a full stop; acronyms do not use full stops
  • Introduce abbreviations at first use, e.g. International Court of Justice (ICJ)

Capitalisation & Dates

  • Use capitals sparingly — headings, subheadings, acronyms
  • Capitalise 'State' when referring to a country
  • Dates: either 12 June 1993 or June 12, 1993 — be consistent throughout
  • Foreign words: provide English translation in square brackets immediately after
  • Common Latin abbreviations (ibid, cf., ad hoc, per se) should not be italicised

Referencing Standards

Citation Style Guide

Journal Articles
Name of author; 'title in single quotes'; volume of journal; title of journal; page number, page of quotation; year in brackets.

B. Gaha, 'Between Constitutionalism and Internationalism' 1(1) JCIL, 1, 12 (2019). For subsequent citations: use ibid for immediately preceding; for others, author's last name + footnote number (e.g. Gaha, note 8, p. 2).
Cases
Title in italics, followed by citation details. Authors may omit or retain the full stop after 'v' — but must be consistent throughout.

Fisheries case (United Kingdom v. Iceland), Merits, ICJ Rep 1974, 3 Prosecutor v. Aleksovski, ICTY, Appeals Chamber, 24 March 2000, para. 63.
Books
Name of author; title in italics; page(s); place of publishing; publisher; date in brackets.

Mark Wood, Man Makes Money, p. 8 (Benin City: University of Benin Press, 1800) Where more than three authors: cite first author followed by et al.
Treaties & International Instruments
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (1990), OAU Doc. CAB/LEG/24.9/49 (entered into force 29 November 1999). GA Res. 832 (IX), 18 December, 1954. SC Res. 1674, 28 April, 2006.
Chapters in Edited Books
Name of author; 'chapter title in single quotes'; names of editors; title of book in italics; page number of chapter and page cited; place, publisher, date.

Mark Wood, 'Money Makes Man' in Iyama (eds), The Love of Money p. 6, 7 (Benin City: University of Benin Press, 1800)
Internet & Newspaper References
John Adams, 'Ahead of 2015 Election' The Vanguard 01 January 1900. Author (if specified); title; web address; date accessed. Where a hard copy of the material exists with proper citation, use the hard copy citation instead.

All submissions should be sent to the editor-in-chief at: journal@cfcomlaw.com. Authors are advised to download and prepare their manuscripts in line with the Style Guide of the Journal

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Ready to Submit?

Send Your Manuscript to the Editor-in-Chief

Email: journal@cfcomlaw.com

Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx) · Include abstract of max 200 words · Submissions acknowledged promptly