Policy and Ethics

Peer Review Process

All original contributions submitted to St. Joseph’s Law Review undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process, where both the author(s) and reviewers remain anonymous. The Editorial Board initially screens submissions for scope and quality before forwarding them to external expert reviewers. The final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of any manuscript rests solely with the Editor-in-Chief, who may also suggest modifications or revisions in consultation with reviewers. The editorial board does not engage in correspondence related to rejected submissions.

Publication Policy

St. Joseph’s Law Review aspires to foster a platform where legal scholarship flourishes alongside ethical responsibility and academic rigour. The journal welcomes original contributions from scholars, practitioners, and policy experts, reinforcing its non-commercial, research-oriented commitment to academic dissemination.

Open-Access Policy

SJLR follows a strict Open Access Policy, allowing immediate, unrestricted access to all articles published on its website and affiliated academic repositories. Readers may read, download, cite, copy, print, or distribute full articles, provided appropriate citation and attribution are maintained. The journal operates on a self-funded, not-for-profit model supported by St. Joseph’s College of Law.

Submission Policy

By submitting a manuscript to SJLR, the author affirms that:

  • The article is original and has not been published previously in any form.
  • The manuscript is not under simultaneous consideration elsewhere.
  • All authors involved have approved the final version of the article.
  • Any institutional or third-party permissions have been appropriately obtained.
    If the submission involves empirical legal research or primary data collection, ethical clearance may be required.

Publication Cost

SJLR does charge article processing fees or publication charges of Rs 500 per author. It will be applied to cover the cost of publication from authors. In appreciation of their scholarly contribution, authors will receive one complimentary copy of the journal issue in which their article is published.

Note: Under the waiver policy, authors are not required to pay any article processing fees for submitting the articles.

Publishing Ethics

SJLR adheres to high standards of academic integrity, transparency, and ethical publishing. The act of publishing in SJLR reflects the authorship’s credibility, institutional backing, and adherence to ethical standards. The journal's ethical framework aligns with the principles of academic integrity, ensuring quality contributions in legal research.

Duties of Editors

  • Ensure fair, confidential, and unbiased handling of manuscripts.
  • Base editorial decisions on the merits of the manuscript, peer review feedback, and journal scope.
  • Maintain confidentiality regarding manuscript submissions and reviewers’ identities.
  • Uphold transparency and act swiftly in cases of academic misconduct or ethical violations.

Duties of Reviewers

  • Conduct reviews in a timely, confidential, and constructive manner.
  • Provide objective assessments based on legal reasoning, originality, and relevance.
  • Refrain from reviewing manuscripts where there is a conflict of interest.
  • Acknowledge sources and citations that are missing or misused.
  • Notify the editorial board of any ethical concerns including plagiarism or duplicate submissions.

Duties of Authors

  • Ensure submissions are original, properly cited, and formatted as per the journal’s Bluebook 21st Edition citation style.
  • Avoid plagiarism and self-plagiarism; all articles will undergo a plagiarism check before review.
  • Disclose all financial or personal conflicts of interest, if any.
  • Promptly correct or retract errors discovered post-publication.
  • In case of empirical studies, provide evidence of ethical review and consent, if applicable.

Plagiarism Detection Policy

SJLR maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism. All manuscripts are subject to plagiarism screening using reliable detection software. Instances of self-plagiarism, content duplication, or unattributed borrowing will result in rejection or retraction. SJLR also adheres to Publication Ethics guidelines in addressing such cases.