Open Call for Papers
Call for Papers — Volume 2
The Journal of Corporate and Financial Laws (JCFL) invites original, unpublished scholarly manuscripts from legal academics, judges, regulatory practitioners, corporate counsels, and research scholars across India and common law jurisdictions internationally.
JCFL publishes doctrinal, empirical, and comparative scholarship across its twelve defined research areas. Manuscripts are accepted on a rolling basis. Contributors are advised to review the categories and formatting mandates below prior to transmission.
Manuscript Transmission Desk: submissions.jcfl@institution.ac.in
Manuscript Categories & Word Limits
JCFL accepts submissions under four distinct categories. All word counts are exclusive of footnotes, abstract, and title page.
| Category | Scholarly Focus | Word Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Articles | Comprehensive doctrinal, empirical, or comparative research contributions | 6,000 – 12,000 words |
| Essays | Focused analytical or policy-oriented academic essays | 3,000 – 6,000 words |
| Case Comments & Notes | Critical assessments of recent Supreme Court, SAT, NCLAT decisions or statutory bills | 2,500 – 4,000 words |
| Book Reviews | Scholarly critiques of recently published academic treatises in corporate/financial law | 1,200 – 2,500 words |
Manuscript Formatting & Citation Rules
- File Format: Manuscripts must be transmitted in Microsoft Word (.docx) format. PDF files are not accepted for review.
- Typography: Times New Roman, 12pt body text with 1.5 line spacing. 1-inch margins on all four sides.
- Footnotes: Times New Roman, 10pt with single line spacing. Footnotes must appear at the foot of each page. Endnotes are strictly prohibited.
- Citation Standard: Strict adherence to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (21st Edition) is mandatory throughout all footnotes.
- Abstract & Keywords: An abstract of 150–250 words accompanied by 5–8 keywords must be placed on the title page.
- Blind Review Anonymity: Author name(s), institutional affiliations, designations, and acknowledgements must appear only on a detachable cover page. The body text and footnotes must contain no identifying references.
- Exclusivity: Manuscripts must not be concurrently under review by any other journal or publisher.
10-Point Pre-Submission Checklist
Authors are requested to verify their manuscript against the following checklist before transmission.
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | The manuscript is original, unpublished, and not under concurrent consideration elsewhere. |
| 2 | The file is in .docx format with Times New Roman 12pt (1.5 spacing) and 1-inch margins. |
| 3 | All citations strictly adhere to The Bluebook (21st Edition) standard in numbered footnotes. |
| 4 | An abstract of 150–250 words and 5–8 keywords are included on the title page. |
| 5 | Author identity and affiliations appear exclusively on the separate cover page. |
| 6 | Self-citations in the text and footnotes have been anonymised for double-blind review. |
| 7 | Word count falls within the designated category limits (exclusive of footnotes). |
| 8 | Any AI tool usage in drafting or data synthesis is explicitly disclosed. |
| 9 | All tables, figures, and data visualizations are numbered and titled with verifiable sources. |
| 10 | The cover email contains the manuscript title, category, word count, and full author contact details. |
Double-Blind Peer Review Workflow
JCFL enforces a rigorous double-blind anonymous peer review process to ensure scholarly objectivity and intellectual rigor.
- Initial Screening (Week 1–2): The Editorial Board screens submissions for thematic alignment, structural compliance, and plagiarism checks. Submissions failing baseline requirements are desk-rejected.
- Subject-Matter Blind Review (Week 3–5): Anonymised manuscripts are assigned to at least two independent external peer reviewers comprising domain experts, senior academics, or senior practitioners.
- Editorial Deliberation (Week 6): The Editorial Board reviews referee evaluations and issues a formal decision: (i) Accept without revision; (ii) Accept subject to minor revisions; (iii) Major revisions and resubmission; or (iv) Reject.
- Production & Proofing: Accepted manuscripts undergo copyediting, Bluebook verification, author proof review, DOI registration, and Open Access indexing.
Publication Ethics & Integrity
JCFL is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity. Plagiarism, redundant publication, data falsification, and undeclared conflicts of interest are strictly unacceptable.
Authors must declare any financial or institutional interests that could be perceived as influencing the research. Allegations of academic misconduct will be investigated by the Editorial Board in accordance with international COPE standards.
Generative AI & Academic Integrity Policy
In alignment with international legal publishing consensus:
- Artificial Intelligence systems cannot be credited with authorship. Authorship requires human intellectual accountability.
- Where generative AI tools are used for linguistic refinement or literature synthesis, authors must provide a clear statement in the acknowledgements disclosing the tool used and the nature of the application.
- Human authors bear sole legal and academic responsibility for the factual veracity, statutory quotations, and case law citations in their manuscripts.
Diamond Open Access & Copyright Terms
The Journal of Corporate and Financial Laws operates under a Diamond Open Access publishing model:
- No Paywalls: All published articles are immediately accessible free of charge worldwide.
- No Author Fees: There are no submission fees or Article Processing Charges (APCs).
- Licensing: Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) licence. Authors retain copyright.