Submissions

Author Guidelines

Authors are invited to make a submission to this journal. Manuscripts should be submitted in English using the journal’s website. Authors need to register on the website before they can submit a paper. 

Frequency of Publication

There will be one volume published every year. This will be cited as 202X UWISALJ. The volume is dependent on submissions in any given year. There may also be additional special volumes as determined by the Editorial Committee. Submissions are welcomed on a rolling basis.  

All submissions must, in one document, include:

• A succinct Heading/Name of Submission;
• Author’s Name;
• An abstract (no more than 300 words);
• A minimum of 3 maximum of 7 keywords;
• The article including word count; and
• Appendices/ Tables.

Authors MUST conform to all the guidelines set out herein, when submitting their article.

• Submission must use British spelling (use “s” not “z” in words like “realise” or “analyse”.
• Section headings should be concise.
• All authors of paper should include their full names, affiliations and email addresses on the title page of the paper.
• All persons who have a reasonable claim to authorship must be named in the paper as co-authors; the corresponding author must be authorised by all co-authors to act as an agent on their behalf in all matters pertaining to publication of the paper, and the order of names should be agreed by all authors.
• For all papers non-discriminatory language is mandatory. Sexist or racist terms must not be used.

Submission Deadline and Instructions

The complete submission, inclusive of all items 1-6 above and in adherence to all the submission and style guidelines herein, must be submitted through the journal's website by selecting "Make a New Submission to X" below and must be submitted on or before 9 January 2025.    

Formatting

All papers must be submitted in Word format and must be double-spaced using Times New Roman font style in font size 12. Do not submit in pdf.

Citation Style

Submissions must conform to the Oxford Standard Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA). The 4^th Edition of this Guide can be found at https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxlaw/oscola_4th_edn_hart_2012.pdf

Pay particular attention to consistent use of punctuation styles within OSCOLA. For example, use single quotation marks, except where ‘a quotation is “within” a quotation’. Long quotations of 40 words and/or three lines of text or more should be presented in an indented paragraph without quotation marks, unless there is a quotation within the quote which would in this circumstance require single quotation marks. 

Estimated Timeline for Decision

Based on the number of submissions for a particular volume, decisions on submissions will be communicated to authors in a timely manner. The time for feedback may be shorter or longer depending on the workload of the Editorial Committee and is to be used as an estimate only.

Process for Review

There will be a two-tiered editorial process. The Editorial Board will review all submissions for general compliance and appropriateness. The submissions which are selected by the Board will be submitted for blind peer reviews.

Restriction on Use of Accepted Pieces

Any piece which is submitted for publication must not be submitted to any other journal, nor can the version published by UWISALJ be published by the author in any other publication.

Mode of Publication

The UWISALJ will be an open access electronic publication. There may be a possibility of a physical journal depending on demand.  Previous Volumes of the UWISALJ can be found at: The UWI St. Augustine Law Journal

Before submitting, please ensure that the study design and research argument are structured and articulated properly. The title should be concise and the abstract should be able to stand on its own. This will increase the likelihood of reviewers agreeing to review the paper. When you're satisfied that your submission meets this standard, please follow the checklist below to prepare your submission.