Author Guidelines

The American Journal of Political Science Law and Criminology (TAJPSLC)
ISSN: 2693-0803

The American Journal of Political Science Law and Criminology welcomes original research articles, review articles, and short communications in political science, law, criminology, and related interdisciplinary fields.

Manuscripts should make a clear scholarly contribution, use appropriate research methods or rigorous legal and theoretical analysis, and present well-supported conclusions.

1. General Submission Requirements

• Manuscripts must be written in clear English and submitted in an editable Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx).

• Submissions must be original and must not be under consideration by another journal.

• All authors must approve the manuscript and agree to its submission.

• Related publications, preprints, working papers, conference papers, and substantial overlap with earlier work must be disclosed.

• Submit through the journal’s online submission system. Any alternative submission method must be confirmed by the editorial office.

2. Manuscript Formatting

Use a consistent, readable layout throughout the manuscript:

• Font: Times New Roman, 12-point.

• Line spacing: Double spacing.

• Margins: 2.54 cm (1 inch) on all sides.

• Page numbering: Number all pages consecutively.

• Headings: Use a clear hierarchy for sections and subsections.

• Abbreviations: Define abbreviations at their first appearance.

• Tables: Provide tables in editable form wherever possible.

Clearly distinguish quotations from the main text. Use footnotes for necessary explanatory comments without placing essential arguments exclusively in notes.

3. Files Required for Submission

To support double-blind peer review, submit the following separately:

Title page: Include author names, affiliations, contact details, and identifying declarations.

Anonymized manuscript: Remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgements, and identifying information from the text and file properties. Refer to previous work objectively without revealing authorship.

Additional files: Provide figures, supplementary materials, research instruments, datasets, code, or supporting documentation where relevant.

Do not include confidential records, identifiable participant information, or restricted legal documents in publicly accessible supplementary files.

4. Title Page

The title page should include:

• A concise and informative article title.

• Full names of all authors in the agreed order.

• Department, institution, city, and country for each author.

• Corresponding author’s name and email address.

• ORCID iDs, where available.

• Funding information and conflict-of-interest declarations.

• Author contributions and acknowledgements.

The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal and sharing relevant updates with all coauthors.

5. Abstract and Keywords

Provide an abstract summarizing the research purpose, approach, principal findings or arguments, and conclusions. Explain the contribution to political, legal, or criminological scholarship.

Avoid references and unexplained abbreviations in the abstract.

For empirical research, a structured abstract may use:

Background · Objective · Methods · Results · Conclusion

Legal, theoretical, and review articles may use an unstructured abstract appropriate to their content.

Include four to six keywords describing the subject, jurisdiction, methods, or policy context.

6. Structure of Original Research Articles

Introduction

Explain the background, research problem, significance, and objectives. State the research questions or hypotheses where applicable.

Literature Review and Analytical Framework

Critically examine relevant scholarship and identify the gap addressed by the study. Explain the theoretical, conceptual, or legal framework.

This section may be incorporated into the introduction when appropriate.

Methods or Research Approach

Describe the approach sufficiently for assessment. Where applicable, include:

• Research design, setting, and study period.

• Participant selection, sampling, and recruitment.

• Data sources and collection procedures.

• Statistical, qualitative, comparative, or documentary analysis.

• Selection of jurisdictions, cases, legislation, or legal materials.

• Analytical assumptions and limitations.

• Ethics approval, informed consent, and confidentiality safeguards.

Doctrinal and theoretical studies should explain the sources examined, their selection, and the analytical approach used.

Results, Findings, or Legal Analysis

Present findings or arguments clearly and logically. Support empirical claims with evidence and legal propositions with appropriate authorities.

Distinguish participant statements, observed findings, legal rules, judicial interpretations, and the author’s own arguments.

Discussion

Interpret the findings in relation to the research questions and existing scholarship. Explain limitations and implications for governance, law, policy, or criminal justice practice.

Avoid generalizing beyond the evidence or treating the law of one jurisdiction as universally applicable.

Conclusion

Summarize the principal findings or arguments and their contribution. Recommendations should follow from the analysis.

Authors may adapt this structure to suit doctrinal, theoretical, historical, or comparative research, provided that the manuscript remains clear and complete.

7. Other Article Types

Review Articles

Reviews should define their scope, critically assess existing scholarship, and identify research gaps.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses must describe the search strategy, eligibility criteria, study selection, quality assessment, and synthesis methods.

Short Communications

Short communications should present focused findings or emerging developments concisely while providing sufficient supporting evidence and analytical detail.

8. Legal Sources and Jurisdictional Clarity

Legal manuscripts should identify the jurisdiction and the date or period covered by the analysis.

Authors should:

• Cite legislation, judgments, treaties, and other authorities accurately.

• Provide relevant sections, articles, paragraphs, or page references.

• Distinguish binding authority from persuasive material.

• Identify proposed legislation and historical or superseded provisions clearly.

• Verify the status of legal authorities at the time of submission.

• Identify translations and their sources where applicable.

9. Tables, Figures, and Supplementary Materials

• Number tables and figures consecutively in the order they are cited.

• Give each table a descriptive title and each figure a clear caption.

• Explain abbreviations, symbols, and statistical indicators.

• Identify data sources, units, and reference periods.

• Supply clear, high-resolution figures with legible labels.

• Obtain permission for copyrighted material where required.

• Label supplementary files clearly and refer to them in the manuscript.

Quotations, case descriptions, and visual material must protect participant confidentiality.

10. References

Use a consistent numbered reference style, with sources numbered in the order of their first appearance in the text.

Include author names, source title, publication details, and DOI or persistent URL where available.

Journal article format:

Author surname and initials. Article title. Journal title. Year;volume(issue) range or article number. DOI.

Legal authorities must also include the information necessary to locate the source, such as the case name, court, year, citation, or legislative title and provision.

Authors must verify reference accuracy and ensure that sources support the associated statements. Identify preprints and working papers clearly. Avoid irrelevant citations and excessive self-citation.

11. Ethics Approval and Informed Consent

Research involving participants or identifiable personal information must include appropriate ethics approval or exemption information where required.

State:

• The approving committee or responsible authority.

• The approval reference, where available.

• The basis for any exemption or waiver.

• How informed consent and confidentiality were addressed.

• Relevant institutional or site permissions.

Research involving persons in custody, victims, minors, or other vulnerable participants must describe appropriate safeguards. Institutional access permission does not replace individual consent where consent is required.

12. Privacy and Sensitive Information

Remove unnecessary identifying details from interviews, case descriptions, photographs, and datasets. Consider whether combinations of contextual information could reveal an individual’s identity.

Respect restrictions governing court records, sealed documents, confidential interviews, and protected personal information. Obtain appropriate consent or authorization before publishing identifiable material.

Describe individuals and communities respectfully. Clearly distinguish allegations from established findings and avoid unsupported accusations.

13. Required Declarations

Include the following statements, as applicable:

Funding: Identify financial support and explain the funder’s role.

Conflicts of Interest: Disclose relevant financial and non-financial interests, including professional representation, consultancy, advocacy roles, or relationships connected to the research. State explicitly if none exist.

Author Contributions: Describe each author’s contribution.

Data Availability: Explain how supporting data can be accessed or why access is restricted.

Code Availability: Provide access details for relevant analytical code, where applicable.

Acknowledgements: Recognize contributions that do not qualify for authorship, with permission from the individuals named.

Ethics Approval and Consent: Provide relevant approval, exemption, and consent information.

During double-blind review, identifying declarations should be supplied separately through the title page or submission fields.

14. Use of Artificial Intelligence

Disclose substantive use of generative AI in manuscript preparation, analysis, or content creation. Identify the tool and explain its purpose.

AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Human authors remain responsible for accuracy, originality, references, and research integrity.

Authors must independently verify legal authorities, quotations, and citations. AI-generated content must not be presented as genuine participant responses or collected research data. Confidential information must be protected.

15. Peer Review and Revisions

Submissions undergo initial editorial assessment followed by independent peer review where suitable.

If revisions are requested, submit:

• A revised manuscript.

• A point-by-point response to reviewer and editor comments.

• An explanation of changes and evidence-based reasons for any disagreement.

An invitation to revise does not guarantee acceptance.

16. Publication Charges

Any applicable Article Processing Charge, payment conditions, and available waivers or discounts are disclosed on the journal’s Article Processing Charges page.

Payment does not guarantee acceptance or influence editorial decisions.

17. Copyright and Open Access

Authors retain copyright in their work. Published articles are freely available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), unless otherwise stated.

The license permits sharing and adaptation, including commercial reuse, provided that appropriate attribution is given, the license is linked, and changes are indicated.

Authors may deposit published articles in institutional or subject repositories without an embargo, with acknowledgement of the original publication.

18. Proofs and Corrections

Authors must check proofs carefully, including names, affiliations, quotations, legal citations, numerical results, tables, and references.

Substantial changes after acceptance require editorial approval. Authors must promptly report significant errors discovered before or after publication and cooperate in correcting the scholarly record.

Submission Checklist

Before submitting, confirm that:

• The manuscript is original and is not under consideration elsewhere.

• All authors have approved the submission.

• The title page and anonymized manuscript are provided separately.

• The abstract, keywords, references, tables, and figures are complete.

• Research methods or analytical approaches are adequately explained.

• Jurisdictions and legal authorities are identified accurately.

• Ethics approval, consent, and permissions are included where applicable.

• Participant privacy and confidentiality are protected.

• Funding, conflicts of interest, and author contributions are declared.

• A data availability statement is provided where relevant.

• Third-party permissions have been obtained where required.

• Related publications and substantive AI use have been disclosed.

For submission assistance, contact the editorial office through the journal’s official Contact page.