Submissions

Author Guidelines

Publication Ethics Statement 

The Obafemi Awolowo University Law Journal is committed to the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in scholarly publishing. Our publication ethics are guided by internationally recognised principles, including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Guidelines.

a) Author Responsibilities:

i. Submissions must be original works that have not been published elsewhere and are not under consideration by any other journal.
ii. Authors must ensure that all sources are properly acknowledged and referenced.
iii. Any potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed.
iv. Authors must obtain necessary permissions for use of copyrighted materials.

b) Editorial Responsibilities:

i. Editors will evaluate submissions solely on academic merit, relevance, and quality, without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, religion, nationality, or political beliefs.
ii. The editorial team will maintain confidentiality of all submissions and will not use unpublished materials for personal advantage.
iii. Decisions on acceptance, revision, or rejection will be based on the outcome of the peer review process and the Journal’s editorial standards.
iv. The Journal will investigate all allegations of misconduct, including plagiarism, falsification of data, or unethical research practices, and may retract or correct articles where necessary.

c) Reviewer Responsibilities:

i. Reviewers must ensure objective, constructive, and confidential evaluations of submissions.
ii. They should disclose any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from reviewing where appropriate.
iii. They must not use unpublished materials from submissions for personal research without the author’s consent.

Peer Review Policy

The Obafemi Awolowo University Law Journal operates a double-blind peer review process to ensure impartial and rigorous evaluation of submissions.

Process:

1. All manuscripts are first screened by the Editorial Board for compliance with the Journal’s scope, format, and quality standards.
2. Suitable submissions are anonymised and sent to at least two independent reviewers with expertise in the relevant field.
3. Reviewers assess manuscripts for originality, scholarly contribution, clarity of argument, depth of analysis, and proper use of sources.
4. Based on reviewers’ recommendations, the Editorial Board will decide to:
Accept the manuscript;
Request minor or major revisions; or
Reject the manuscript.

a) Confidentiality and Anonymity:

Both authors and reviewers remain anonymous to each other throughout the process.
All materials are treated as confidential and used solely for the purposes of review.

b) Timelines:

The Journal aims to provide initial decisions within 4–6 weeks of submission. Revised manuscripts may be re-reviewed before a final decision is made.