Submissions Guidelines
Inter Gentes welcomes submissions relating to recent developments in international law and legal pluralism on a rolling basis. A strong preference is given to incisive, argument-driven articles, as opposed to lengthy explanatory pieces. In line with Inter Gentes’ concept, papers that develop novel paradigms on the understanding of international law will gain particular attention with the Editorial Team. In addition, Inter Gentes will encourage its contributors to engage in constructive dialogue by publishing op-eds, comments, and responses on the Journal’s website.
I. General Submission Guidelines
Inter Gentes is committed to publishing thoughtful scholarly pieces that contribute to the theoretical development of legal pluralism and international law. The Journal welcomes unsolicited submissions relating to its current theme or pieces that explore any area of international law and legal pluralism from a critical perspective.
Inter Gentes aims to provide a forum for a broad diversity of opinion. We welcome submissions from professionals, scholars, and students involved in the study or practice of international law, legal pluralism, and other related disciplines.
We strongly believe in diversity and inclusivity, and encourage feminist, global, and interdisciplinary scholarship. We are an open-access journal, we encourage authors to refer to e-sources in their citations where readily available, and we strive to make our website and content accessible to individuals who are blind or visually-impaired.
In addition, Inter Gentes believes in both pre and post-publication peer review. As such, we encourage our contributors and audience to engage in constructive dialogue by publishing op-eds, comments, and responses on the Journal’s website.
II. Submission Requirements
Format and Citations
All submissions should be sent to intergentes@mcgill.ca in Microsoft Word format, with text double-spaced and footnotes single-spaced. We accept pieces in English, French and Spanish. We ask that submissions are free of any references identifying the author.
Authors must include an abstract of not more than 300 words, as well as a resume or CV, which includes a list of current publications if applicable.
The Journal does not accept manuscripts submitted via fax or standard mail.
All citations and footnotes should conform with the 9th edition of the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation. Authors must provide complete citations and ensure that pinpoints to specific pages or paragraphs are provided where required. Authors should be prepared to supply any cited sources upon request. We encourage authors to refer to open-access sources where available, to ensure accessibility to all our readers.
We welcome gender inclusivity in submissions. We reserve the right to recommend changes in pieces if readers might not feel respected.
Categories of submissions
Academic submissions (will undergo complete editorial process, including double-blind peer review and be included in our issue)
- Academic articles (8000 – 15,000 words)
- Case comments (1500 – 4000 words)
- Book reviews (1500 – 4000 words)
Op-eds and Comments (will undergo internal editorial process and be featured on our website)
- Op-eds on current international law and legal pluralism issues (500 – 700 words)
- Comments and responses to articles previously published in Inter Gentes (500-3000 words)
NB: All word limits exclude footnotes.
III. The Selection Process for Academic Submissions
Once submitted, articles are taken through a two-step evaluation process conducted by the Editorial Board, composed of BCL/LLB and LLM candidates, and external reviewers. The internal evaluation determines whether the article is (1) accepted to go through the double-blind peer review process, (2) sent back to the author for improvement and resubmission, or (3) rejected. Only those articles that pass the internal evaluation by the Editorial Board will be sent out for external review.
The Executive Board of Inter Gentes makes the final decisions regarding publication following the peer review process. The Faculty adviser and the members of the Advisory Board are usually consulted on the evaluation of articles. Authors should expect to work closely with our Editorial Board on substantive and format revisions prior to the article’s final publication.
Timeline
We make decisions on a rolling basis, although the timing of our decision on many submissions may vary depending on the time of the year. The review process can take several weeks as we make every effort to carefully consider articles that meet our selection criteria. We appreciate your patience during the McGill Faculty of Law’s examination periods (November-December and March-April) when the review process is likely to be protracted.
Submission Exclusivity & Terms of Copyright
All authors whose publication has been accepted by Inter Gentes will be required to sign an agreement indicating acceptance of our copyright and publication policy. Please note that the Journal does not accept submissions that are simultaneously under consideration by other publications. We ask that authors confirm their compliance with this policy in their submission email.
Upon reception of your submission and confirmation of exclusivity, you will receive an acknowledgment and an estimated timeline for a publication decision. Please note that copyright for all manuscripts accepted for publication will remain with the author. However, the author must sign an agreement granting the Journal an exclusive license to publish the piece for the first time, in addition to a non-exclusive license to reproduce and distribute the article or extracts thereof. Any subsequent re-production or re-publication of the article must bear the legend that it first appeared in this Journal.
IV. Editorial Process
The editors of the Journal approach the task of editing with an ethic of respect for the style and ideas of the authors whose work we publish. All articles published in the Journal are edited so as to conform to the style rules contained in the 9th edition of the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation. The Journal will respect the author’s choice of spelling standards.
Authors are given appropriate opportunities to read and correct proofs of the article.
Every quotation and footnote published in Inter Gentes is verified for both style and substantive content by the Editorial Board to ensure the accuracy and pertinence of the sources that are cited. This thorough editorial process is essential to the maintenance of the high academic standards of the Journal. If sources cited by an author cannot be obtained by the Journal, the author may be asked to provide the Journal with a copy of the source.
V. Status of review
All authors will receive confirmation that their submission is being reviewed within a month of its reception. We will attempt to notify authors of acceptance or rejection as quickly as possible.
Submissions for thematic issue 2 closed on July 31 2016
The theme for our second publication is
(In)tangible Ownership in the International Sphere
When we speak of ownership in the international context, several things come to mind: land, property, natural resources and maritime issues. This notion of ownership over tangible things invites discussions about indigenous land rights, pipeline issues, land tenure, development, expropriation, maritime disputes, cultural property, the common heritage of mankind and much more. At the same time, ownership can and often does encompass the intangible: identity, culture, self-determination, sovereignty and private life.
There is an inextricable interplay between tangible and intangible ownership. For example, indigenous land rights and cultural property are inherently linked to identity, culture, and self-determination. Resource, land, and maritime disputes are linked to sovereignty and often neo-colonization. The right to national security and to protect one’s territory is often invoked to undermine informational privacy and to seize personal data.
For the second issue of Inter Gentes, we ask scholars to explore tangible or intangible ownership, or both, within an international framework. We encourage an interdisciplinary approach to these issues, which include public international law, legal pluralism, human rights, cultural rights, development, and TWAIL. We also strongly encourage a critical perspective on the status quo.