Guidelines for Authors GYIL Vol. 53 - Walther-Schücking-Institut für ...

Editors: Thomas Giegerich and Alexander Proelss
Assistant Editors: Katherine Houghton and Killian O’Brien
Address: Westring 400, D-24098 Kiel, Germany
Telephone: +49 (431) 880-2252
Fax: +49 (431) 880-1619
E-mail: yearbook@internat-recht.uni-kiel.de
GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS
I. STRUCTURE OF THE JOURNAL
FORUM (by invitation only, reviewed by the editors)
This section gives an invited author the opportunity to publish a thought-provoking extended
essay on a significant topic in international law. This is a stand-alone piece solicited by the editors
from a prominent scholar in international law.
FOCUS (by invitation only, reviewed by the editors)
This section gives a group of invited authors an opportunity to present original research and
commentary on different aspects of a topic decided in advance by the editors. Authors are invited
to contribute on the basis of their expertise in a given area. The editors seek a broad spectrum of
authors to stimulate academic debate. GYIL 53 (2010) will examine issues in international law
related to climate change.
SYMPOSIUM (by invitation only, reviewed by the editors)
This section publishes a variety of materials presented at and resulting from conferences and
lecture series organized by the Walther Schücking Institute dealing with a particular issue in
international law. This section does not appear in every volume.
GENERAL ARTICLES (open to all submissions, peer-reviewed)
This section gives authors an opportunity to submit original manuscripts on a broad range of
topics in international law. The editors encourage authors from both inside and outside Germany
to submit manuscripts to ensure broad geographic representation in authorship and subject
matter.
GERMAN PRACTICE (open to all submissions, reviewed by the editors)
This section gives (primarily, but not exclusively, German) authors an opportunity to discuss
current state practice in Germany, which has a relevance for international law. This section
presents shorter reports rather than extended essays.
BOOK REVIEWS (open to all submissions, reviewed by the editors)
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This section gives authors an opportunity to publish review essays and short reviews of recent
publications in public international law. We are particularly interested in expanding international
interest in German and German-language scholarship in international law.
II.
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
A. Deadline for All Articles: 1 September 2010
B. Submission of Manuscripts
1. Authors are required to submit an electronic version of the text to the
editors via e-mail at yearbook@internat-recht.uni-kiel.de.
2. Articles should be submitted in MS Word (up to version 2007) or
WordPerfect (up to version 12.0) and saved in a standard format (Times New
Roman or Arial) with unjustified right margins, 1.5 line spacing and without
automatic hyphenation.
C. Length Requirements
1. Word counts for manuscripts vary by section and according to the nature
of the subject matter discussed. These word counts are therefore intended as
guidance to authors rather than as strict requirements. Submissions significantly
above or below these ranges may be returned to authors for revision.
Forum, Focus and General Articles: 10,000-12,500 words
German Practice Reports:
Book Reviews:
1,500-3,000 words
750-1,500 words
2. Manuscripts intended for the Forum, Focus and General Articles sections
should also include a 100-200 word abstract which will be incorporated into the
editors’ introduction and also be published in the GYIL’s online table of
contents.
3. Authors should provide a brief statement of affiliation which will be
published in the List of Contributors. This statement of affiliation should be
attached separately and must not appear in the footnotes.
D. Style and Citation Requirements (Please refer to the ‘GYIL Style Guide’ for
detailed information on preparing and submitting manuscripts)
1. All information quoted or relied upon from other sources (whether
published or unpublished) must be fully and correctly cited in footnotes.
2. The Journal publishes articles in both American English and International
English. Authors are free to submit manuscripts in the language variant they are
most accustomed to using, provided they remain consistent throughout the
article. The GYIL no longer publishes articles in German.
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III.
PEER REVIEW
A. Background Information on the Peer-Review Process
The GYIL seeks to publish thought-provoking and influential articles that will
advance academic understanding of international law. The peer-review process is
intended to enhance the quality of research by providing authors with feedback
on submitted materials and constructive suggestions for consideration and
revision where appropriate. The review process is conducted under strict
considerations of anonymity in order to ensure absolute objectivity. The editors
of the GYIL will never disclose the identities of reviewers to authors or other
reviewers, nor will the editors disclose the identities of authors to the reviewers.
Final responsibility for decisions to publish remains with the editors.
B. Guidelines and Procedures for Peer Review for General Articles
1. Reviewers (Please refer to the ‘Guidelines for Peer Review’ for more
detailed information)
Reviewers are contacted in recognition of their expertise in the given
subject matter. The review process is conducted completely anonymously.
Reviewers are asked to evaluate manuscripts for their academic rigor,
relevance and adherence to the GYIL’s style and in light of the journal’s
goals. A minimum of two reviewers are selected for each article. Reviewers
are required to make any conflicts of interest known to the editors and to
uphold the confidentiality of the materials provided for review. Although
reviewers make an overall recommendation on whether the manuscript
should be published in the GYIL, the final responsibility for the decision
to publish remains with the editors.
2. Authors
Authors receive anonymous reviews of their submitted materials from at
least two qualified reviewers who have evaluated the materials according
to the Guidelines for Peer Review. Authors always retain their academic
independence and are in no way required to incorporate the feedback
provided by reviewers. When resubmitting their manuscripts, authors
should prepare a brief response to the editors explaining where changes
were made. Should they disagree with a reviewer’s comments or decide
against making the suggested revisions, authors are asked to justify their
decision to the editors who will take this into account when making the
final decision to publish.
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IV.
RIGHTS
A. Editors’ Rights
The editors accept manuscripts with the understanding that the contents are
original, unpublished material and have not been submitted for publication
elsewhere. Authors intending to republish GYIL articles or use previously
published materials as part of a GYIL article must indicate their intentions at the
time they accept the invitation to publish. The editors reserve the right to edit
contributions. The editors reserve the right to return articles unpublished if they
do not meet GYIL standards regarding substance. If an article is accepted for
publication but is not in substantial conformance to the GYIL Style Guide and
Guidelines for Authors, the editors reserve the right to return the article to the
author for revision. Authors acknowledge they may be waiving their rights to
review proofs prior to printing if an article is returned for revision. If the author
revises and returns the article to the editors on time according to publication
deadlines, the article will appear in the same volume of the GYIL. If the articles
are not revised and returned in time to be included in the current yearbook, the
editors may consider the article for the following yearbook in view of the
timeliness of the topic. There is no guarantee of publication in the following
volume if the deadlines are not respected. Authors are solely responsible for the
content of both text and footnotes.
B. Authors’ Rights
Authors will have the opportunity to review printer’s proofs of their articles prior
to publication, provided that the articles are submitted in a timely manner.
Revisions not submitted by a date agreed upon between the author and the
editors will not be considered. Authors have the right to make corrections to the
proofs prior to printing, bearing in mind the editors’ request that only minor
alterations and corrections be made to proofs.
Revised January 2010
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