Submission Guidelines

About IJTAG Journal

ISSN NO.: 2395-4337

Formerly UGC CARE Listed Journal

The IJTAG Journal is the flagship journal of the CTAG, National Law University, Delhi. It is a double-blind peer-reviewed academic law journal, published annually by the University. The Law Review aims to promote a culture of scholarly research and academic writing by brining to the forefront, articles on subjects of interest to the legal profession and academia. It features articles, essays, and case notes on various themes, including but not limited to:

Legal Education
Combating Corruption
Right to Information
Administration and Governance

This Journal does not charge any submission or processing or publication fees.

General

The Journal is an annual endeavour which accepts manuscripts on a rolling basis from all stakeholders including but not limited to Students, Professors, Academics, Experts, etc.
CTAG deals with a multidisciplinary approach, and anything related to good governance, transparency, law and social sciences is accepted for publication.
All manuscripts must be compulsorily accompanied with a covering letter indicating the name of the author, title of the submission and email address of the author.
The name of the author or institutional affiliation must not be mentioned anywhere in the manuscripts or its properties in order to maintain the integrity of the blind review process.

Timeline for Submission

This Journal accepts submissions "Annually".

Themes of the Journal

The IJTAG Journal does not restrict itself to any particular area of law and welcomes contribution from all branches of law, as long as the work is relevant, up to date and original. The work must however, be related to the themes of the Journal. These themes include but are not limited to:

Anti-Corruption Laws and Policies
Public Accountability and Governance
Transparency in Government Operations
Human Rights and Accountability
Access to Public Services
Governance Related to Executive, Judiciary, Legislature

Format

The submission shall not contain the name of the author or institutional affiliation or any other identification mark.
The heading and subheading of the paper should be in the following format:

TITLE

[Times New Roman, 16, Bold, All Caps, Centre Align]

NAME OF AUTHOR(S)

[Times New Roman, 14, Italics, Centre Align, separated by &]

ABSTRACT TEXT

[Times New Roman, 11, Italics, Justify]

LEVEL 1 HEADING

[Times New Roman, All Caps & Bold]

LEVEL 2 SUB-HEADING

[Times New Roman, First Letter Capital & Bold]

LEVEL 3 SUB-SUB-HEADING

[Times New Roman, First Letter Capital & Bold & Italics]

LEVEL 4 SUB-SUB-SUB-HEADING

[Times New Roman, 12, Normal, Justify, 1.5” spacing, 1” indent on the first line of every paragraph]

QUOTES

[Times New Roman, 12, Justify, 1” Spacing, 0.5” indents on both sides]

FOOTNOTES

[Times New Roman, 10, Justify, 1” Spacing]

All citations should be placed in footnotes (and not endnotes) and shall conform to the CTAG Style Manual
The submission should contain a disclaimer to the effect that the piece is original and is not under consideration, for publication, elsewhere.
All manuscripts are subject to Plagiarism check.
All manuscripts go through an initial round of review by the editorial board and the selected pieces are subsequently sent for double-blind peer review, before finalization for publication.

The Journal accepts submission in the following categories:

Research Papers:

Papers in this category are expected to engage with the theme comprehensively, examine the literature thoroughly, and offer an innovative reassessment of the current understanding of that theme. It is advisable, though not necessary, to choose a theme that is of contemporary importance. Purely theoretical pieces are also welcomed.

Word Limit: Must be between 5000 and 10,000 words (exclusive of footnotes)

Page Limit: Ordinarily not more than 15 pages.

Font and Spacing: Times New Roman, size 12, 1.5 line spacing, justified text

Footnotes: Times New Roman, size 10, 1.0 line spacing (Endnotes not allowed)

Formatting: Include graphics, charts, tables, and diagrams in the body of the work

Headings: Should follow the following standard:

1. LEVEL 1 HEADING: All Capitals & Bold;

1.1. LEVEL 2 SUB-HEADING: First Letter CAPITAL & BOLD;

1.1.1. Level 3 Sub-Sub-Heading: First Letter CAPITAL & BOLD & ITALIC;

1.1.1.1. Level 4 Sub-Sub-Sub-Heading: Normal

Abstract: 250-300 words with keywords

Author Profile: 200 words

Originality: Must be original work, free of plagiarism

Co-Authorship: Allowed (up to one co-author)

Experts Comment:

This section should include a thought-provoking and innovative piece consisting chiefly of personal opinions and analysis.

Word Limit: Must be between 2000 and 3000 words (exclusive of footnotes)

Page Limit: Between 3 to 5 pages

Font and Spacing: Times New Roman, size 12, 1.5 line spacing, justified text

Footnotes: Times New Roman, size 10, 1.0 line spacing (Endnotes not allowed)

Formatting: Include graphics, charts, tables, and diagrams in the body of the work

Headings: Should follow the following standard:

1. LEVEL 1 HEADING: All Capitals & Bold;

1.1. LEVEL 2 SUB-HEADING: First Letter CAPITAL & BOLD;

1.1.1. Level 3 Sub-Sub-Heading: First Letter CAPITAL & BOLD & ITALIC;

1.1.1.1. Level 4 Sub-Sub-Sub-Heading: Normal

Abstract: 250-300 words with keywords

Author Profile: 200 words

Originality: Must be original work, free of plagiarism

Co-Authorship: Allowed (up to one co-author)

Judges Analysis/Comment:

This part should analyze contemporary Indian or International judicial pronouncements relevant to the themes. It must identify and examine the line of cases in which the decision in question came about and comment on implications for the evolution of that branch of law.

Word Limit: Must be between 2000 and 4000 words (exclusive of footnotes)

Page Limit: Between 5 to 7 pages

Font and Spacing: Times New Roman, size 12, 1.5 line spacing, justified text

Footnotes: Times New Roman, size 10, 1.0 line spacing (Endnotes not allowed)

Formatting: Include graphics, charts, tables, and diagrams in the body of the work

Headings: Should follow the following standard:

1. LEVEL 1 HEADING: All Capitals & Bold;

1.1. LEVEL 2 SUB-HEADING: First Letter CAPITAL & BOLD;

1.1.1. Level 3 Sub-Sub-Heading: First Letter CAPITAL & BOLD & ITALIC;

1.1.1.1. Level 4 Sub-Sub-Sub-Heading: Normal

Abstract: 250-300 words with keywords

Author Profile: 200 words

Originality: Must be original work, free of plagiarism

Co-Authorship: Allowed (up to one co-author)

Book/Reports Review:

The word limit is 2000-3000 for the review of a book relevant to the themes. The study should identify the author’s relevant arguments and present a comprehensive analysis.

Word Limit: Must be between 2000 and 3000 words (exclusive of footnotes)

Page Limit: Between 3 to 5 pages

Font and Spacing: Times New Roman, size 12, 1.5 line spacing, justified text

Footnotes: Times New Roman, size 10, 1.0 line spacing (Endnotes not allowed)

Formatting: Include graphics, charts, tables, and diagrams in the body of the work

Headings: Should follow the following standard:

1. LEVEL 1 HEADING: All Capitals & Bold;

1.1. LEVEL 2 SUB-HEADING: First Letter CAPITAL & BOLD;

1.1.1. Level 3 Sub-Sub-Heading: First Letter CAPITAL & BOLD & ITALIC;

1.1.1.1. Level 4 Sub-Sub-Sub-Heading: Normal

Abstract: 250-300 words with keywords

Author Profile: 200 words

Originality: Must be original work, free of plagiarism

Co-Authorship: Allowed (up to one co-author)

Mode of Submission

Submission must be made only through electronic form available on our website.
Submissions made through any other medium, including by way of emails, shall not be considered for review by the Editorial Board.

Concurrent Submission & Text Recycling

Plagiarism in all its forms is unethical and is unacceptable and the center has a strict policy of Zero Tolerance against plagiarism. By making a submission to The Journal, the author(s) undertakes that the manuscript is their original work, has not been plagiarized and does not contain anything that infringes upon copyright or any other rights of third parties. All submission will be checked for plagiarism by the Editorial Board. Infringing, offensive or plagiarized manuscripts will be liable for rejection.
It is the responsibility of the author(s) to acknowledge their sources and provide appropriate references in the manner prescribed. Any information obtained through private means (such as from discussion or conversation with third parties), should not be used to include in the manuscript without explicit written permission from the concerned third party.
The manuscript or any variation of the manuscript submitted to The Journal shall not be simultaneously submitted elsewhere, nor shall it be submitted to The Journal if it has been accepted or submitted elsewhere.
If the submission made to The Journal or any variation of the submission, in whole or in part, has been published or accepted for publication elsewhere, whether in the same or different language, the author(s) shall, at the time of submission to The Journal or immediately after receiving acceptance of publication, whichever is earlier, make a disclosure to that effect to The Journal, providing all details of the relevant material. The Journal may ask the author(s) for additional details pertaining to the relevant publication.

Conflict of Interest

Author(s) shall disclose any potential conflict of interest that may exist, whether financial, institutional, and personal or any other, which might give the appearance of influence whether in the content of their manuscript or in the review process.
Potential conflicts of interest include, among others, any relationship with the editorial board of The Journal, employment, grants, consultancies, representation in a dispute/case and paid expert testimony.
It is the responsibility of the author(s) to make such disclosures on conflicts of interest to the Journal at the earliest possible time.
Author(s) must further refer to the Publication Ethical Standards of The Journal to ensure that their submitted work is not in violation of The Journal’s policies.
This Journal does not accept articles submitted by students or faculty members from National Law University Delhi.
Articles submitted by individuals holding positions on the editorial board, advisory board, or governing bodies of universities will also not be accepted by the Journal.

Stipulations for Publication

All submissions to The Journal must be original and should not be simultaneously submitted to any other publication for consideration.
Upon submission, the manuscript shall become the property of the Centre for Transparency and Accountability in Governance (CTAG), NLU Delhi. It will be presumed upon submission that the authors grant The Journal an irrevocable, transferable, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, reproduce, and distribute their submission(s) in all media formats, including but not limited to print and electronic services.
The license is granted for the duration of the subsistence of the copyright including any extensions and/or renewals.
Manuscripts are accepted for publication on the condition that they do not infringe upon the rights of any third party and that the work does not contain any obscene, offensive, or defamatory material.
Any form of plagiarism will not be tolerated and lead to instant disqualification from the review process. The same will be assessed by way of anti-plagiarism software. [Refer to Publication Ethical Standards]
No withdrawal of manuscripts is permitted
After review, manuscripts will be returned to authors suggesting changes to content, style, or structure. Acceptance of the piece for publication maybe made contingent upon incorporating such suggestions.
The editorial board may review the accuracy of citations. However, the final responsibility for accuracy of facts, quotations and citations in the submission rests with the author. The author may be asked to present copies of the materials cited in the paper.
The process for review and acceptance for publication is extensive and may take between 6-7 months. Due to the rigorous review stages, including multiple rounds of editorial review, fact-checking, and plagiarism assessment, authors should expect a prolonged timeline before final acceptance

Note: All manuscripts must be accompanied by a duly filled declaration form, as outlined in the Authorship guidelines.