Author Guidelines

Formatting Requirements:

• Microsoft Word document
• Font: Calibri, size 11
• Line spacing: 1.5 lines
• Margins: Normal (2.54cm on left, right, top and bottom)
• Alignment: Justified
• Headings should be numbered and in bold. Subheadings and sub-subheadings should be numbered and in italics. 
• Use block paragraphs (paragraphs seperated by a margin of whitespace). Do not indent the first line. 

Specific Style Requirements for Submissions:

• Standard British English spelling and grammar (eg ‘Organisation’, not ‘Organization’)
• Full Dates (eg 28 September 1954)
• Numbers below 10 should be written as words (eg 'nine'). Numerals should be used for those above 10 (eg '11').
• Use ‘1954 Convention’ as the short title for the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons
• Use ‘1961 Convention’ as the short title for the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness
• Use ‘UNHCR’, not ‘the UNHCR’
• Italicise uncommon non-English words, including Latin legal concepts
• Italicise document titles, court rulings, cases, legislation and treaty titles
• Documents titles should be written out in full in-text and a short title should be used for subsequent usage
• Pinpoint in text or in the footnote when referring to a specific provision of a legal instrument (eg 1954 Convention art 1)
• Use single quotation marks (') for quotes, and use double quotation marks (“) inside single quotation marks when quoting within a quote
• Quotes longer than three lines should be a separate paragraph, indent on left side, no quotation marks needed
• Quotation marks are used inside periods or commas for short quotations (those quotations that are not indented or exceed 3 lines)

References, Citations and Footnotes:

• References should follow the Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) 
• Use footnotes, not endnotes or in-text references
• Include all relevant bibliographical data, so that the source can easily be found (author, title, publisher, year, relevant page numbers, etc. as in accordance with OSCOLA)
• Avoid the use of ‘Latin gadgets’ (op. cit., id., supra, etc.) in footnotes or keep it to an absolute minimum (for instance only use the more widely understood ibid. for repeating a citation in the immediately preceding footnote)

Section Descriptions:

Please note that the main difference between a case note, a comment, and an article is the breadth of the subject matter covered. A case note should analyse a single case. In contrast, a comment addresses an area of the law, focusing on specific issues, cases, and legislation. An article is broader still.

• Articles
  • The SCR aims to generate new knowledge and insights on topics broadly related to statelessness, citizenship and identity and the editors encourage article submissions that contribute to an advanced understanding of statelessness and citizenship, from any discipline.  
  • We encourage articles that are theoretically informed, methodologically sound and make an original contribution to the field.

• Critique and Comment
  • This section features critical reflections on emerging issues, policy trends and other new developments within the field of statelessness writ large.
  • As a space for the exchange of informed and diverse opinions, the Critique & Comment section also includes an annual symposium on a particular theme, question, or event. 
  • We encourage individuals to collaborate in composing a symposium proposal, which must include 6–7 contributions that provide sufficiently diverse perspectives on the thematic call. 
  • The thematic call for symposium-specific contributions is issued in February of each year via the journal‘s website with a 1 October deadline. 
  • Whether an individual is interested in submitting a stand-alone critical reflection, or a manuscript for consideration in the annual symposium, submissions should be between 2,000–2,700 words (including any bibliography or footnotes). 

• Case Notes 
  • 3–4 pages (approximately 2,000–2,500  words) with the following structure:
    • Introduction: Explanation of (national) context and ‘noteworthiness’ of the case in the context of the jurisdiction in which the case is being decided and from a global perspective. In particular, author shall provide the relevant background law relating to the issues.
    • Facts: Inclusion of relevant facts presented in a clear, concise, and interesting manner. The idea is to focus readers’ attention on those critical facts determining the issue(s). Often courts in common-law countries distinguish cases on their facts. Mention of the lower court’s holding, appeals and any subsequent action.
    • Issues: Authors shall set out the legal issues (or questions of law) that were discussed in the case.
    • Holding: Authors shall state the court’s holding on each relevant issue.
    • Reasoning or analysis: Authors shall describe and critically analyse the court’s reasoning and decision, including addressing the application of key principles, ambiguous statements, whether any question was left unanswered, or whether the reasoning makes sense.
    • Conclusion: The conclusion shall bring the case note full circle, reinforcing the ‘noteworthiness’ of the case. If appropriate, authors shall attempt to predict the impact of the case on future decisions.
  • The following list of possible 'noteworthy' aspects should assist in understanding this fundamental feature of a case note.
    • An area of significant concern.
    • The possibility of intriguing results in later cases.
    • The court ignores logical reasoning or common sense.
    • The court fails to follow the majority of jurisdictions.
    • The first case in a newly legislated area.
    • The court fills an important gap.
    • The court follows (or does not follow) international law or guidelines on the issue.
    • A likely effect on related legal areas.

Copyright:

Submissions are covered by Creative Commons Copyright license: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)