General Submission Issues

  • Submissions must be in the form of an e-mail attachment to the editors at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
  • Authors must provide: full names; institutional affiliations and contact details.
  • Submissions must be in Microsoft Word 2010.

Types of Contribution

  • All contributions should comply with both the IUCN Academy and the eJournal's mission statement as published on the IUCN Academy website.
  • All types of contributions may be submitted by authors and/or commissioned by the Editorial Committee.
  • Articles must be on a topic related to the theme of the issue of the eJournal, as selected by the Editorial Committee. Three or four articles will be published in each edition of the eJournal. Articles shall be a maximum of 8,000 words in length, including references.
  • Country reports shall comprise of a discussion of interesting developments in policy/statute/case law in the author's jurisdiction in the past 12 months. See the Guidelines for Country Reports regarding the purpose, structure and form of these reports. Country reports shall be a maximum of 3,000 words in length.
  • Insights or Opinion pieces allow authors to discuss matters of interest in a less formal format than an article and shall be a maximum of 1,000 words in length.
  • Book reviews shall be a maximum of 1,000 words in length. New books may be submitted to the Editors for review, which review shall be undertaken by an independent person commissioned by the Editors.

Referencing

  • Articles and Country Reports - All sources must be duly referenced. The citation style to be adopted is the Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA), available at http://denning.law.ox.ac.uk/published/oscola.shtml. Electronic sources should be used wherever possible.
  • Insights or Opinion Pieces and Book Reviews – All references should be contained in the body of the text (ie. no footnotes).

Format of Text

TITLE OF ARTICLE (BOLD, CAPITALS, ARIAL SIZE 12, CENTRE)

Subtitle (Bold, Arial Size 12, First Letter in Capitals, Centre)

Author, Normal, Arial Size 12, Centred

Heading 1 (Bold, First Letters in Capitals Arial 11)

Heading 2 (Italics, First Letters in Capitals Arial 11)

Heading 3 (Underlined, First Letters in Capitals Arial 11)

Font: throughout-Arial 11

Line: spacing 1.5

Left and Right Justified

Long quotes- indented, size 10

For example “This is how a long quotation should appear. Although it is acceptable for short quotations to be included in the text using quotation marks alone, longer quotations should always be separated from the main text and contained in a paragraph which is indented and typed in 10 point arial. The purpose of this separation is to help the reader to distinguish quotations from the author’s own words.”

-Name of laws and policies-in italics

  • Bullets – simple black dot indented

Editing Process

  • Initial Screening – All submissions are screened by the Editors to ensure that they are suitable for publication in the eJournal.
  • Peer Review – All substantive articles are subject to a double blind peer review process.
  • Editing Process – All submissions selected for potential publication then go through the following process:
  • Initial Edit - Queries resulting from the editorial process will be addressed to authors electronically using track changes. Any significant changes should be made at this first stage.
  • Final Edit - A final electronic draft will be sent to authors containing the version to be published. Only minor changes should be made at this second stage.
  • Editing Timelines - Our guideline is four weeks turnaround by authors for the first stage of editing and two weeks by authors for the second stage.

Copyright Notice

  • The authors, upon submission, communicate their acceptance of the following conditions:
  • The work, upon publication, becomes the property of the eJournal.
  • Upon publication, the work is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial No Derivative Works 3.0 Unreported License.
  • Permissions for subsequent publication/reprint and/or derivative works must be obtained from the Editors of the eJournal.

Copyright and Permissions

  • The onus is on the authors to ensure that all relevant permissions have been obtained in respect of materials contained in their contribution to the eJournal.
  • Authors indemnify the Editors and the Editorial Committee of the eJournal in respect of any claims arising from infringement of copyright.
  • Given the electronic format of the eJournal, the Editors and Editorial Committee cannot be held liable for the distribution and/or re-use of the content of the material/articles appearing in the journal.

Defamation

  • Authors must avoid making defamatory/injurious statements in their submissions that could result in libel claims and indemnify the Editors, Editorial Committee and publishers in respect of any defamation claims.
  • The Editors may elect not to publish or may request the author(s) to exclude material which, in the Editors' opinion, is of a defamatory nature.

- See more at: http://www.iucnael.org/en/e-journal/submissions.html#sthash.543o8dVR.dpuf

Should you have any queries regarding the eJournal, the submission deadlines, the style guidelines or previous issues, please contact the Editors at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For any other matters related to the eJournal, please contact Winnie Carruth at the IUCN Academy Secretariat at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Background and Mission

Welcome to the IUCN AEL Journal of Environmental Law (ISSN –1929-6088). Established in late 2009 under the auspices of the IUCN Academy's Research Committee, the Journal aims to provide:

  • a valuable resource for IUCN Academy members, other institutions and scholars interested in keeping abreast of environmental law developments worldwide, including:
    • innovative and critical thinking
    • policy developments
    • legal developments
    • new case law
  • a forum for facilitating the participation and engagement of a broader array of scholars in the IUCN Academy's network, especially younger and emerging academics.
  • a platform for promoting global information exchange and debate amongst environmental law scholars.

Structure of the Journal

Each submission MUST follow the formatting outline found here.

Each issue of the Journal is divided into the following three parts:

  • Part 1 - Commissioned/Selected Articles
    • Content – A theme is selected by the Editorial Committee for each issue and these articles must relate to the issue's theme. See the relevant call for papers for further information on the theme selected for the next issue.
    • Articles specifically commissioned/selected by the Editorial Committee.
    • 3/4 articles per issue.
    • Maximum length (8000 words).
  • Part 2 - Country Reports
    • Content - Reports on any interesting developments in policy/statute/case law in the author's jurisdiction in the past 12 months.
    • See the Country Report Guidelines for further information.
    • Voluntary submissions although where there is a dearth of submissions from certain regions, the Editorial Committee may actively solicit contributions from such regions.
    • Maximum Length (3000 words).
  • Part 3 - Book Reviews/Short Opinions/Insight Papers
    • Content - self-explanatory.
    • Voluntary submissions although the Editorial Committee may actively solicit book reviews if the need arises.
    • Maximum Length (1000 words).

Language Policy

While the desire is to ultimately translate and publish the Journal in all six working languages of the United Nations (English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish and Arabic), financial realties and expediency in the editing, review and publishing process currently dictate that the initial official languages for the Journal are English, Spanish, French and Chinese. All prospective articles, reports, books reviews and opinion pieces must therefore be written and submitted in one of the above languages. All contributions will be published in the language in which they are originally submitted. Each contribution will however be accompanied by a short abstract in English.

Call for Papers

IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Journal Issue 12 2021

The editors would like to invite contributions for inclusion in the twelfth issue of the IUCNAEL Journal, which will be published in January 2022

The Journal in an open access, free to publish, peer reviewed journal. In particular, for Issue 12, the editors invite submissions in the form of:

For Issue 12, the editors invite submissions in the form of:

Substantives articles on the Special issue: Climate change laws and regulations

The Grantham Research Institute at the LSE[i] database includes 2247 climate laws and policies. These instruments aim in particular at setting out targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, defining carbon budgets, promoting implementation tools and encouraging the mainstreaming of climate objectives into all domestic policies, etc. They acknowledge increasingly a commitment to reach carbon neutrality before 2030, 2040, 2050 or 2060. However, short-term trajectories are not always coherent with long-term objectives, and policies are not always in line with the Paris agreement long-term goal (keeping the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C). COVID-19 pandemic recovery spending has so far missed the opportunity to accelerate climate transition and to build back better. Consequently, climate law and regulations are more and more challenged before domestic courts (1840 climate litigation cases in the same Grantham Research Institute database), and litigants are more and more successful. In this context papers could address these issues:

  • What is the content of climate laws and regulations?
  • What are the targets and time frame adopted, and how do they fit into a national response? Are they in line with the Paris Agreement?
  • Are climate laws and regulations innovative?
  • What are the obstacles encountered in their application? Are specific expertise mechanisms in place?
  • Are participatory approaches  being mandated?
  • Are COVID-19 recovery plans in line with climate laws and regulations?
  • Are climate laws and regulations challenged before domestic courts and what is the outcome?
  • How regional (in particular within the European Union) and international cooperation can help to achieve the objectives?

Potential authors are invited to work on these questions in one or more jurisdiction. Case studies of recent litigation (Shell case for example) are welcome.

Maximum length: 8000 words

  • Teaching Articles
    • Authors are expected to provide critical analysis and insights regarding good practices in the teaching of the environmental law or capacity building initiatives, which includes the following topics: Blended Learning; Capacity building actions; Case Method; Clinical Legal Education; e-Learning; Evaluation and assessment of student learning; Experiences in joint education projects (national and international); Flipped Learning; Innovative approaches to teach environmental sustainability and justice; Inquiry based teaching; Joint programs; Learning and Teaching Methodologies; Mobile learning: Phones, Tablets...; Moot Court Competitions; Plagiarism; Problem-Based Learning; Scientific methodology or evidence based teaching; Simulations; Teaching Environmental Law from interdisciplinary perspectives; Teaching research nexus; Tutoring and Coaching; University-Industry Collaboration.
    • Maximum length: 8000 words.
  • Country reports
    • These reports should canvas recent interesting legal and policy developments in members’ jurisdictions – preferably developments that have taken place in the past 6-12 months.
    • Maximum length: 3000 words.
  • Short Notes/Insight Pieces
    • Short punchy notes/opinion pieces on preferably controversial topics, the purpose of which is to invoke debate.
    • Maximum length: 1000 words.
  • Book Reviews
    • Book reviews should critically consider texts in the field of environmental law that have been published in the past 6-12 months.
    • Maximum length: 1000 words.

Previous issues and the full details regarding the length, format and nature of possible contributions are available on the Journal’s website. You will find here all the information on submissions: https://www.iucnael.org/en/academy-journal/submissions.

We aim to publish the journal by January 2022, so please provide a 300 word abstract by 20 July. We will be reviewing all work.

Editorial Committee

Co-Editors in Chief:

  • Prof. Jennifer McKay (Justice and Society University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia)
  • Dr. Aubin Nzaou-Kongo (University of Houston Law Center, Houston, United States)

Book Review Editor:

  • Prof. David M. Ong Khai Long (Liverpool John Moores University School of Law, Liverpool, United Kingdom)

Assistant Editors:

  • Emily Martinez (University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, Baltimore, United States)

We look forward to receiving your contributions and should you have any queries please do not
hesitate to contact us.

  • Prof. Jennifer McKay (University of South Australia, Australia) and Prof. Aubin Nzaou-Kongo
    (University of Houston)

- Co-Editors-in-Chief.

 

CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS

17 February 2011

We are pleased to announce that we have now published the first two issues of the IUCN Academy’s e-Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, in July 2010 and February 2011.

We are now preparing the third issue.The Editors accordingly welcome contributions of the following nature from all members of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law:

(1) Short Academic Articles

  • Theme for this Issue– Innovations in Social Justice and Environmental Governance. During the past few decades, much attention has been paid to ‘efficient’ environmental protection, but at what social cost? Market instruments frequently empower the rich. Regulated access is often easier for those who are confident, informed and mobile. Even seemingly benign approaches, such as ‘green investment’, can have dire social consequences for certain sectors of the society. Innovations in environmental law may show the way towards improved environmental governance that simultaneously significantly improves the lot of the least advantaged in society. The editors are interested in articles that demonstrate how environmental law can fulfill its traditional role in pioneering both environmental protection and social justice.
  • Maximum Length – 4000 words.
  • Selection – The best 3/4 articles which comply with the Author Guidelines will be selected for publication by the Editorial Board.

(2) Country Reports

  • Nature – Reports on any interesting developments in policy/statute/case law in the author’s jurisdiction.
  • Please see the Country Report Guidelines for further information on the nature, structure and form of these country reports.
  • Maximum Length – 3000 words.
  • Selection – All country reports deemed to be of a satisfactory quality by the Editorial Board and which comply with the Author Guidelines and the Country Report Guidelines be published.

(3) Book Reviews/Short Opinion Pieces/Letters

  • Length – 1000 words.
  • Selection – All contributions of this nature similarly deemed to be of a satisfactory quality by the Editorial Board and which comply with the style guidelines will be published.

If you would like to submit any of the above contributions to the Journal, please send by email attachment to the Editors at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Further details on the journal, specifically the style guidelines and language policy, can be found on this page in the sidebar green box. Please note that while contributions can be submitted in English, Spanish, French and Chinese, all must be accompanied by an abstract (100 words) written in English.

You will also find a document on this page that details the Publishing Agreement for authors.

Submission deadline: 30 November 2011

The second issue of the eJournal was published in February 2011, and is available for download on this site under "Current Issue".

Past Issues