Submission Guidelines

Scope

The IJLT Blog invites contributions in the following categories:

  • Responses to articles previously published in the print journal or on the IJLT Blog
  • Comments on contemporary legal developments – including topical issues, recent judgments, and legislative changes.
  • Book reviews engaging with recent literary works

Submission Guidelines

  1. Submissions from non-NLSIU authors must be made in Word document (.docx) format using this form only.
  2. All submissions made by the students and faculty of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore, must be sent to ijltedit@nls.ac.in.
  3. Articles must be between 1,500-2,500 words. This is flexible, based on the quality of the piece. We are keen to include tables, charts, and relevant figures where appropriate.
  4. We use links rather than citations for references. Links should direct readers to more detailed reports or other pieces of research, news items, or other blog posts. Open access sources are preferable compared to those behind paywalls. Please insert a hyperlink at the relevant point in your argument that you’d like to reference. Substantial footnoting is permitted, but to be used sparingly.
  5. A blog post may be co-authored by a maximum of 2 authors. This cap may be relaxed at the discretion of the Editorial Board, based on the quality of the piece.
  6. Authors must ensure that their chosen theme/arguments have not already been substantially covered in past articles or contemporary discourse. However, this does not apply to responses or differing perspectives on existing content.
  7. All manuscripts submitted to the IJLT Blog must be original and must not have been published elsewhere.
  8. In the event that a manuscript submitted to the IJLT Blog has been submitted and accepted by any other journal or blog, the author must withdraw their submission from IJLT. If the IJLT Blog accepts the manuscript first, the author must withdraw it for consideration from all other journals or blogs. Failure to do so will lead to the removal of the piece from consideration for publication in the IJLT Blog.

Editorial Process

  1. We accept contributions to the IJLT Blog on a rolling basis.
  2. We aim to respond to blog submissions within two-to-three weeks of receiving them.
  3. In case of articles on recent developments that may lose novelty or relevance within days, authors may request an expedited review by adding the words “Expedited” in the subject line. Such articles shall be reviewed within one week, and this exception shall be granted solely at the discretion of the Editorial Board.
  4. Please note that submissions not conforming to these guidelines may be rejected without review. While we strive to provide substantive feedback for every submission we receive, it may not always be possible to do so, given the large number of submissions. We reserve the right to reject submissions without providing substantive feedback.

AI Policy | 07.07.2026

This policy will be updated as needed to respond to the dynamic nature of generative AI and its interactions with research and writing.

A. AUTHORS
We review each article to assess whether it is original, rigorously researched, and retains the human authorial voice. Any use of AI should not undermine these standards and must be limited to a minor, assistive role.

Below is an illustrative guide on what we see as permissible or not when it comes to AI use. This guide applies to all stages of a manuscript.

AI tools may be used only in a limited, assistive capacity to:
● Correct grammar, spelling, or punctuation.
● Make minor language improvements.
● Format citations.
● Support preliminary and exploratory searches (only akin to a search engine).
● For research, AI must be used only in an assistive capacity; substantive analysis must be author-led.

All AI-assisted outputs must be carefully reviewed by the author, who remains responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the work.

AI tools must not be used to:
● Rewrite any part of the article.
● Generate any part of the article.
● Generate or shape research questions, hypotheses, or arguments.
● Convert the author’s notes into an article.
● Synthesise or produce literature review.
● Add citations to the article not actually reviewed by the author.

This list is not exhaustive.

Disclosure Statement
Authors must include an AI disclosure statement as the first page of the article submitted. The review process will not begin without the statement. The disclosure statement must (i) identify any AI tools used (including those that are AI-assisted, like Grammarly) in research, writing, and editing; (ii) specify in detail what AI was used for; and (iii) confirm that all AI-assisted outputs were reviewed and revised by the author.

The blog reserves the right to decide on publication based on whether the disclosed AI usage meets its academic publication standards. Disclosure statements will also be shared with peer reviewers.

AI disclosure statements will be requested from all authors, irrespective of the stage of the manuscript.

False AI statements will be considered violative of academic ethics and will result in immediate disqualification of the article.

A Note on Editorial Support
We review manuscripts to primarily assess the originality and rigour of the argument. The Editorial Board, with the Faculty Board’s advice, will guide the author through the peer reviewer recommendations and revisions. They will also assist with structural editing, language editing, and proofreading to publish the best possible version of the manuscript.

B. EDITORS AND PEER REVIEWERS

Editors and peer reviewers must not upload any part of an unpublished manuscript to an AI tool/software.

Peer reviewers are required to sign a declaration that the review was written entirely by the reviewer and no part of the manuscript was uploaded to or processed by any AI tool.

Editors and peer reviewers may use AI tools to:
● Do exploratory searches to look for secondary material to understand a concept or field (only akin to a search engine).
● Seek assistance on matters related to grammar, vocabulary, or syntax without uploading any part of a manuscript to an AI platform.
All outputs must be reviewed and verified by editors/peer reviewers.

Editors and peer reviewers shall not use AI tools to:
● Outsource editorial judgement
● Generate peer reviews/editorial reports