Submission Guidline

The Journal of Malaysian and Comparative Law (JMCL) accept submissions of original unpublished works comprising articles, comments, case notes and reviews on the whole spectrum of legal topics and issues. Submissions can be made throughout the year. However, deadlines for the respective editions are generally as follows:

June Issue: By the end of February

December Issue: By the end of July

Prospective authors should review the following instructions prior to submitting their manuscripts. Authors are also encouraged to consult other relevant policies adopted by JMCL, which are available on the JMCL website.

 

Preparation of Manuscripts 

 1. Articles should not exceed the maximum of 10,000 words (including footnotes); articles shorter than this are favoured.

 2. Articles should be accompanied by an abstract of 150-250 words and keywords of not more than 5 words. 

      3.  The type setting format for the whole article is as follows:

           a)       Microsoft Word ONLY

           b)       Font size: 12

           c)       Font style: Times New Roman

           d)       Double-spaced

           e)       Justified margins of 2.54 cm top and bottom, right and left

f)        Footnotes should be used, not endnotes in compliance with the Australian Guide to Legal Citation.

 

           4.     Libel, defamation and freedom of expression

Freedom of expression is fundamental to scholarly publishing. However, JMCL does not support the publication of false, defamatory, or misleading statements that may harm the reputation of individuals, groups, or organisations. Authors who have concerns regarding potentially defamatory content in their manuscripts or published works are encouraged to contact the editor for guidance.

          5.     Final responsibility for the accuracy of all citations and quotations rests with the authors.

    6. Quotations of more than 30 words should be indented without quotation marks. Shorter quotations within the text should be enclosed by double inverted commas.

     7. Manuscripts must be accompanied with the following information on a separate file:

 

·        Corresponding address

·        Name of author(s) and affiliation

·        Contact number

·        Email

·        Name of file attached

           8.     The Journal adopts the Australian Guide to Legal Citation as its house style available here. 

     9. Affiliations: 

 

1.  Authors and co-authors must list or relevant affiliations to attribute where the research or scholarly work was approved and/or supported and/or conducted.  If authors have moved to a different institution, they must include a note to state their current affiliation. 

 

2.    Authors without a current relevant institutional affiliation should state their independent status. 

10. Competing Interests:

 

 1.     Authors and co-authors must declare any competing interests relevant to, or which can be perceived to be relevant to the article. This declaration will be subject to editorial review and may be published in the article.

 

2.     A competing interest can occur where you (or your employer, sponsor or family/friends) have a financial, commercial, legal, or professional relationship with other organizations, or with the people working with them which could influence the research or interpretation of the results. 

 

3.   Competing interests can be financial or non-financial in nature.  To ensure transparency, you must also declare any associations which can be perceived by others as a competing interest. Authors are required to disclose financial benefit or interests that have arisen from the direct application of their research.  

             11.  Funding details:

    If the paper was developed as part of a grant-funded project, the authors must provide details of the funding and grant-awarding bodies by listing each funding agency together with the corresponding grant number. The authors must also include a funding statement in the manuscript. This declaration will be subject to editorial review and may be published as part of the article.

 

          12. Research Ethics: Human participants and data

Research involving human participants, human tissue, or personal data must receive approval from the relevant institutional ethics committee(s) and comply with applicable international ethical and legal standards for research. Authors are required to include in the methodology section of the manuscript the name of the approving ethics committee, the ethics approval reference number, and details of the consent obtained from participants. Where formal ethics approval was waived, the name of the ethics committee that granted the waiver must also be stated in the methodology section.

The journal expects authors to respect the privacy and confidentiality rights of all research participants. Written consent for publication must be obtained when the manuscript contains any information that could potentially identify an individual participant.

 Authors must secure consent to publish from participants if the manuscript includes identifiable materials or data, including but not limited to photographs, videos, clinical information, quotations, demographic details, or any other identifying information. For participants under the age of 18, consent must also be obtained from a parent or legal guardian.

Authors who have concerns regarding potentially ethical issues in their manuscripts or published works are encouraged to contact the editor for guidance.