Content and format requirements for articles published in the Journal of Law and Development

I. CONTENT AND FORMAT REQUIREMENTS FOR ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN THE PRINTED AND ONLINE VERSIONS OF THE JOURNAL OF LAW AND DEVELOPMENT (L&D)

1.1. General requirements

1. The content must be consistent with the Journal’s aims and objectives, include analyses and evaluations of legal aspects, and be approved for publication by the Editor-in-Chief or a person authorized by the Editor-in-Chief.

2. t must comply with the content and formatting requirements of Law and Development (L&D) applicable at the time of publication.

3. The article must not contain any information deemed unlawful under current legislation and must be based on reliable sources.

4. The article must go through all steps of the review, peer evaluation, publication, and withdrawal process in accordance with the current Regulations of the Journal and the provisions of the press laws.

5. The article must clearly reflect the author’s viewpoints and assessments of the research issue and must not infringe upon intellectual property rights.

1.2. Requirements for articles in specific sections

1.2.1. Theoretical Research Section

Articles published in the Theoretical Research section must meet the following requirements:

1. The scientific framework and practical legal perspectives on the research issue must be clearly defined, with keywords that accurately reflect the core content of the article;

2. The article must demonstrate academic exchange by citing, analyzing, and evaluating scientific viewpoints from at least twelve (12) different research works, excluding the author’s own publications, legal documents, institutional reports, or organizational summaries.

3. The structure of the article shall include: 1. Abstract (not exceeding 200 words); 2. Keywords (in both Vietnamese and English); 3. Introduction; 4. Main contents; 5. Conclusion; and 6. List of references. All components of the article must be presented in accordance with the requirements specified in the Guidelines on Citation and Referencing of the Journal.

4. The article shall be thoroughly edited in terms of technical presentation and writing style by the author themself or by the Editorial Board at the author’s request for editorial services before being submitted to the Editor-in-Chief or the person authorized by the Editor-in-Chief for the peer-review process.

5. Each article must be approved for publication by two reviewers. In cases where the two reviewers have differing opinions, the Editor-in-Chief shall solicit a third reviewer or make an independent assessment and decision.

6. The length of the article shall range from 8,000 to 12,000 words, including footnotes and the list of references. The publication of articles exceeding this length shall be decided by the Editor-in-Chief on a case-by-case basis, depending on the scientific value of the article and the possibility of shortening it without affecting its academic quality.

7. The processes of editing, peer review, and decision on acceptance or rejection shall not exceed six (06) weeks from the date the Editorial Board receives the manuscript directly from the author, either in soft or hard copy.

1.2.2. Requirements for articles in the Vision - Policy Section

Articles submitted to the Vision - Policy section must meet the following requirements:

1. The content must include analyses, policy proposals for development, and implementation solutions that require legal institutionalization in relation to the issue addressed in the article.

2. The article must clearly present the theoretical and/or practical grounds for the policies or solutions proposed or supported by the author.

3. The article structure must include: An Abstract expressing the main viewpoints presented in the article. The Abstract shall not exceed 150 words including keywords.

4. The article must cite scholarly viewpoints from at least six scientific publications directly related to the topic (excluding the author’s own works). Citations and references must comply with the Guidelines for Citing Scientific References and Source Notes applied by the Journal at the time of publication.

5. DThe article length must be between 3,000 and 5,000 words, including footnotes and the list of references.

6. The processes of editing, peer review, and the decision to publish or reject an article shall be completed within six daysfrom the date the Editorial Board receives the submission in hard copy and/or electronic form.

1.2.3. Requirements for articles in the Legal and Judicial Practice Section

Articles submitted to the Legal and Judicial Practice section must meet the following requirements:

1. The content shall include analyses and commentaries on the current legal provisions and their implementation in practice, as reflected in court judgments, violations of law publicized through official information channels, or other real-life cases detected by journalists with reliable evidence.

2. The abstract shall reflect the fundamental viewpoints presented in the article. The abstract must not exceed 150 words, including keywords.

3. The article shall cite at least six different scholarly works with clearly indicated sources. The citation, referencing, and source notes must comply with the Guidelines on Citation and Source Notes for Scholarly References applied by the Journal at the time of publication.

4. Any assessment or analysis of legal provisions must be absolutely accurate regarding article and clause numbers, the title of the legal document, its reference code, the issuing authority, and the date of promulgation.

5. Legal advice or scholarly guidance related to the implementation of laws must strictly adhere to the spirit, wording, and legislative intent of the legal provisions being analyzed in order to ensure the appropriateness of the advice or guidance provided.

6. The content must not contain any unfounded or biased assessments, criticism, or opinions motivated by financial interests.

7. The article shall have a minimum length of 2,500 words, including footnotes and the list of references.

1.2.4. Requirements for articles in the International Law Section

Articles in the International Law section must meet the following requirements:

1. The content shall include analysis and commentary on international legal provisions and major international events that have implications or provide lessons for Viet Nam in the process of international integration.

2. The article must not contain any information or opinions that are discriminatory, defamatory, or disparaging toward other nations or international organizations; it must rely on official and reliable sources, with citations and references formatted in accordance with the Guidelines for Scientific Citation and Source Notes applied by the Journal at the time of publication.

4. The abstract shall present the main viewpoints of the article. The abstract must not exceed 100 words, including keywords.

5. The article shall have a minimum length of 2,000 words, including footnotes and the list of references.

1.3. Format Requirements

1. he article must comply with the international citation style under The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (2020), with certain adaptations to reflect the linguistic and legal characteristics of the Vietnamese context.

2. The language of the article must be clear and formal. Dialectal expressions should be avoided; if used, they must be accompanied by explanations in standard Vietnamese.

3. All abbreviations must be defined upon first use in the article. English abbreviations must be accompanied by English explanations provided in footnotes.

4. The font to be used is Times New Roman, size 14, with single line spacing (1.0).

5. he article title must be capitalized, bold, font size 16, and centered on the page.

6. The main text of the article shall be divided into Sections, Subsections, and Sub-subsections. Sections are numbered with Roman numerals (I, II, III, etc.) and their titles are in bold, font size 14; Subsections are numbered in Arabic numerals linked to the section number (e.g., 1.1., 1.2.), with titles in bold, font size 14; Sub-subsections are numbered in Arabic numerals linked to the subsection number (e.g., 1.1.1., 1.1.2.), with titles in bold and italic, font size 14. If further subdivisions are necessary, they shall continue the numbering sequence in Arabic numerals and be written in italic. However, the Journal encourages authors to limit their manuscripts to three levels of structural division — Section, Subsection, and Sub-subsection. For example:

2. Specific requirements for each type of article

2.1. For Theoretical Research articles

1. The article must present a clear conceptual framework for the research topic;

2. The article must include citations and references to at least 11 different scientific studies, excluding the author’s own works, legal documents, and reports or summaries of agencies and organizations;

3. The article must contain an Abstract, Keywords (in both English and Vietnamese), Introduction, Main Body, Conclusion, and a List of References, and its presentation must comply with the Journal’s formatting requirements.

4. Citations, references, and source notes must follow the Journal’s citation style (Bluebook 2020);

5. The article must be no fewer than 8,000 words and no more than 12,000 words (excluding references and source notes). The publication of articles exceeding the prescribed length shall be decided by the Editor-in-Chief on a case-by-case basis.

2.2. Requirements for articles in the Vision - Policy Section

1. The article must focus on policy development aspects related to the issue under discussion.

2. The article must analyze the theoretical and/or practical grounds for the policy proposed or shared by the author.

3. VWhen citing or referring to others’ viewpoints, provisions, or legal documents, the article must include footnotes and references in accordance with the Journal’s citation style.

4. The article must be between 4,000 and 6,000 words in length, excluding footnotes and the list of references.

5. The article must include a sapo paragraph that reflects the fundamental viewpoint of the article’s content. The sapo must not exceed 100 words, excluding keywords.

2.3. Requirements for articles in the International Law Section

1. The article must contain analysis and commentary on international legal provisions and major international events.

2. The article must be based on official and reliable sources, with clear source notes, and must not contain any discriminatory, defamatory, or hostile content toward any nation or international organization.

3. Citations and references (if any) must comply with the Journal’s citation standards.

4. The article must include a sapo paragraph that reflects the fundamental viewpoint of the article’s content. The sapo must not exceed 100 words, excluding keywords.

2.4. Requirements for articles in the Legal and Judicial Practice Section

1. The article must include analysis and commentary on current legal provisions, the facts of court cases, or violations of law in the process of implementation and enforcement.

2. The article must rely on official and verifiable sources, with clear citations and references, and must not contain one-sided assessments or criticisms based solely on subjective opinions rather than reliable facts or evidence.

3. Articles that provide information or introductions to newly enacted laws must include specific explanations or advisory content, guiding readers toward a correct understanding of the legal provisions being discussed.

4. Citations and references (if any) must comply with the Journal’s citation standards.

5. The article must be between 2,000 and 4,000 words, excluding footnotes, references, and illustrative materials such as images or supporting documents.

6. The article must include a sapo paragraph that reflects the fundamental viewpoint of the article’s content. The sapo must not exceed 100 words, excluding keywords.

II. NOTES FOR AUTHORS

2.1. Notes for submitting authors

1. Authors are required to consult the submission guidelines of L&D Journal when preparing their manuscripts, specifically:

(i) The Requirements for Articles Published in L&D Journal currently in effect;

(ii) The Guidelines on Scientific Citation and Source Referencing currently in effect.

These documents are available on the electronic version of L&D Journal (phapluatphattrien.vn) for download.

2. If the author wishes to submit an article to a specific section, in addition to the general requirements, the author must also refer to the specific requirements of that section.

3. The Editorial Board shall only submit an article to the Editor-in-Chief or the person authorized for peer review after the article satisfies all requirements concerning both content and format.

4. L&D Journal operates on a non-profit, voluntary basis with the aim of providing an open academic forum for legal scholars, experts, practitioners, doctoral candidates, and students with research capacity to exchange and disseminate legal knowledge. L&D Journal does not pay royalties or honoraria to authors, except in cases where the Journal commissions articlesfor specific purposes as decided by the Editor-in-Chief. Conversely, L&D Journal does not require publication fees from authors unless they voluntarily contribute. By submitting a manuscript, the author acknowledges and agrees not to claim any payment or royalties.

5. Upon submission, the author undertakes not to submit the same manuscript to any other journal or publication until receiving notification from L&D Journal that the article cannot be published.

6. L&D Journal requests authors to provide complete personal contact information for the purpose of sending two printed copies of the issue containing their article.The provided information (full name, phone number, home or institutional address) will not be disclosed to any third party without the author’s consent.

7. Articles accepted for publication will appear in both the print and online editions of L&D Journal(phapluatphattrien.vn). Authors may access and download their articles for personal use. Printed issues will be released no later than two months after online publication.If the author requires a certified printed copy for specific purposes, they may contact the Editorial Board via the address provided on phapluatphattrien.vn.

8. Upon notification that the submission has been preliminarily accepted for editorial review, the author undertakes not to submit the manuscript elsewhere.After receiving the reviewers’ comments and editorial revision requests, the author commits to responding to the Editorial Board and reviewers’ feedback.The author may provide justified responses to specific review comments, which will be submitted to the Editor-in-Chieffor final decision. If the author rejects all editorial comments or fails to respond within five (5) days, the Editorial Board will consider the article withdrawn by the author.

2.2. Support services provided by Law and Development Journal (L&D)

1. L&D Journal is willing to provide technical support to authors in editing their manuscripts to conform with the Journal’s formatting and citation style, on a fee-based agreement. Editorial assistance in terms of formatting and citation style does not guarantee publication of the article. The author remains fully responsible for the content of the manuscript and for revising it in accordance with the reviewers’ comments and the Editor-in-Chief’s instructions.

2. L&D Journal may assist authors in searching for materials related to their articles or to ongoing research projects, subject to a paid service agreement.Authors may contact the Editorial Board to submit their specific requests.

3. The Journal may also assist authors in organizing interviews, roundtable discussions, or presentations of their scientific viewpoints on the online platform of Law and Development Journal, based on a mutually agreed paid arrangement.