Guide for Authors

Article Types
Manuscript Length and Format
Files Required at Submission
Abstracts and Keywords
Footnotes and References
Tables, Figures, Charts, and Illustrations
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest

Article Types ↑

We publish works offering an in-depth analysis of contemporary and future challenges for law, with particular emphasis on the impact of new technologies and social transformations. We welcome submissions concerning, among others, artificial intelligence, medicine of the future, bioethics, the digitalisation of law, and issues at the intersection of law, technology, and society.

We accept original research articles, review articles, case studies, case comments, and reviews. The Editorial Office also accepts interdisciplinary manuscripts, provided that they are connected with legal issues or with the leading theme of a given issue.

Authors currently pursuing master’s or doctoral studies are required to attach an opinion from their supervisor or from an independent academic researcher.

Authors are asked to formulate their topics carefully and deliberately. Particularly valuable are innovative issues that have not yet been comprehensively addressed in the relevant literature.

Manuscript Length and Format ↑

Manuscript length:

Articles: 20,000–40,000 characters, including spaces and references;
Case comments and reviews: up to 15,000 characters, including spaces;
Literature reviews: up to 10,000 characters, including spaces.

Text formatting:

Font: Times New Roman, 12-point;
Line spacing: 1.5;
Margins: 2.5 cm on each side;
Text justified.

Manuscripts should be submitted in Microsoft Word format:

.doc
.docx

Files Required at Submission ↑

Authors are required to submit the following files:

1. Title Page

All declarations and statements must be included on the Title Page so that the main manuscript remains fully anonymised for the double-blind peer review process. The Title Page should include:

the full name and surname of each Author;
the affiliation of each Author, including the name of the university, research institute, public
institution, organisation, or other entity with which the Author is affiliated;
the country of affiliation;
the ORCID iD of each Author, where available;
the e-mail address of each Author;
an Author Contributions statement using the CRediT taxonomy;
a Funding Statement;
a Data Availability Statement;
Acknowledgments, including a declaration concerning the use of artificial intelligence tools;
a Conflicts of Interest Statement.

Detailed guidelines for each of these statements are provided in the relevant sections below.

2. Main Manuscript File

The main manuscript file should be anonymised and should not contain any information directly identifying the Authors.

The manuscript file should include:

the title of the article in English;
the title of the article in Polish, where applicable;
the abstract in English;
the abstract in Polish, where applicable;
3–5 keywords in English;
3–5 keywords in Polish, where applicable;
the main text of the article;
the reference list;
tables, figures, charts, and illustrations placed as close as possible to their first mention in the text.

Keywords should be specific and searchable; they should not merely repeat words used in the title.

3. Cover Letter

A cover letter signed by the corresponding Author should be submitted as a separate file. The letter should confirm that the manuscript is original, has not been previously published, is not under consideration by another journal or publisher, and has been approved by all Authors.

Abstracts and Keywords ↑

Each manuscript should include an abstract and keywords.

The abstract should be between 150 and 250 words.

The content of the abstract should include:
• a brief indication of the research problem;
• the aim of the article;
• the research method applied;
• the main findings and conclusions resulting from the analysis.

Authors should provide 3–5 keywords. Keywords should be specific, searchable, and relevant to the content of the manuscript. They should not merely repeat words used in the title.

For manuscripts submitted in Polish, Authors should provide the title, abstract, and keywords in both Polish and English. For manuscripts submitted in English, Polish metadata may be provided where applicable or at the request of the Editorial Office.

Footnotes and References ↑

The reference list and in-text citations should be prepared in accordance with APA style. The citation style should be applied consistently throughout the manuscript.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of all references. All sources cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and all items included in the reference list must be cited in the text. The use of reference management software, such as Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote, is strongly recommended to ensure formatting consistency. Authors should make sure that all references include active DOI numbers, where available.

The reference list should reflect the current state of knowledge in the given field and include appropriate, reliable, and up-to-date scholarly sources.

Tables, Figures, Charts, and Illustrations ↑

Tables, figures, charts, photographs, and illustrations should be numbered separately and consecutively.

Each table, figure, chart, or illustration must have a clear title or caption and must be referred to in the main text of the article.

Figures and photographs should be inserted into the manuscript as close as possible to the place where they are discussed. They should also be provided as separate graphic files with a resolution of at least 300 dpi, preferably in one of the following formats:

.jpg
.png
.tif
.tiff

Charts should be clear, readable, and preferably prepared in greyscale. Three-dimensional charts should be avoided, as they reduce readability. Where applicable, charts should also be provided as separate editable files, for example in Microsoft Excel format.

Each table and chart must include a source note. Acceptable formulations include, for example, “own work” or “own work based on…”.

Notes to tables should be placed directly below the table. Explanations relating to figures or charts should be placed below the figure or chart.

Tables should be formatted without vertical lines. Horizontal lines may be used at the top and bottom of the table, below column headings, and where necessary to improve readability.

All graphic elements should include alternative text, where technically possible, in order to improve accessibility.

Author Contributions ↑

This statement must be included on the Title Page.

Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made a significant intellectual contribution to the manuscript. All listed Authors must have participated in the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research results, as well as in drafting the original version of the text or substantially revising it, and must have approved the final version submitted to the Editorial Office. All Authors bear full responsibility for the reliability and integrity of the work.

In the case of multi-authored articles, Authors are asked to include a short paragraph detailing the individual contributions of each person using the CRediT taxonomy, for example: “Conceptualization, X.X. and Y.Y.; Methodology, X.X.; Formal Analysis, X.X., Y.Y.; Writing – Original Draft Preparation, X.X.”

Funding ↑

This statement must be included on the Title Page.

Authors are required to disclose all financial support received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of the article. Please clearly indicate the name of the funding institution and the grant number. The following template should be used: “This research was funded by [Name of Funder], grant number [XXX].”

Data Availability Statement ↑

This statement must be included on the Title Page.

Authors should explain whether and how the data supporting their findings can be accessed. Please indicate whether datasets are archived in publicly available repositories, providing relevant repository links or DOI numbers; whether they are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding Author; or whether access to them is restricted for legal, ethical, or privacy-related reasons. If no new data were generated in the course of the work, please include the following statement: “Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were generated or analysed in this study.”

Please read our Data Sharing and Reproducibility Policy.

Acknowledgments ↑

This section must be included on the Title Page.

This section should be used to acknowledge individuals, institutions, or organisations that provided administrative, technical, or material support but do not meet the criteria for authorship. In addition, if artificial intelligence tools were used during the research process or at the writing stage, for example for data analysis, text generation, or graphic design, this should be disclosed here using the following formula: “During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used [Tool Name, Version] for the purpose of [Description of use]. The authors have thoroughly reviewed and edited the generated output and take full responsibility for the final content of this publication.”

Conflicts of Interest ↑

This statement must be included on the Title Page.

Authors must declare any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could be perceived as a conflict of interest or could influence the objective interpretation of the work. Authors must also state whether funding bodies had any influence on the study design, data collection, data analysis, or the decision to publish. If no conflict of interest exists, please include the following statement: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.” If sponsors were not involved in the research process, the following sentence should be added: “The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.”