Regulations of the Journal

Download the Regulations of the Scientific Journal of the School of Law

 

Article 1. General Provisions

1.1. The scientific journal of the School of Law of Caucasus University, “Caucasus Law Journal” (International Standard Serial Numbers: ISSN 3088-4446; e-ISSN 3088-4454), is an international refereed and peer-reviewed periodical.

1.2. The official publisher of the Journal is Caucasus University LLC.

1.3. The Journal is published twice a year in English. Taking into account the aims and needs of the Journal, a special (supplementary) issue may be prepared and published by decision of the Editorial Board. Publication of articles in the Journal is free of charge.

1.4. Publication in the Journal includes both print and electronic publication. Authors retain copyright in their works and grant the Journal the right of first publication. Authors’ moral rights remain protected.

1.5. The Journal provides immediate open access to its electronic editions without charge or registration. Published articles are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits copying, distribution, translation, adaptation, and commercial use, provided that the author and the original publication are credited, a link to the licence is supplied, and any changes are indicated. Material credited to a third party is subject to its own rights and permissions unless expressly included under the article’s licence.

1.6. These Regulations shall be proactively published on the official website of the Journal: https://cu.edu.ge/schoolss/school-of-law

Article 2. Aims and Objectives of the Journal

2.1. The aim of the Journal is to publish practical, scholarly, and comparative legal research in the field of law and to promote the further development of academic discussion.

2.2. The objective of the Journal is to attain a high level of academic standing and reputation internationally and to establish itself among internationally recognized scholarly journals.

2.3. Through its scholarly and research activities, the Journal promotes the integration of Georgian law into the European and international legal environment and contributes to the establishment of an international academic platform. It also seeks to identify relevant areas of research and attract experts in the respective fields, including authors and reviewers.

2.4. The Journal may publish the following types of works: academic reviews; scholarly articles; analyses of legal practice; and translations of scholarly publications originally published in foreign languages.

Article 3. Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board

3.1. The activities of the Journal shall be organized by the Journal’s editorial body, consisting of the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board.

3.2. The Editor-in-Chief shall be responsible for the overall academic quality of the Journal and for ensuring that editorial activities are conducted in accordance with the established standards.

3.3. The Editor-in-Chief shall be appointed and dismissed by the President of the University upon the recommendation of the Council of the School of Law. The Editor-in-Chief shall have appropriate experience in the operation of a scholarly journal.

3.3.1. Taking into account the relevant fields of specialization, the Editor-in-Chief shall attract highly qualified researchers and promote the Journal.

3.3.2. The Editor-in-Chief shall distribute responsibilities among the members of the Editorial Board.

3.3.3. The Editor-in-Chief shall independently represent the Journal in relations with third parties.

3.3.4. The Editor-in-Chief shall organize and conduct meetings of the Editorial Board.

3.3.5. The Editor-in-Chief shall ensure the announcement of calls for scholarly articles and the implementation of procedures for their submission and receipt.

3.3.6. In cooperation with the Academic Writing Center, the Editor-in-Chief shall ensure that scholarly articles are checked using the anti-plagiarism software Turnitin.

3.3.7. The Editor-in-Chief shall ensure the selection of reviewers, oversee the substantive and organizational aspects of the peer-review process, and arrange for articles to be submitted for blind peer review.

3.3.8. For the purpose of determining the Journal’s development policy, the Editor-in-Chief, together with the Dean of the School and/or the School Council, shall ensure the organization of periodic meetings of the Editorial Board.

3.3.9. The Editor-in-Chief shall coordinate the technical editing process of the Journal.

3.3.10. The Editor-in-Chief shall ensure the overall coordination of the Journal’s editorial process, including the systematic management of its operational activities, monitoring of publication deadlines, and the timely announcement of calls for papers and implementation of submission procedures.

3.3.11. The Editor-in-Chief shall communicate with authors by electronic and telephone means, inform them of identified deficiencies, and provide information on the subsequent stages of article review and publication.

3.3.12. The Editor-in-Chief shall ensure communication with national and international databases, including for the purpose of securing the Journal’s indexing in international academic databases.

3.3.13. The Editor-in-Chief shall address other matters related to the activities of the Journal that do not conflict with applicable legislation or the internal regulations of the University.

3.3.14. The Editor-in-Chief shall chair meetings of the Editorial Board, lead discussions, ensure compliance with the meeting agenda, facilitate the transparent consideration of each matter, and ensure compliance with voting procedures, but shall not personally participate in voting.

3.4. The Journal shall be supported in technical and publishing matters by auxiliary editorial staff, including a language editor/proofreader, layout editor, designer, and other personnel as required.

3.4.1. The Editorial Board shall be chaired by the Editor-in-Chief and shall consist of no fewer than 9 (nine) members.

3.4.2. The Editorial Board shall comprise Georgian and international scholars, recognized academic staff, and legal practitioners with acknowledged scholarly or professional experience in the relevant field of law.

3.4.3. A member of the Editorial Board shall hold a doctoral degree in law and have experience in scholarly research activities and cooperation with academic publications.

3.5. The Editorial Board shall have the following powers:

3.5.1. To provide recommendations concerning specific areas of the Journal’s development.

3.5.2. To assess whether articles should be published on the basis of reviewers’ evaluations.

3.6. The final decision on whether to publish or reject an article shall be made by the Editorial Board by a majority vote of the members present.

3.7. The author shall be responsible for the accuracy of the published article.

3.8. The Editorial Board of the Journal shall not be liable for any actual or potential loss or damage resulting from publication.

Article 4. Procedure for the Submission and Selection of Manuscripts

4.1. Manuscripts containing scholarly novelty and addressing current issues of law shall be eligible for publication in the Journal.

4.2. An article may be submitted by a single author or jointly by co-authors. The total number of authors of one article, including all co-authors, shall not exceed 4 (four).

4.2.1. The following persons shall be eligible to submit an article for publication: academic and invited staff of Caucasus University; academic staff of higher education institutions in Georgia and of foreign universities and research centers; independent researchers; doctoral students; and legal practitioners.

4.3. Manuscripts for publication in the Journal shall be selected either through an open call for papers or on the basis of a special invitation extended to an author by a member of the editorial body.

4.4. The call for papers shall be announced through publication of relevant information on the University’s website and social media platforms.

4.5. Each stage of the selection process, the applicable deadlines, and the procedures for conducting the process shall be determined by the Journal’s editorial body and monitored by the Editor-in-Chief.

Article 5. Manuscript Submission Procedure and Formatting Standards

5.1. The author’s application and the manuscript intended for publication shall be submitted through the electronic means designated by the Journal. For this purpose, the Journal uses the official email address: csljournal@cu.edu.ge, unless otherwise provided in the Author Guidelines or on the Journal’s official website.

5.2. A scholarly manuscript shall not contain discriminatory content, hate speech, unethical assessments, insulting statements, or personal criticism.

5.3. The content of the manuscript shall be presented in compliance with the requirements for the protection of third parties’ personal data.

5.4. The manuscript shall be submitted in MS Word format and prepared using Times New Roman font. As a general rule, the manuscript shall not exceed 20 pages. The font size shall be 11 pt and line spacing 1.0. The upper and lower margins shall be 2.5 cm, and the left and right margins shall also be 2.5 cm.

5.5. Citation, footnote, and bibliography formatting in the Journal shall comply with the rules established by these Regulations.

5.6. Plagiarism is prohibited in manuscripts submitted for publication in the Journal. The author shall ensure that the sources of all information contained in the manuscript are cited accurately and correctly.

5.7. The manuscript shall include:

5.7.1. Author information: the first name and surname, academic degree (where applicable), and position of each author. The application shall also provide each author’s full postal address, country, email address, and ORCID iD. Each author shall additionally provide their Web of Science ResearcherID and Scopus Author ID, where available.

5.7.2. Title - the title shall be presented in bold type;

5.7.3. Abstract - a concise summary of the content of the article comprising 150–300 words;

5.7.4. Keywords - 4–6 words that most accurately reflect the content of the manuscript;

5.7.5. Introduction - including the relevance and significance of the subject matter;

5.7.6. Main text;

5.7.7. Conclusion - including findings, possible recommendations, and future perspectives.

5.8. Footnotes shall be prepared using Sylfaen font, size 10 pt.

5.9. Abbreviations (Acronyms), Main Text Formatting, and Citation Standards

5.9.1. Citation

5.9.1.1. The use of commonly accepted and widely used acronyms is recommended. In certain cases, less familiar abbreviations may also be used. Upon first use, an acronym shall be placed in parentheses after the full name of the relevant term or institution.

5.9.1.2. When citing a normative act, its full title, date of adoption, number, where applicable, and the source of its official publication or availability shall be indicated. Where an electronic source is used, the relevant official or otherwise reliable electronic resource shall be specified.

5.9.1.3. Surnames, together with first names or initials where necessary, and Latin terminology shall be presented in italics in the text. Foreign terms and expressions shall be explained in a footnote unless the immediate purpose of the manuscript is to examine the origin of the relevant term.

5.9.1.4. A quotation shall be placed within quotation marks, with the corresponding footnote formatted in accordance with the rules set out below. When citing the source of a paraphrase or of an individual idea, the appropriate term equivalent to “see” or “compare” shall be used. “Compare” shall be used where the author wishes to refer to a differing position.

5.9.1.5. The main text shall include only information or analysis directly related to the title of the manuscript or necessary for achieving its stated purpose. Additional information may be provided in footnotes.

5.9.1.6. At the end of quoted text, punctuation marks - including a full stop, colon, semicolon, question mark, and exclamation mark - shall be placed before the closing quotation mark where they conclude the sentence, and after the quotation mark, depending on context, where the quotation concerns only an individual word or phrase.

5.9.1.7. Where a quotation mark, punctuation mark, and footnote marker occur together after a word, the following sequence shall be observed:

1. quotation mark;
2. punctuation mark;
3. footnote marker, unless the footnote refers specifically to a term within the quotation.

At the end of a quoted sentence, the sequence shall be:

1. punctuation mark;
2. quotation mark;
3. footnote marker.

Two quotation marks shall not be placed consecutively. In the case of parentheses, different applicable conventions may be used.

5.10. When using literary or scholarly sources, the following information shall be provided:

5.10.1. For a book – Book: [where the entire book is cited] surname and initial(s) of the author(s); full title of the book, without quotation marks; [part, section, volume]; place of publication; publisher; year; total number of pages.

Example:
Dixon M., International Law, Oxford University Press, 2019, 255.

5.10.2. [Where specific pages are cited] surname and initial(s) of the author(s); full title of the book, without quotation marks; [part, section, volume]; place of publication; publisher; year; first and last page cited, without the abbreviation “p.” or “pp.”

Examples:

1. Johns L., Politics and International Law: Making, Breaking, and Upholding Global Rules, Cambridge University Press, 2023, 55–71;
2. Turava P., General Administrative Law, 2nd ed., Lawyers’ World Publishing, 2020, 14.

5.10.3. For an article in an edited collection - surname and initial(s) of the author(s); full title of the article, without quotation marks; title of the collection, without quotation marks; name of the editor; [part, section, volume]; place of publication; year; relevant page range, without “p.” or “pp.”

Examples:

1. Todua N., Some Aspects of the Liberalization of Criminal Legislation, Mzia Lekveishvili 85: Jubilee Collection, Ivanidze M. (ed.), Lawyers’ World Publishing, Tbilisi, 2014, 72–87;
2. Burduli I., Charter Capital and Its Functions, in: Theoretical and Practical Issues of Modern Corporate Law, Elizbarashvili N. (ed.), Tbilisi, 2009, 236;
3. Zoidze B., Formalism in Georgian Law (Primarily the Constitutional Court Practice), 2025, 60.

5.10.4. For an article in a journal or newspaper - surname and initial(s) of the author(s); full title of the article, without quotation marks; full title or abbreviation of the journal/newspaper, without quotation marks; year; volume; [issue number]; first and last page, without “p.” or “pp.”

Examples:

1. Bassiouni M.Ch., A Draft International Criminal Code and Draft Statute for an International Criminal Court, Connecticut Insurance Law Journal Association at the University of Connecticut School of Law, 2019, 5, 8, 315–373;
2. Zoidze B., Legal Security: Concept and Forms of Expression (Primarily an Analysis of Decisions of the Constitutional Court of Georgia), Public Law Journal, No. 1/2024, 5–77;
3. Korkelia K., Legislation and Practice Governing Liability for Deprivation of Life in Georgia and Their Compatibility with European Human Rights Standards, Justice and Law, 2025, 50.

5.10.4.1. Materials obtained via the Internet shall include a reference to the relevant web page and the date of its most recent update. In the case of an article, the author’s surname, title of the article, web page, and date shall be indicated. The electronic address shall be placed in angle brackets (<...>), while the date of the most recent update shall be indicated in square brackets ([...]).

5.11. For Decisions of International Courts and Courts of Other Countries

5.11.1. When citing judicial decisions, the official citation standard established by the relevant court or other competent authority shall be used. Where no official standard exists, the citation shall contain sufficient information to identify and locate the decision.

5.12. For Decisions of National Courts

5.12.1. The official national citation style shall be observed. Where there is no uniform national approach, the author shall follow the basic rules set out below.

5.12.2. When citing court decisions, the author shall ensure consistency with regard to the following situations:

1. the decision has been published;
2. the decision is accessible through an official electronic source;
3. the decision is available only in the court archive.

A uniform approach shall be applied throughout the manuscript.

Examples:

1. Decision of the Administrative Chamber of the Supreme Court of Georgia of 8 April 2020 in Case No. BS-1163 (K-18);
2. Order and Writ of Execution of the Civil Chamber of Tbilisi City Court of 25 March 2019, No. 2/5856-19.

5.13. Citation of Documents of International Organizations

5.13.1. Documents of international organizations shall be cited in the style officially used by the relevant international organization, as indicated on its official website.

5.13.2. Citation of conventions and international treaties: conventions and international treaties shall be cited, for example, as follows: 1985 Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, International Legal Materials, 1985, 1520.

5.14. Global Information Network: in the case of an article, the author’s surname and initial(s), full title without quotation marks, name of the website, and the date on which the source was last accessed shall be indicated. The web address shall be placed in angle brackets (<...>), while the date of last access shall be indicated in square brackets ([...]). No comma shall be placed between the angle brackets and square brackets.

Example: Crawford J., The ILC’s Draft Statute for an International Criminal Tribunal https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-journal-of-international-law/article/ilcs-draft-statute-for-an-international-criminal-tribunal/ED43650C2A7FBD3F88524F4562BD6AAC [24.02.2026].

5.15. Translated Source: surname and initial(s) of the author(s) of the relevant work; full title of the work, without quotation marks; [part, section, volume]; surname and initial(s) of the translator(s), followed in parentheses by their status as translator/translators; surname and initial(s) of the editor(s), where applicable, followed by “ed.” in parentheses; place of publication; publisher; year; total number of pages.

Example: Kropholler J., German Civil Code, Darjania T., Chechelashvili Z. (translators), Chachanidze E., Darjania T., Totladze L. (eds.), 13th ed., Lawyers’ World Publishing, 2014, 530.

5.15.1. All bibliographic elements relating to foreign-language sources shall be provided in the original language or in the language in which the author consulted the source, with an indication of the relevant official translation where applicable.

5.16. Pages in the bibliography shall be numbered consecutively together with the main text. Line spacing shall be 1.0, spacing between paragraphs 6–12 pt, and font size 12 pt.

5.17. The bibliography shall be presented in a unified and consolidated form. Where necessary, sources may be grouped by type, including: normative materials, court decisions, international documents, scholarly literature, electronic resources, and other sources. Within each category, the sources shall be arranged in accordance with the requirements of the applicable citation standard.

5.17.1. Where the same source is cited several times in the manuscript with reference to different pages, the source shall be listed only once in the bibliography, together with all pages referred to in the manuscript.

5.17.2. A manuscript submitted in breach of the requirements established by these Regulations and the applicable citation rules shall not be considered for publication. Accordingly, it shall not be checked using plagiarism-detection software and shall not be subject to the peer-review procedure.

 

Article 6. Submission of Manuscripts, Plagiarism Screening and Peer Review

6.1. Following submission of an academic manuscript, the Editor-in-Chief shall assess its compliance with the formal admissibility requirements, citation standards, the Journal’s editorial policy, aims, and thematic scope (initial admissibility stage).

6.2. Where a manuscript contains technical deficiencies and does not comply with the standards established by these Regulations, the author shall be notified accordingly and granted a reasonable period, not exceeding 7 (seven) calendar days, to remedy such deficiencies.

6.3. The Turnitin report shall serve as an auxiliary tool. Compliance with academic integrity requirements shall be assessed on the basis of a substantive analysis of the manuscript. Where the manuscript is deemed admissible, it shall be anonymised and sent to at least 2 (two) reviewers, who shall submit their reports within 10 (ten) calendar days. This period applies to the submission of reviewers’ reports and does not constitute a deadline for the Journal’s final decision on the manuscript. The principle of anonymity shall be maintained throughout the peer-review process and thereafter, including when reviewers’ reports or other related materials are disclosed or distributed.

6.4. Where necessary, including in the assessment of an interdisciplinary manuscript, the Editor-in-Chief may refer the manuscript to one or more additional reviewers possessing appropriate expertise in the relevant field. Where the initial reviewers’ recommendations concerning publication differ materially, including where one recommends publication and the other recommends rejection, the Editor-in-Chief shall refer the manuscript to a third reviewer selected in accordance with paragraph 6.5. The Editorial Board shall consider all reviewers’ reports when making its final decision in accordance with paragraph 3.6. The review process shall be conducted in accordance with the Double-Blind Peer Review procedure.

6.5. A reviewer shall be selected on the basis of subject-matter expertise and may be a person possessing relevant practical and/or research experience or qualifications in the field to which the manuscript under review relates. Where the manuscript is interdisciplinary, reviewers possessing expertise in the relevant different fields may be selected for its evaluation.

6.6. Where a reviewer is unable to assess the scholarly manuscript within the prescribed period or lacks the appropriate subject-matter expertise, the reviewer shall notify the Editor-in-Chief thereof in writing within a reasonable period.

6.7. Reviewers shall be guided by the established manuscript assessment criteria and shall submit a written assessment report to the Editor-in-Chief using the Blind Peer Review Report Form (Annex No. 1), for the purpose of subsequently informing the author of any deficiencies requiring correction.

6.8. For the purpose of ensuring an effective peer-review process, a reviewer may seek specific guidance from the Editor-in-Chief. Such consultation shall not be regarded as a violation of the principles of independence or impartiality of the review.

6.9. Reviewers may issue one of the following recommendations:

6.9.1. The manuscript may be published in the scholarly journal following minor technical and substantive editing;

6.9.2. The manuscript requires substantial revision prior to publication;

6.9.3. The manuscript is not suitable for publication.

6.10. A reviewer’s recommendation that deficiencies be remedied shall be accompanied by the relevant comments and explanations concerning the manuscript under review.

6.11. Where reviewers recommend that deficiencies in the manuscript be remedied prior to publication, the Editor-in-Chief shall communicate with the author and coordinate the process of making the required revisions. The Editor-in-Chief shall assess the extent to which the author has taken the reviewers’ recommendations into account.

6.12. Where a person involved in the Journal’s publishing activities submits a manuscript for publication, the process of reviewing the manuscript and making a decision on its publication shall be conducted without the participation of that person.

6.13. By decision of the Editor-in-Chief, in order to ensure compliance with the Journal’s publication schedule, a manuscript may be published in the subsequent issue where implementation of the reviewers’ recommendations requires a substantial period of time that may delay the timely publication of the Journal, or where there is another objective ground for publishing the manuscript in the subsequent issue.

6.14. Where publication of a manuscript is refused, the reviewers’ reports shall, upon the author’s request, be sent to the author subject to the preservation of reviewer anonymity.

6.15. Upon the author’s request, official confirmation of acceptance of the manuscript for publication may also be issued in the form of a certificate.

Article 7. Decision on Publication of a Manuscript

7.1. Approval by the editorial body for publication of a manuscript in a particular issue of the Journal shall mean publication of the manuscript either without amendment or with revisions and additions made by the author and/or with the author’s consent, taking into account the recommendations of the reviewers and editors.

7.2. Authors of selected manuscripts shall be notified of the decision of the Editorial Board by email.

7.3. Prior to publication, the publication material shall undergo technical editing, and the edited article shall be sent to the author for review before publication in its final form.

7.4. When an editorial decision is made, including a decision concerning publication of a manuscript, any conflict of interest involving a person participating in the editorial process shall be disclosed in advance or, where prior disclosure is not possible, immediately upon identification of the conflict of interest.

7.5. The author shall be notified in writing of the decision concerning publication by the Editor-in-Chief through the Journal’s official email address.

Article 8. Publication Ethics, Academic Integrity and Response to Misconduct

8.1. The Journal’s publication ethics rules are intended to ensure that the publishing process is conducted in accordance with the principles of academic integrity, scholarly independence, impartiality, transparency, and responsible publishing practice.

8.2. All persons involved in the Journal’s publishing process, including authors, reviewers, the Editor-in-Chief, members of the Editorial Board, and any other persons involved, shall comply with the principles of academic ethics and integrity.

8.3. The author shall be responsible for the originality of the manuscript and for the accuracy of the facts, data, conclusions, arguments, and sources presented therein. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, duplicate or simultaneous publication, improper attribution of authorship, citation manipulation, and any other violation of academic integrity are prohibited.

8.4. Only a person who has made a substantial intellectual contribution to the conduct of the research, preparation of the manuscript, or its substantive academic revision shall qualify as an author. All co-authors shall bear equal responsibility for the content of the manuscript and compliance with academic integrity requirements.

8.5. An artificial intelligence system may not be identified as an author or co-author of a manuscript. Where artificial intelligence is used, full responsibility for the content and accuracy of the manuscript, the reliability and proper use of sources, and compliance with academic integrity requirements shall rest with the author.

8.6. A reviewer shall evaluate a manuscript objectively and impartially and shall maintain strict confidentiality. A reviewer shall not use information obtained in the course of the review process for personal, professional, or any other improper purpose. Where a conflict of interest exists, the reviewer shall immediately notify the Editor-in-Chief.

8.7. The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board shall make decisions concerning the acceptance, review, publication, or rejection of a manuscript solely on the basis of its scholarly quality, originality, relevance, methodological soundness, and conformity with the scope and profile of the Journal.

8.8. An author, reviewer, the Editor-in-Chief, or a member of the Editorial Board shall disclose in advance, or, where this is not possible, immediately upon becoming aware of it, any circumstance that may affect their independence or impartiality. A person having a conflict of interest shall not participate in the assessment of the relevant manuscript or in the decision-making process concerning its publication.

8.9. The Journal shall be entitled to examine a manuscript for possible violations of academic integrity, including through the use of appropriate technical means. The results of any technical screening shall constitute an auxiliary tool, while the existence of a violation shall be determined on the basis of a substantive assessment of the manuscript.

8.10. Where information concerning a possible violation of academic ethics is received, any interested person shall be entitled to contact the Journal’s editorial office through its official email address and request examination of the matter. The Editorial Board shall consider the submission within a reasonable period, examine the relevant circumstances, and, where necessary, provide the author or any other interested person with an opportunity to submit an explanation.

8.11. Where a violation is confirmed, the Editorial Board shall be entitled, taking into account the nature and seriousness of the violation, to refuse publication of the manuscript, suspend the publication process, require revision of the manuscript, publish a correction, retract the publication, or take any other proportionate measure.

8.12. The author shall be responsible for the opinions, assessments, and conclusions expressed in a manuscript published in the Journal. The Journal, the Editor-in-Chief, and the Editorial Board shall not be liable for the individual views expressed by authors, except where a violation of publication ethics by the Journal has been established.

8.13. Where a violation relating to a published manuscript is confirmed, the decision of the Editorial Board, accompanied by appropriate reasoning, shall be published on the Journal’s official electronic platform or, where necessary, in the subsequent issue of the Journal.

Article 9. Final Provisions

9.1. These Regulations shall enter into force upon their approval by the School Council.

9.2. Any amendment to these Regulations may be adopted in accordance with the procedure established for their adoption.

9.3. Compliance with these Regulations shall be supervised by the Dean of the School of Law.