Submission

Submissions should be sent only through EStAL’s Scholastica submission form by clicking the button above. Submissions sent by email will not be considered. If you do not have an account yet, please sign up here.

Upon submission, authors agree to Lexxion’s Terms and Conditions, Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement, and to the Author Guidelines below. The full texts can be accessed here.

I. Exclusive Submission Requirement

By submitting to EStAL, you confirm that the manuscript is not currently under review by another publisher, journal, or online platform.

You are permitted to keep a pre-peer review version of your manuscript on platforms such as SSRN while it is being reviewed by us. Once the article is officially published in EStAL, however, you must remove all other versions of the manuscript from all online platforms.

II. Quality Standards, Editorial Review, and Publication Terms

We only accept submissions of exceptional quality. Authors are fully responsible for the factual accuracy of their work.
For a manuscript to be published, it must meet these criteria:

• Distinguish itself from existing scholarship. You must comprehensively footnote and reference your work to clearly show how it contributes to the current discourse.
• Add substantial value. Your submission must significantly contribute to defence and security law scholarship.
• Be original. The manuscript must not be published or pending publication elsewhere.

AI Usage Policy

Manuscripts wholly, substantially, or substantively generated by AI, machine learning, or similar tools cannot be published in EStAL. Authors using generative AI in their research must acknowledge this in a footnote. AI cannot be listed as an author, co-author, or cited as a reference.

Content Standards

Your articles must engage with existing legal literature and court decisions, even when you are challenging established positions. Submissions on recent developments do not require as many references as those on established topics.

Please ensure your manuscript is finalised before submission, as we cannot accommodate major corrections (including the addition or deletion of footnotes) after it has been typeset.

III. Review Process

Peer Review

All articles undergo a double-blind peer review process. They are evaluated for accuracy, quality, novelty, and relevance to defence and security law.

Decision Outcomes

Submissions may be:

• Accepted as submitted
• Accepted pending minor revisions
• Accepted pending major revisions
• Rejected

Keep in mind that most papers require some revision before being accepted. All authors, regardless of their position or status, must respect the feedback from the reviewers and the editorial team.

IV. Format and Style

Reference Style: Use the OSCOLA 4th edition, supplemented by the guidelines below. Find the Quick Reference Guide here.

Language: Please use British English.

Compliance: Submissions that do not comply with these standards will be returned to the authors for revision.

1. Length

Articles should be 4,000–8,000 words (including footnotes). We consider longer articles on a case-by-case basis.

2. Presentation Standards

• Title: Use headline capitalisation (capitalise all words except conjunctions). The title should be a maximum of 3 lines (150 characters with spaces). Subtitles are permitted, with a combined maximum of 200 characters.

• Author Details: In the first asterisk footnote after the author’s name, include the full name(s), position/role, institution and location, and email address.

Example:
Article Title
Sarah Thompson*
……

• Dr Sarah Thompson, Senior Lecturer in International Law, University of Edinburgh Law School, Edinburgh, UK. For correspondence: s.thompson@ed.ac.uk.

Technical note: In Word’s References tab, use the Footnotes launcher, enter asterisk in Custom mark box, click Insert, then add footnote text.

3. Abstract

All article submissions must include a short, italicised abstract. It should be 5-6 sentences (around 200 words), and should not contain any footnotes.

4. Headings

Use headline capitalisation for all headings. They should be structured as follows:
• H1: Roman numerals (e.g., “I. Introduction”)
• H2: Arabic numerals (e.g., “1.”)
• H3: Lowercase letters (e.g., “a.”)
• H4: Lowercase Roman numerals (e.g., “i.”)

5. Tables and Figures

Articles may contain no more than 5 tables and figures. Each table or figure should be a maximum of 3/4 page in length and must not contain footnotes.

Please submit all tables and figures on separate pages. Be sure to include a clear, descriptive title. In the main text, indicate their ideal placement using “[TABLE X]” or “[FIGURE X]”. Number them clearly and keep the formatting minimal; please avoid using merged cells or vertical text.

Note: Due to formatting and layout considerations, we cannot guarantee that tables and figures will appear exactly where specified. They may appear on different pages, or in an Annex following the main text.

V. Citation and Referencing

General Rules

• Use footnotes for all references; do not include a bibliography.
• Follow the OSCOLA 4th edition style.
• Place footnote numbers outside of punctuation marks.
• Use British English.

EU Court Citations

Preferred format: Case reference | short name | [Court collections year] volume and page | paragraph number

OR

Case reference | short name | [year] ECLI number | paragraph number

Examples:

Case C–280/00 Altmark [2003] ECR I-7747 paras 88-90.
Case C-579/16 P FIH Holding [2018] ECLI:EU:C:2018:159.
Case E-12/11 Konkurrenten.no AS [2011] EFTA Ct. Rep. 266.

• Short names should be italicised
• For unreported judgments: include judgment date and “not yet reported” (n.y.r.)

Example:

Joined Cases T-80/06 and T-182/09 Budapest Erőmű judgment of 13.02.2012, not yet reported para 57.

Online Sources

• Include ‘http://’ or ‘https://’ before a website address
• State the date on which the source was last verified. Check all URLs before submission and note this in the first footnote, for example: “All websites accessed 31 January 2026,” OR include the date of most recent access immediately after each URL, using the format: “accessed 31 January 2026.”

AI Citation

Until official guidance emerges, cite generative AI under OSCOLA 3.4.11 ‘Personal communications’.

Example:

ChatGPT 4 response to prompt regarding NATO Article 5 implications for cyber warfare (15 October 2025).

If you have any questions about these guidelines, please contact the Executive Editor.