Authors' Guidelines

The Africa Digital Governance and Law Review is an academic journal devoted to publishing high-quality, original and peer-reviewed research articles in the field of law and the relationship between law, technology and governance, public policy, human rights, cybersecurity, data protection, regulation of technology and interdisciplinary legal studies. The Journal especially encourages scholarship exploring the legal, regulatory, institutional and governance challenges associated with digital transformation of Africa, as well as comparative and transnational scholarship that would shed new light on legal, regulatory, technological innovations, institutions, policies and societies in the realm of digital law.

Global comparative scholarship is especially welcomed when it adds value to the body of knowledge in the field of digital law and governance. Scholarly contributions accepted by the Journal include research articles, review articles, case studies, commentaries on legislation and regulation, policy papers, book reviews and others.

PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPTS

Language

Manuscripts must be submitted in clear scholarly English and contain good language use, argumentation, grammar and scholarly style.

Authors should ensure that manuscripts are carefully proofread before submission.

Manuscript Structure

Authors should ordinarily prepare manuscripts using the following structure:

Title of the Article

Author Name(s), Institutional Affiliation(s), and Email Address(es)

Abstract (150–250 words)

Keywords (4–6 keywords)

Introduction

Methodology

Result and Discussion

Conclusion and Recommendations and

References/Bibliography.

It is possible to modify the structure as necessary based on the nature, methods, and content of a particular manuscript. The manuscript could involve doctrinal legal research, comparative legal research, empirical socio-legal research, technology assessment, regulatory assessment, case study research, policy research, or inter-disciplinary research. When dealing with digital technologies, it is essential for the manuscript to provide an explanation of technological considerations, legal and regulatory issues, and governance and societal consequences.

FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS

Authors must comply with the following formatting requirements:

  1. Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx);
  2. Font: Book Antiqua;
  3. Font size: 12 pt;
  4. Line spacing: 1.0;
  5. Margins: 1 inch on all sides;
  6. Page numbers must be included;
  7. Headings and subheadings must be clearly distinguished and consistently formatted; and
  8. The manuscript must be carefully proofread before submission to ensure grammatical accuracy, clarity, consistency, and professional academic presentation.

Authors are also expected to ensure that all digital, technological, legal, empirical, and other sources used in their manuscripts are properly acknowledged and accurately referenced.

REFERENCING STYLE

The Africa Digital Governance and Law Review (ADGLR) accepts manuscripts using recognised legal and academic citation styles, including:

Chicago Notes and Bibliography Style.

The author needs to make sure that the chosen citation style is used consistently in the manuscript. All sources used for citations within the manuscript need to be correctly cited using footnotes, endnotes, in-text citations, and/or the bibliography, depending on the chosen citation style. Specific attention needs to be paid to citing legislation, judicial decisions, regulation, treaties, policy documents, internet sources, technology-related sources, data sets, computer programs, and other electronic sources.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Authors submitting manuscripts to the Africa Digital Governance and Law Review must provide the following:

The complete manuscript;

Author name(s), institutional affiliation(s), and contact details;

ORCID ID(s), where available;

Abstract and keywords;

Declaration of originality; and

Disclosure of conflict of interest statement.

By submitting a manuscript, authors are confirming that their manuscript is an original piece of work, has never been published before, and is not under consideration for any other journal or publishing medium. Authors are expected to ensure proper acknowledgment and citation of sources in their manuscripts. Such sources may include legal sources, technological sources, digital sources, empirical sources, scholarly sources, etc. Authors need to ensure compliance of their manuscripts with the required ethical, academic, legal, and scholarly standards of the Africa Digital Governance and Law Review.