Publication Ethics

Art. 1Duties of the Publisher

The Publisher shall provide the Journal with adequate resources and access to specialist expertise in information, legal and other relevant matters, enabling the Journal to perform its editorial functions and promote legal scholarship in a professional manner and to high standards of quality. The Publisher undertakes to conclude a service agreement defining its relationship with the owner of the Journal and/or with the Editor-in-Chief. The terms of such agreement must be consistent with the Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers developed by COPE. The relationship between the Editor-in-Chief, the Editorial Staff and the Publisher must comply with the principle of editorial independence.

Art. 2Duties of the Editorial Board and of the Editor-in-Chief

The Editorial Board, chaired by the Editor-in-Chief, in taking the decisions within its competence, complies with the Journal’s editorial guidelines and with the peer-review criteria adopted for publication, as agreed with the Scientific Committee.

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for deciding whether to publish manuscripts submitted to the Journal. Manuscripts submitted to the «Articles» section are assessed by one or more reviewers, and their acceptance is subject to the author’s incorporation of any changes requested and to the final opinion of the reviewers. The Editor-in-Chief selects reviewers from among Italian and international university professors with recognised expertise in the relevant subject area, in order to obtain an adequate assessment of the manuscript for the purposes of publication.

In exceptional cases involving manuscripts submitted by authors of established scholarly standing or international reputation, the Editorial Board may assume responsibility for publication.

Manuscripts intended for the «Notes» section are instead assessed by a member of the Editorial Board and a member of the Scientific Committee.

Beginning with Volume XXV (2027), manuscripts intended for the «Papers» section – devoted to short contributions on current issues without footnotes, to book reviews and to papers presented at conferences and book presentations – are assessed by the Editorial Board. The Board verifies their consistency with the Journal’s editorial guidelines, the rigour of their argumentation, and their formal accuracy. Papers are not subject to the peer-review procedure applicable to Articles and are identified accordingly in the table of contents, on the website, and in the footer on the first page of each contribution. The Editorial Board normally decides within fifteen days of receipt of the manuscript.

Where plagiarism, errors, inaccuracies, conflicts of interest or possible defamation in a published article are ascertained or reported, the Editorial Board, as soon as it is informed, must promptly notify the author. The Editor-in-Chief shall then take the steps necessary to examine the matter and, following such examination, may remove access to the article, issue a correction, or publish a retraction notice.

Art. 3Duties of Reviewers

Through the double-blind peer-review procedure, reviewers assist the Editorial Board in reaching decisions on manuscripts submitted to the «Articles» section and may recommend revisions and improvements to authors. Reviewers who do not feel qualified for the task, or who know that they cannot complete the review within the required time, must promptly inform the Editorial Staff.

Manuscripts are assessed solely on their scholarly merits, without discrimination on the grounds of the authors’ ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, citizenship, scientific, academic or political orientation, or methodological approach. The review must be carried out objectively. Reviewers must provide clear and adequately reasoned assessments.

Reviewers undertake to report to the Editorial Staff any similarity or overlap between the text received and other works known to them. All confidential information or indications obtained during the peer-review process must be treated as confidential and may not be used for other purposes. Reviewers must not accept for review manuscripts in respect of which they have a conflict of interest arising from competitive or collaborative relationships with any of the authors or their institutions.

Every text assigned for review must be treated as confidential; such texts must therefore not be discussed with other persons without the express authorisation of the Editor-in-Chief.

Art. 4Duties of the Scientific Committee and of the Editorial Staff

The Scientific Committee contributes, together with the Editorial Board, to defining the Journal’s editorial guidelines. The Editorial Staff provides technical support to the Editorial Board and to the Scientific Committee.

If the Scientific Committee or the Editorial Staff detect or receive reports of errors or inaccuracies, conflicts of interest or plagiarism in a published contribution, they shall promptly notify the Editorial Board so that it may take the measures within its competence.

The Scientific Committee and the Editorial Staff are bound to confidentiality regarding the manuscripts submitted for review and therefore undertake not to disclose information on manuscripts submitted for publication without the authorisation of the Editor-in-Chief. They further undertake not to use, for their own research, the content of unpublished manuscripts without the author’s express written consent.

Art. 5Duties of Authors

When submitting a manuscript to the Journal, authors must comply with the editorial guidelines available on the Journal’s website. Authors must confirm that the manuscript is original in all its parts and that all sources and works used have been properly cited. Where the work or words of other authors are used, they must be appropriately cited and, where necessary, quoted accurately. Authorship must be correctly attributed, and all those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, organisation, execution and revision of the research on which the manuscript is based must be listed as co-authors. All authors must expressly declare that there are no conflicts of interest that could have influenced the results obtained or the interpretations proposed. Authors must also indicate any bodies funding the research and/or the project from which the manuscript originates. Manuscripts under consideration by the Journal must not be submitted simultaneously to any other journal. When authors identify a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, they must promptly inform the Editorial Staff and provide all the information necessary to make the appropriate corrections. Where a contribution reports research involving human participants, personal data, or other activities requiring ethical approval, authors must ensure that the relevant approvals have been obtained and that the research has been conducted in accordance with applicable ethical and legal standards.