Rules for authors

I.  FOCUS AND SCOPE 

THĒMIS - Law Journal is a publication of the THĒMIS Civil Association. It publishes original, unpublished academic articles, products of research on various topics of law and legal sciences. It accepts manuscripts from national and international professionals and academics that are of interest to the legal community, providing a forum for discussion, information, and analysis of law. Editorial evaluation of manuscripts meets criteria of relevance, originality, and thematic relevance and includes a double-blind external peer review process. The journal is published semiannually in February and August of each year. THĒMIS is an open-access publication and does not charge for processing, submitting, or publishing articles.

The Journal does not review or publish political, social, or socio-legal studies, nor works that are field studies, survey results, reviews, interviews, notes, conference papers, or presentations. 

II.  OPEN ACCESS POLICY, LICENSE OF USE AND COPYRIGHT

THĒMIS provides immediate and open access to its contents, enabling free and open access for the purpose of promoting a worldwide exchange of knowledge. The journal adheres to the open access principles and policies established in Budapest (2002) (BOAI 10), Berlin (2003) and Bethesda (2003) and grants readers a free, irrevocable, worldwide right to access the information and to download, print, share, or link to the full text of any article in any published issue, provided that all articles are properly cited and copyright notices are observed.

All content in the e-journal is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

The authors retain all copyrights. The authors retain their trademark and patent rights, as well as rights to any processes or procedures described in the article. The authors retain the right to share, copy, distribute, perform, and publicly communicate the article published in the journal (e.g., post it in an institutional repository or publish it in a book) with acknowledgment of its initial publication in THĒMIS. The authors retain the right to publish their work at a later date, to use the article or any part of it (e.g., a compilation of their work, lecture notes, a thesis, or for a book), provided that they acknowledge the source of publication (authors of the work, journal, volume, issue, and date).

III.  GOOD EDITORIAL PRACTICES

THĒMIS adopts the ethical principles and recommendations derived from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The journal also recognizes and adopts the principles of transparency and best practices in scholarly publishing defined and endorsed by DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME; as well as the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). Therefore, the following are expected:

A.   From the authors - authorship 

  • The authors guarantee respect for copyright, as well as the protection of information and other aspects related to the development and publication of the research.
  • All authors warrant that they meet the four criteria for authorship: (i) having made a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; (ii) having participated in the drafting of the work or critical revision of it and having made significant intellectual input into the content of the manuscript; (iii) having approved the final version to be published; and (iv) having assumed responsibility for all aspects of the work, ensuring that any questions related to the accuracy or integrity of the content are adequately resolved.
  • The authors guarantee that no false authorship has been used or that authors who did not contribute to the research have been included. In the letter accompanying the article submission, the authors will state the specific contribution each has made.
  • The authors demonstrate that they have conducted transparent and reproducible research. They have followed best practices in reporting their methodology, sources used and their provenance, and the selection procedures employed. Whenever possible, make available to readers the evidence supporting their findings, as well as indications of data and information availability.
  • The authors present their research clearly and honestly, without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation of data.
  • The authors guarantee the originality of their work, free from plagiarism, and without prior publication in any other medium under any circumstances. Salami publications, self-plagiarism, and simultaneous submissions to other journals will be rejected.
  • The authors declare any potential conflicts of interest.      

B.  From the editor 

  • The editor guarantees the planned and appropriate development of the journal's various processes, in an ethical manner and assuming responsibility for its publication.
  • The editor will make objective, fair, impartial, honest, and transparent decisions throughout the editorial process, including peer review.
  • The editor makes corrections and retractions when there are suspicious ethical practices that affect the scientific quality of articles published by the journal. The editor is guided in this process by the Retraction Guidelines established by COPE.
  • Authors, reviewers, and committee members will have prior knowledge of what is expected of them based on the editorial policies, guidelines, and formats defined by the publisher to ensure appropriate use and management of content.   

C.  From the evaluator  

  • The reviewer will be selected by the editor and the Editorial Team based on criteria such as academic background, number of publications in recognized sources, and the impact of their work in the field.
  • The reviewer accepts the review of an article if his or her level of experience, knowledge, and current commitments allow him or her to provide a reasoned and timely opinion.
  • The evaluator does not share or transfer the evaluation process and maintains due secrecy and anonymity.
  • The evaluator promptly declares any conflicts of interest that may arise in the evaluation of an assigned article.
  • The reviewer provides a timely report of the review according to the times agreed with the journal.
  • The evaluator clearly states the presumption of plagiarism, fabrication of data, manipulation of results, duplication of publication, among others.

D.  General rules for submitting manuscripts 

  • Manuscripts are submitted to the THĒMIS Editorial Team. They may be written in Spanish or English, according to the guidelines of this policy.
  • The standards of the language in which the manuscripts are written are followed. In Spanish, the decimal comma is used, and in English, the decimal point. For units of measurement, the symbols of the International System of Units (SI) are used.
  • The manuscript should generally be written in Microsoft Word; Arial font, regular, size 11 (unless level indications are provided); A4 paper, with normal margins. Include footnotes.
  • The journal is divided into three sections based on article type. All articles are peer-reviewed. 

Thematic Section. These are research articles on legal topics, intended to highlight current issues in national and international law related to the thematic focus of the issue. They are based on a comprehensive and critical review of the literature to support a novel idea, hypothesis, or proposal relevant to the legal field. The maximum length is 15,000 words.

General Section. These are research articles on legal topics not necessarily related to the thematic focus of the issue. They are based on a thorough and critical review of the literature to support a novel idea, hypothesis, or proposal relevant to the legal field. The maximum length is 15,000 words.

Debate. These are manuscripts that explore novel and relevant proposals on a current topic in national or international law. They have a maximum length of 5,000 words and are freely structured.    

E.  Cover letter  

The cover letter declares acceptance of the journal's policies outlined in these guidelines, which include the review process, compliance with the journal's ethics guidelines, and agreement to publish the manuscript openly if approved. Information about the authors and the relevance of the work to support its publication is provided (SEE TEMPLATE).

By signing the cover letter, the author declares compliance with ethical parameters, whether the research has been funded, and the existence of any conflicts of interest.

F.  Manuscript structure

Manuscripts must follow the following structure:

  • Identification: Includes all information about the work (title, author(s), abstract, etc.). It also includes information that will be used as metadata for its dissemination.
  • Body of the work: This is the work itself, generally beginning with an introduction and its structure depends on the type of article.
  • References: Include all references cited in the body.


1.  Identification 

All types of manuscripts must present this information

  • Article title: must be written in Spanish and English, in bold and size 11.
  • Author name: Full name of the author (for example, Carlos Tello; Gladys T. Ríos; María F. Carrasco-García).
  • ORCID: All authors must have an ORCID code with visible and up-to-date information. This represents an indicator of transparency.
  • Email address
  • Affiliation: refers to the institution where the research was conducted or where the author is currently employed. Two levels may be included (e.g., Estudio Echecopar, Associated with Baker & McKenzie International). Only one academic and one professional affiliation may be listed (e.g., Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Ministry of Culture). If no affiliation applies, please indicate Independent professional.
  • Profession and academic degree
  • Corresponding author: the author responsible for all communication with the Editorial Team, including responding to editorial queries, handling revisions, and granting final approval for publication.
  • Postal address of the corresponding author: Optional.
  • Declarations:
    - Conflict of interest: if there is no declaration to be made, please include the following statement: The authors confirm that no conflicts of interest arose in the course of this work or research.

    - Author roles: according to the CRediT Taxonomy.

    - Funding: when specific, indicate the funding institution and project or grant number. If the research received no specific funding, please state: The authors declare that this work received no specific funding.

    - Research ethics: if the research required authorization or ethical review, please include the reference number or documentation. If no such approval was required, please state: The authors confirm that the work and the research on which it is based do not violate any ethical or legal standards.

  • Abstract: must be provided in both Spanish and English, with a maximum of 250 words.
  • Keywords:five keywords in both Spanish and English.   

2.  Structure of the original article

Structure: the article must include an introduction, methodology (when applicable), sections organized according to the author’s criteria, discussion, and conclusions.

  • Introduction:should have a clear communicative purpose, arguing for the relevance of the manuscript’s central idea. It is recommended to include background, objective, hypothesis, justification, and study limitations [Level 1].
  • Methodology (if applicable): clearly, directly, and concisely describe how the research was conducted so that it may be replicated [Level 1]. 
  • Sections: contain the analysis and argumentation supporting the central idea of the paper [Level 1]. 
  • Conclusions: must be written as contributions or findings derived from the study [Level 1].

Heading levels: level 1 headings are written in bold capital letters and are numeraled in Roman numerals (I, II, III, IV, V). Level 2 headings are written in lowercase (except for the first letter) and bold, and are numbered with capital letters (A, B, C, D, E). Level 3 subheadings are written in upper and lower case and are not bold, and are numeraled in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). A period is never used at the end.

Citations and references. The citation and reference format must follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 7th edition.

  • Direct quotations:quotations, including those in another language, should not be in italics. The final period (“.”) appears outside the quotation marks, followed by the parenthetical citation, which should preferably include the author’s last name(s), year, and page number(s): (Surname, year, p. x). When citing an organization, write the full name and abbreviation in brackets on the first mention: (United Nations [UN], year, p. x), and only the abbreviation in subsequent citations (UN, year, p. x).
  • Block quotations (40 words or more): must appear in a separate paragraph, indented 1.25 cm from the left margin, without quotation marks, and in font size 10. Leave one space before and after the quotation. The final period (“.”) is placed at the end of the quoted text, followed by the parenthetical citation without an additional period.Parafraseo: en la cita de parafraseo se utilizan las ideas de un autor, pero en palabras propias del escritor. En esta cita es necesario incluir el apellido del autor citado, el año de la publicación y la página de la cual se ha parafraseado el texto.
  • Paraphrasing: when paraphrasing, include the cited author’s last name, year of publication, and the page number(s) from which the idea was taken.
  • References:the following are the general reference models. Elements in bold form part of the actual reference entry; the rest are explanatory notes. In general, do not include: the city of publication, the phrase retrieved from, or a final period after a DOI or URL. 

3.  Referencias bibliográficas

  • General model: Surname, Initial. (Year). Book title in italics.
    If the work has several editions, volumes, or printings, include the relevant details in ordinal form (Vol. x, xth ed., Reprint of the [nth] edition).
    If it is a translation, include: [Translated into Spanish from the original title]. DOI number if available.
  • Book: Surname(s), Initial(s). (Year). Title of the book [use “:” or “–” for subtitles]. Publisher. DOI [if available].
  • Edited book or chapter: Surname(s), Initial(s). (Year). Title of the chapter. In Initial(s). Surname(s) (Ed./Comp.), Title of the book (xth ed., Vol. x, pp. xxx–xxx). Publisher. DOI [if available].
  • Edited book or chapter: Surname(s), Initial(s). (Year). Title of the chapter. In Initial(s). Surname(s) (Ed./Comp.), Title of the book (xth ed., Vol. x, pp. xxx–xxx). Publisher. DOI [if available].
  • Journal article: Surname(s), Initial(s). (Year). Title of the article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), page range. DOI [if available].
  • Encyclopedia or dictionary entry: (Year). Entry title. Dictionary name (edition, volume and/or pages). URL.
  • Report or working paper: Surname(s), Initial(s). (Year). Title of the report (Report No. #). Publisher. URL.
  • Tables and figures: If a table or figure is adapted or taken from another source, include the reference as follows:

    -  Extracted from another author: Source: Author or institution (year, pp. xx).
    -  Adapted from another author: Source: Author’s own elaboration based on Author or institution (year, pp. xx).
    -  Original work: Source: Author’s own elaboration. 

  • Documentary: Surname(s), Initial(s) (Producer/Director). (Year). Title of the documentary or series [format] [if part of a series, include series title and creators]. Production company or broadcaster.
  • Festschrift, commemorative, or collective volume: Surname(s), Initial(s). (Year). Title of the contribution. In Initial(s). Surname(s) (Ed./Comp.), Book title (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.
  • Conference paper: Surname(s), Initial(s). (Day, Month, Year). Title of the presentation [Conference/Symposium]. Name of the event, city, country.
  • Website: Surname(s), Initial(s). (Day, Month, Year). Title of the webpage or document. Website name.
  • Blog post: Surname(s), Initial(s). (Day, Month, Year). Title of the post. Blog name.
  • Newspaper article: 

    - With author: Surname(s), Initial(s). (Full date). Title of the article. Newspaper name.
    - Without author: Newspaper name [Editorial Team]. (Full date). Title of the article. Newspaper name.

  • Thesis: Surname(s), Initial(s). (Year). Title of the thesis in italics (Undergraduate/Master’s/Doctoral thesis). Academic institution.
  • Legal sources: 

    -  Constitution: Title of the Constitution [Const.] (Year of enactment) [Repealed, Amended, or Annotated, if applicable].
    -  Statutes, Decrees, Orders: Law [No.], Official title of the norm, Official publication name (e.g., Diario Oficial El Peruano), date (day, month, year), country.
    -  Jurisprudence: Issuing body or institution, date (day, month, year), judgment, case file, or resolution number (country).

  • Others sources: 

    -  Surveys: Surname(s), Initial(s) or Institution. (Full date). Title of the survey. (Include URL if applicable).
    -  Interviews: Surname(s), Initial(s). (Interview type, full date).