Author Guidelines

            Author’s Guidelines 

The Law School of Bahir Dar University publishes a peer-reviewed journal of law, the Bahir Dar University Journal of Law (BDU Journal of Law). The Journal is a biannual publication that has appeared in July and December every year since 2010. The Journal is available at the links:
 the Journal website https://journals.bdu.edu.et/index.php/bdujl;
 EJOL http://ejol.ethernet.edu.et/index.php/BDUJOL   
 Heinonline: https://home.heinonline.org/titles/Law-Journal-Library/Bahir+Dar+University+Journal+of+Law/

The main aim of the Journal is to create a forum for the scholarly analysis of Ethiopian and International law. This brief guideline is prepared based on the Journal’s Policy with a view to inform potential contributors.

I. Content of the Journal

The Journal publishes:
1. Feature Articles: these are scholarly writings on any law or law related topic that meet the rigours of academic writing. The Journal shall feature at least three articles in each issue.
2. Case Comments: these are contributions in which authors critically comment upon cases decided by the highest courts at the federal and regional states and by arbitration centres and standout for any reason.
3. Book Reviews: these are contributions in which any book on Ethiopian law, the Ethiopian justice system or a book with special significance in the field of international law may be reviewed.
4. Reflections/Notes: these are contributions in which authors canvas their insightful personal thoughts on legal and justice related issues of common concern to the legal community.

5. The Best Student-Essay: the issue of the Journal that appears in December of every year, whenever possible, features the student essay that won the Best Student-Essay Award for the year.
6. Review Article: an article that generally summarizes the current state of understanding on a given topic. It surveys scholarly researches already conducted in an area, and it should give an overview of current thinking on the theme.
7. Letter /Letter to the Editor/: refers to written submissions to the Editor-in-Chief making comments on an article published in previously published issues of the same journal.
II. Language of Publication
1. Contributions can appear in the Journal in Amharic or English language.
2. Contributions shall be published in the language their author has originally authored.
3. All English version contributions should be submitted in Microsoft Word document format, written in 12 point font, 1.5 spacing, left justified, Times New Roman, with a margin of 1 inch all sides; and Footnotes in 10 point font, single space, Times New Roman.
4. All Amharic version contributions should be submitted in Microsoft Word document format, written in 12 point font, 1.5 spacing, justified, Power Geez Unicode 1, with a margin on 1 inch all sides; and footnotes in 10 point font, single space, Power Geez Unicode 1.
III. Exclusivity of Contributions
All contributions that appear in the Journal should be unpublished original works of the author.
IV. Copyright
1. The copyright owner of the manuscripts appearing in the Journal is Bahir Dar University, save otherwise agreements.
2. The author of a published manuscript is entitled to receive e-offprint of his contribution and one complimentary copy of the issue in which his
contribution appears, free of charge.

V. Process of Submission

1. Contributions may be submitted as Microsoft Word document via the online submission system. Go to the link https://journals.bdu.edu.et/index.php/bdujl,  register and submit. Authors may submit any time for publication in upcoming issues of the Journal.
2. The article submitted to the email should be prepared for blind review. Therefore, it should be free from any self-identifying information about the author(s).
3. Authors should submit a separate cover letter, as an attached MS Word document, to the Editor-in-Chief via the via the email: bdujol@yahoo.com . The cover letter
submission needs to include:
 name of the author(s);
 educational qualification;
 institutional affiliation;
 current occupation;
 contact address (e-mail and phone number); and
 Title and an abstract of the article of a maximum of 250 words.
VI. Size of Contributions
The size of contributions shall be as follows, including footnotes:

1. Feature Articles: 7,000 – 12,000 words
2. Review Articles: 7,000 – 12,000 words
3. Case Comments: 2,000–6,000 words
4. Book Review: 2,000 – 4,000 words
5. Reflections/Notes: 2,500 – 6,000 words
6. Best Student-Essay: 3,000 – 6,000 words
7. Letters: 1,000 – 2,000 words
VII. Content and Presentation Style of manuscripts
1. Feature articles, review articles, notes/reflections, and best student-essays should have the following structure:
i. An abstract of no more than 250 words (providing a concise statement of the purpose of the article, methodology and precise indication of its           findings );
ii. Key words, 3 – 8 key words (indicating the content of the manuscript but without merely replicating its title or textual sub-headings);

iii. Introduction (briefly describing the subject matter of the manuscript, methodology and its objectives);
iv. Body (containing discussions, analyses, arguments, etc. and may be divided into sections, and subsections depending on the author’s approach       to the subject matter); and
v. Conclusion (reflecting the author’s synoptic opinion on the subject matter, and may include suggestions, proposals, affirmation,    recommendations, etc.).
vi. Headings in the various sections of the manuscript shall be aligned to the left margin of the page and should be arranged in a logically organized headings and sub-headings as follows:
Abstract
Introduction
1. First Heading
1.1. Second Heading
1.1.1. Third Heading
i. Fourth heading
2. First Heading
2.1. Second Heading
2.1.1. Third Heading
i. Fourth heading
Conclusion

2. Case comments: Case comments to be submitted to the Journal should be structured as follows:
i. Main subject heading;
ii. Case name and citation;
iii. Text: (1) the facts, (2) the decision/HELD paragraph, and (3) the commentary on the case; and Summary remark.

3. Book Reviews: book reviews should have the following elements:
i. A Header, that should include: (1) author(s)/editor(s) name, (2) title of book, (3) year of publication, (4) edition (if second or subsequent), (5)
publisher and place of publication, (6) number of pages, (7) format (hardback, if available in e-copy), (8) ISBN, and (9) price(if available);
ii. A summary of the intended audience and purpose of the book and how it contributes to the field of scholarship;
iii. A description of the way the author approaches his or her topic, the rigor of the research and scholarship, the logic of the argument, and the
readability of the prose;
iv. A comparison with earlier or similar books (if any) in the field to place the book in the existing literature;
v. An evaluation of the book's merits, usefulness, and special contributions, along with constructive comments on its limitations; and indication of who would find the book useful and its implication for research, policy, practice, or theory.

4. Letters: The letter to the editor should convey its message in a short and definitive fashion. The comments should be objective and constructive.
5. Author’s affiliation: The author’s affiliation shall be indicated in a footnote marked by an asterisk and not by an Arabic number. Authors shall refer to themselves, if at all, in the third person pronoun throughout the text.

VIII. Requirements as to Reference/ Citation Rule
1. Bahir Dar University Journal of Law follows footnote citation style, which is the customized version of the Blue Book Citation Rules (Annex 1 of the Editorial Policy).
2. Where this customized version falls short of completeness for a specific citation, Authors should resort to the latest editions of the Blue Book Citation Rules.

Annex 1-Citation Rule- Customized version of the Blue Book Citation Rules
I. Preliminaries on citation
1. All contributions should duly acknowledge any reference or quotations from the work of other authors or the previous work of the author.
2. Reference shall be made in the original language of the source document referred to.
3. Bahir Dar University Journal of Law follows footnote citation style, which is the customized version of the Blue Book Citation Rules. References in footnotes should generally contain sufficient information about the source material, and footnote numbers are placed outside of punctuation marks.
4. Where this customized version falls short of completeness for a specific citation, Authors should resort to the latest editions of the Blue Book Citation Rules.
5. Some citation rules to note:
5.1. Italicization-All words not from the language in which the manuscript is written must be italicized.
5.2. Emphasis -To indicate emphasis use italics.
5.3. Quotations:
5.3.1. Quotations of more than 49 words should be indented left and right without any quotation marks. Quotation marks in the block should appear as they normally do. Quotations of less than 49 words should be in quotation marks and not indented from the text.
5.3.2. Regarding alterations in a quotation:
i. Square bracket “[ ]”-use it to note any change in the quoted material,
ii. Ellipsis “(…)” -use it to indicate omitted material,
iii. “[sic]”- use it to indicate mistake in the original quote.
II. Illustrations for the various types of sources in footnote citation.
In general, references should have the content and style outlined below in the illustrations for the various types of sources.
1) Authored Book- (Italicize title of the book) 

Andrew Burrows, Remedies for Torts and Breach of Contract, 3rd edition, Oxford University Press, (2004), p. 317.
2) Book with Volumes- (Italicize title of the book)

Julian Roberts and Mike Hough, Public Opinion and the Jury: An International Literature Review, Ministry of Justice Research Series 1/09, (2009), p. 42
3) Contributions in edited books- (Italicize title of the book) 
Dieter Fleck, The Law of Non-International Armed Conflicts, in Dieter Fleck, (ed.), The Handbook of International Humanitarian Law, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, (2008), p. 613
4) Journal Articles -(Italicize name of the journal)
Alebachew Birhanu, Transitional Justice through Prosecution: The Ethiopian Red-Terror Trial in Retrospect, Bahir Dar University Journal of Law, Vol. 1: No.1, (2010), p. 127
5) Online Journal Articles -(Italicize name of the journal) 

Graham Greenleaf, The Global Development of Free Access to Legal Information, European Journal Law and Technology, Vol.1: No.1, (2010), http://ejlt.org/article/view/17 (accesssed Oct. 27, 2010).
6) Forthcoming Articles
Cite forthcoming articles in the same way as published articles, following the citation with ‘(forthcoming)’. If volume and/or page numbers are not yet known, simply omit that information.
7) Laws -(Italicize name of the Gazetta)
The Constitution of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Proclamation No.1/1995, Federal Negarit Gazetta, (1995), Article 9.
Revised Family Code, Proclamation No. 213/2000, Federal Negarit Gazetta, (2000), Article 1.
8) Treaties
Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT), United Nations, Treaty Series, Vol.1155, (1969), Article 31.
9) Resolutions
General Assembly Resolution 67/97, The Rule of Law at the National and International levels, A/RES/67/97, (Dec.14, 2012), www.un.org/en/ga/67/resolutions.shtml (accessed Mar. 19, 2015).
10) Cases (Italicize name of the parties)
Landinelli Silva et al. v. Uruguay, Communication No. 34/1978, Human Rights Committee (HRC), CCPR/C/12/D/34/1978, (April 8, 1981) para 9.
የኢትዮጵያ _መድን _ድርጅት _vs. ጊታሁን _ሀይሉ፤ _ጠቅላይ _ፍርድ _ቤት _ሰበር _ሰሚ ችሎት ፤ መ.ቁ. 14057፤_1998 ዓ.ም.
11) Conference Papers
Ben McFarlane and Donal Nolan, Remedying Reliance: The Future Development of Promissory and Proprietary Estoppel in English Law, Obligations III conference, Brisbane, (2006), p. 25.
12) Theses
Javan Herberg, Injunctive Relief for Wrongful Termination of Employment, DPhil thesis,University of Oxford, (1989), p. 10 12.
13) Websites and Blogs
Sarah Cole, Virtual Friend Fires Employee, Naked Law, (May 1, 2009), www.nakedlaw.com/2009/05/index.html (accessed Nov. 19, 2009).
14) Newspaper Articles -(Italicize name of the newspaper) 

Kassahun Chanie, NBE Devalues Birr and Adjusts Interest Rate, The Ethiopian Herald,
(Oct. 11, 2017), p. 1.
15) Press Releases -(Italicize title of the press release)
The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, Secure the Border by Deterring and Swiftly Removing Illegal Entrants, Oct. 08, 2017.
16) Interview
Interview with Elias Hizkeal, Department Head, School of Law, Bahir Dar University, (Aug. 4, 2003).

17) Short Form Citations

I. Id and Supra note.
 Use id. if the authority is the same as the immediately preceding authority.
 Use supra note if not referring to the immediately preceding authority.

E.g.1. Stephen J. Legatzke, The Equitable Recoupment Doctrine in United States v. Dalm: Where’s the Equity, Va. Tax Rev., Vol. 10: No. 1, (1991), pp. 861-863.
 Id.
 Id., p. 862.

 Legatzke, supra note 1.
 Legatzke, supra note 1, p.22.
E.g. 2. The Constitution of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Proclamation No.1/1995, Federal Negarit Gazetta, (1995), Article 9, [hereinafter FDRE Const.].
 Id.
 Id., Article 98.
 FDRE Const., supra note 2.
 FDRE Const., supra note 2, Article 48.

II. “Infra” (below)
 Use “infra” only to refer to a point that is made in a later section of your document. “Infra” is never used to refer to cited authority.

Authors need to provide a full citation the first time they refer to an authority. “Infra” is never used to refer to cited authority. You would use “infra” only to refer to a point that is made in a later section of your document.
E.g.
See cases cited infra note 121.
See discussion infra Part III.A.
See infra pp. 94-97.
See infra Figure 5.
III. "Hereinafter"
o Generally, "hereinafter" can be used to shorten names of cited authorities. At the end of the first full citation the authority but before
any explanatory parenthetical, place the word "hereinafter" and the shortened form in square brackets.

E.g.
 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT), United Nations, Treaty Series, Vol.1155, (1969), Article 31[hereinafter Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties]. 
 Revised Family Code, Proclamation No. 213/2000, Federal Negarit Gazetta, (2000), Article 1[hereinafter Revised Family Code].
 Trade Competition and Consumers Protection Proclamation, Proclamation No.813/2013, Federal Negarit Gazetta, (2013) [hereinafter Trade Competition Proc. No.813/2013].
 Id.
 Id., Article 9.
 Trade Competition Proc. No. 813/2013, supra note...