About the Journal

Aims and Scope

The Kathmandu School of Law Review (KSLR) is the double-blind peer reviewed flagship law journal of Kathmandu School of Law, Nepal established in 2012 with the vision to reflect the nuances of legal academia and legal research among scholars, students, and practitioners alike. It aims to spark discussion in legal scholarship through publication of research-based articles, sharing of knowledge and creating a forum for the betterment of legal academia, both nationally and internationally. The review accepts manuscripts of research conducted by the contributors from around the world which are reviewed, edited, quality controlled and finally published by the KSLR Editorial Board. We carefully understand our role and position as a journal of one of Nepal’s premier law schools and thus wish to foster a culture where the publication process is not an end in itself but is just one of the aims of the KSLR.

The review is of benefit to the contributors as it provides a prestigious platform to authors to express academic viewpoints on the subject matter, enhance writing and editing skills, and an opportunity to spark academic discussions in the form of comprehensively researched articles, notes and case comments. We hope that through this medium, the KSLR contributes to the repertoire of legal, social, cultural, political, and international relations academia. With such aims, we publish two volume of the review each year.

The review benefits the reader by being an effective tool for legal research, reference to an academic viewpoint and a depository of legal information required to enhance the knowledge of the reader. 

The review aims to be a forum for building academic relationships between the reader and the contributors, as well as among the contributors themselves. The review presents itself as a conduit for the institution of Kathmandu School of Law to build a relationship with the contributors and the readers. 

The submitted manuscripts are reviewed, edited, polished, and compiled by a dedicated team of editors selected through a rigorous process to ensure that the publication is innovative, novel, creative and of adequate quality. The editors with their keen eye identify the smallest flaws within the article and correct it, test the soundness of the arguments made within the article with a set of standards developed by the team, and select the best articles for publication. Through this rigorous process, the review publishes quality papers for the readers. 

The call for papers is made on a regular basis through the official website of KSLR, which also contains the guidelines for submission and criteria that need to be fulfilled. Only upon satisfaction of the prescribed criteria and standards, the papers will be eligible for publication.

Publication Frequency

Kathmandu School of Law is published twice a year.

Copyright

Authors are required to transfer their copyright to the Kathmandu School of Law.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. 

Creative Commons Licence
The articles published in KSLR are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

Hard copies per issue priced at NPR 500/- (in Nepal) and USD 75 (outside Nepal).

Code of Ethics

Please see https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/kslr/ethics

Code of Publication Ethics

Please see https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/kslr/pubethics

Peer Review Process

What is peer review?
Peer review is the quality control mechanism of academic journals. The submissions are peer-reviewed by experts in the subject matter to validate the work. It gives suggestions to the editorial board of the journal to make the decision regarding the publication of work. Peer reviewers do not make the decision with regards to the publication of an article, they merely give suggestions. The final decision on publication is made by the editorial board.

Why peer review is required?

  • Peer review assists in maintaining the quality of the journal.
  • Peer review helps the Editorial Board in the selection process.
  • Peer review is an opportunity for authors to improve their work and contribute to the academic discourse by providing quality work.

Double Blind Review
There are various ways of conducting peer reviews. Kathmandu School of Law Review (KSLR) uses a double-blind peer review for the editorial process where both the author(s) and the reviewer(s) are unaware about the identity of one another.

Step by Step Guide

  1. The author(s) submit an article
  2. Initial screening by the editor - if accepted then
  3. The article is sent to reviewer(s)
  4. Review report is sent by the reviewer(s)
  5. Editor decision to accept or reject
  6. Author is informed
  7. Publication (if accepted)

Before Review
Peer Reviewers should always keep the following questions in mind before accepting the proposal to review an article:

  1. Do I have the expertise in the particular subject matter?
  2. Do I have any conflict of interest in relation to the article?
  3. Do I have the time to review the work?

If the reviewer(s) believes that he/she has the expertise in the subject matter of the article, if there is no conflict of interest and if he/she can give time to complete the review, he/she can accept the proposal.

Review Process 
When the reviewer(s) accepts the proposal to review, the following steps should be followed:

  1. A reviewer must avoid any form of conflict of interest associated with the article he/she receives. The reviewer has to follow the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers before accepting to review an article and throughout the peer-review process.
  2. Reviewers have to go through the peer review guidelines of KSLR before accepting the review work.
  3. First reading: It is be important to have a first reading of the article to grasp a general idea about the work.
  4. Second Reading: The reviewer(s) has to evaluate the article on various grounds. The grounds could be:
    • the contribution article is going to make to the discipline in question;
    • academic rigor and accuracy of information used;
    • style and structure of the article, etc.
  5. Writing the review: The most important part of the entire review process is communicating the reviews to the editor(s) through writing. Reviewers are expected to give sound logic and argument to support the suggestions they make. They are welcomed to use examples from the article while giving reviews. Specific paragraph numbers can be cited and comments can be given. Reviewers give suggestions to the editor(s) through the review based on one of the following three major grounds:
    • Accept: Reviewer(s) suggests editor(s) accept the article for publication. Reviewer(s) suggests accepting the article without any further comments. Acceptance without any revision is rare.
    • Revision: Reviewer(s) suggests editor(s) accept the article subject to certain conditions. The condition(s) could be either acceptance with minor changes or acceptance with major changes. This is more often the case with reviews.
    • Reject: Reviewer(s) suggests the editor(s) reject the paper as it does not fulfill the minimum standards required for publication.
  6. Submission of Review: After making the decision, reviewers have to send the reviews to editors within the prescribed deadline.

After Review:
The final decision with regards to acceptance or rejection of the article for publication will be made by the Editorial Board of KSLR. If the article is accepted for publication, it will be forwarded to editors for editing purposes.

Sources of Support

Kathmandu School of Law, Nepal funds the journal’s publication costs and other related expenses.

Publisher

KSLR is published by the Kathmandu School of Law, Suryabinayak – 4, Dadhikot, Bhaktapur, Bagmati, Nepal