Editorial Policy

1. Mission & Scope

Changing Dimensions of Legal Horizons (CDLH) is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal committed to publishing high-quality research in law, jurisprudence, governance, public policy, and socio-legal studies. The journal aims to promote rigorous academic discourse, encourage interdisciplinary perspectives, and contribute to global legal scholarship.

The journal welcomes original contributions from researchers, academicians, legal professionals, policy analysts, and scholars across disciplines.

Scope Includes (but is not limited to):

  • Constitutional Law & Judicial Studies

  • Criminal Law & Criminology

  • Corporate & Commercial Law

  • International Law & Global Governance

  • Human Rights Law

  • Environmental & Sustainable Development Law

  • Intellectual Property Law

  • Cyber, Technology & AI Law

  • Comparative Law

  • Alternative Dispute Resolution

  • Public Policy & Regulatory Studies

  • Socio-Legal and Interdisciplinary Research

2. Editorial Independence

CDLH ensures complete editorial independence.
All editorial decisions are made impartially, free from influence by sponsors, institutions, or commercial interests.

3. Peer Review Policy (Scopus-Compliant)

CDLH follows a double-blind peer review process that meets international standards:

3.1 Review Stages

  1. Initial Editorial Screening:
    Manuscripts are evaluated for relevance, originality, structure, plagiarism, and journal fit.

  2. Double-Blind Review:
    At least two subject-expert reviewers evaluate the manuscript independently.

  3. Editorial Decision:
    Based on reviewer reports, the Editor-in-Chief issues one of the following:

    • Accept

    • Minor Revision

    • Major Revision

    • Reject

  4. Revision & Verification:
    Authors must address reviewer comments with a detailed response sheet.

  5. Final Acceptance:
    The editorial board verifies compliance with quality, ethics, and formatting standards.

3.2 Reviewer Selection & Integrity

Reviewers are selected based on scholarly expertise, publication record, and absence of conflict of interest.

3.3 Confidentiality

All manuscripts and reviewer identities remain fully confidential.

4. Ethical Standards & COPE Compliance

CDLH adheres to the ethical guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and follows the international best practices expected by Scopus.

Ethical expectations include:

  • Originality of research

  • Proper attribution and correct citations

  • Avoidance of plagiarism and self-plagiarism

  • Transparency in methodology

  • Accurate data representation

  • Disclosure of conflicts of interest

  • Ethical approval for studies involving human subjects (if applicable)

5. Plagiarism & Similarity Check

  • CDLH uses reputed plagiarism-detection software.

  • Acceptable similarity: ≤10% (excluding references).

  • Submissions with high similarity or suspected duplication are rejected or returned for correction.

  • Suspected misconduct is handled as per COPE procedures.

6. Manuscript Submission & Publication Ethics

6.1 Submission Conditions

The submission must be:

  • Original

  • Unpublished

  • Not under review elsewhere (exclusive submission)

6.2 Authorship Criteria (ICMJE/COPE aligned)

All authors must have:

  • Substantial contribution

  • Participation in drafting/revising

  • Approval of final manuscript

  • Accountability for scholarly integrity

Ghostwriting, honorary authorship, or guest authorship is not permitted.

7. Data Access & Transparency

Authors must provide access to datasets, case law sources, or reference material upon request, unless restricted for legal reasons.

8. Conflict of Interest Policy

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any:

  • Financial interests

  • Institutional affiliations

  • Personal relationships

  • Potential biases

Undisclosed conflicts may result in retraction.

9. Retraction, Corrections, and Withdrawal

CDLH follows Scopus-aligned policies for post-publication updates.

9.1 Retraction

A paper may be retracted for:

  • Plagiarism

  • Fabrication or falsification

  • Significant errors

  • Ethical misconduct

9.2 Corrections (Errata / Corrigenda)

Minor errors not affecting conclusions will be corrected publicly.

9.3 Withdrawal

Allowed only before acceptance or in exceptional cases, with justification.

10. Open Access & Copyright

  • CDLH follows a Hybrid / Controlled Open Access Policy depending on issue and publisher requirements.

  • Authors retain copyright.

  • Authors grant non-exclusive publication rights to the journal.

  • Reuse requires appropriate citation.

11. Archiving & Indexing Policy

To maintain long-term accessibility, CDLH uses:

  • Digital archiving and repository systems

  • DOI assignment (if implemented)

  • Institutional repositories

  • Publisher backup systems

The journal follows indexing-friendly metadata standards.

12. Frequency of Publication

CDLH is a biannual journal publishing two issues per year, with additional special issues when required.

13. Transparency & Accountability

The editorial board maintains transparency regarding:

  • Editorial roles

  • Policies

  • Peer-review procedures

  • Ethical practices

  • Publication timelines

Annual reports are prepared to evaluate journal performance and quality.

14. Anti-Bias & Inclusivity Policy

The journal ensures:

  • Fair review and editorial decisions

  • No discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or ideology

  • Support for diverse global scholarship