Article Publication Process

Editorial decisions are based on the manuscript's scholarly merit, originality, relevance to the aims and scope of AJCFL, methodological and analytical quality, research integrity, and the results of the peer-review process.

1. Online Submission

Authors submit their manuscripts through the AJCFL online submission system. Authors are responsible for ensuring that the manuscript complies with the journal's Author Guidelines, aims and scope, formatting requirements, referencing style, and publication ethics policies. Required author and manuscript metadata must also be completed accurately during submission.

2. Preliminary Editorial Screening

The editorial team conducts an initial assessment to determine whether the manuscript is suitable for further consideration. This screening considers its relevance to AJCFL's aims and scope, originality, scholarly quality, structure, language, citation practices, compliance with submission requirements, and basic standards of research and publication integrity.

Manuscripts that clearly fall outside the journal's scope or fail to meet minimum scholarly or editorial standards may be declined at this stage without external peer review. Manuscripts with remediable technical or formatting problems may be returned to authors for correction before further processing.

3. Reviewer Assignment

Manuscripts that pass preliminary screening are assigned to qualified reviewers whose expertise corresponds to the subject matter, methodology, jurisdiction, or theoretical orientation of the manuscript. Reviewer selection takes into consideration scholarly competence and potential conflicts of interest.

4. Double-Blind Peer Review

AJCFL applies a double-blind peer-review process, in which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from one another. Reviewers assess the manuscript's originality, research problem, theoretical framework, methodology, quality of analysis, use of sources, strength of legal argumentation, contribution to contemporary family law scholarship, and overall suitability for publication.

• Originality and significance of the research;
• Clarity of the research problem and objectives;
• Engagement with relevant scholarly literature;
• Appropriateness and clarity of the methodology;
• Depth and coherence of legal or interdisciplinary analysis;
• Accuracy and adequacy of sources and citations;
• Relationship between evidence, argument, and conclusions;
• Contribution to contemporary family law scholarship; and
• Overall clarity, organization, and academic presentation.

5. Review Recommendation

Following evaluation, reviewers provide comments and recommendations to assist the editor in reaching an editorial decision. Depending on the quality and condition of the manuscript, the recommendation may include:

6. Author Revision

When revision is required, authors are expected to address the reviewers' and editors' comments carefully and systematically. Authors should submit a revised manuscript together with a point-by-point response explaining how each comment has been addressed or, where a recommendation has not been adopted, providing a clear scholarly justification.

7. Re-Evaluation of the Revised Manuscript

The revised manuscript is evaluated by the editor and, where necessary, may be returned to the original reviewer(s) for further assessment. More than one round of revision may be required when substantive scholarly issues remain unresolved.

8. Final Editorial Decision

After considering the manuscript, reviewers' reports, authors' revisions, and compliance with journal standards, the editor makes the final editorial decision. The decision to publish rests with the journal's editorial authority and is based on the overall scholarly quality and suitability of the manuscript.

9. Copyediting and Editorial Preparation

Accepted manuscripts proceed to copyediting. At this stage, the editorial team may correct language, grammar, style, consistency, formatting, citations, references, headings, tables, and other presentation elements while preserving the author's substantive arguments and scholarly meaning. Bibliographic information and article metadata may also be verified and standardized.

10. Layout and Proofreading

Following copyediting, the article is prepared in the journal's publication layout. Proofs are checked for typographical errors, formatting problems, citation inconsistencies, metadata accuracy, and other production issues. Authors may be asked to review the proof and report necessary corrections within the period specified by the editorial office.

Proofreading is intended primarily to correct production errors. Substantial changes to the argument, data, authorship, or conclusions should not normally be introduced at this stage.

11. Final Publication

After completion of editorial and production checks, the article is scheduled for publication in an issue of Aksen Journal of Contemporary Family Law. The published version becomes part of the journal's scholarly record and is made publicly accessible through the AJCFL website in accordance with the journal's open-access and licensing policies.

Manuscripts and peer-review materials are treated as confidential scholarly documents. Editors and reviewers are expected to protect confidential information, avoid inappropriate use of unpublished material, disclose relevant conflicts of interest, and conduct the editorial and review process fairly and professionally.

Progress through one stage of the publication process does not guarantee progression to the next stage or final publication. AJCFL reserves the right to discontinue processing a manuscript at any stage if significant problems concerning scholarly quality, originality, ethical compliance, authorship, citation integrity, or other matters affecting the reliability of the scholarly record are identified.