Journal of Law and Social Sciences (HNLU JLSS), Volume XII Issue I, 2026

The Journal of Law and Social Sciences (HNLU JLSS) is inviting submissions for its forthcoming Volume XII, Issue I, 2026. The journal is published by Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur, one of the country leading national law universities, and it carries ISSN 2347-839X. If you have research that sits at the intersection of law and the social sciences, this is a credible, peer-reviewed platform to get your work read and cited, and there are no submission or publication charges.

The last date to submit your manuscript is 5 July 2026. Everything you need to prepare and send your work is set out below, so you should not need to look anywhere else.

Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur was established in 2003 and is named after former Chief Justice of India, Justice M. Hidayatullah. It is consistently ranked among the top national law universities in India. HNLU JLSS is published under HNLU Press.

The journal is dedicated to promoting quality research and fostering discussion on contemporary legal and socio-political issues. It welcomes contributions from academicians, legal scholars, practising lawyers, research scholars, and domain experts.

HNLU JLSS accepts three categories of manuscripts, all word counts inclusive of footnotes:

• Articles (5,000 to 10,000 words): a comprehensive analysis of a theme.
• Essays (3,000 to 5,000 words): a focused analysis of a contemporary issue.
• Case Notes and Legislative Commentaries (2,000 to 7,000 words).

The journal does not prescribe a fixed sub-theme. It invites work on contemporary legal and socio-political issues across law and the social sciences.

The call is open to academicians, legal scholars, practising lawyers, research scholars, and domain experts. Students and early-career researchers working in these areas are within the intended pool of contributors.

• Each manuscript must include an abstract of no more than 250 words and 7 to 10 keywords (the abstract is inclusive of the overall word count).
• Co-authorship is permitted, with up to two authors per submission.
• One author, one manuscript: each author can submit only one manuscript, whether individually or with a co-author. If multiple submissions are received from the same author, the Editorial Board may drop them or choose the relevant one at its discretion.

• Font: Times New Roman, size 12 for the main text and size 10 for footnotes.
• Line spacing: 1.5 for the main text and 1.0 for footnotes.
• Citations: use footnotes conforming to the latest edition of The Bluebook.
• Headings: headings and sub-headings should be in bold and numbered as 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3.
• The first paragraph after a heading or sub-heading must start from the margin without a tab. Subsequent paragraphs must start with tabs.
• Avoid using all caps.
• Submit in .doc or .docx format only.

Submissions must be original and unpublished. Plagiarised content or work with copyright issues will be rejected. Selected submissions undergo a double-blind peer review process.

By submitting, authors grant HNLU exclusive copyright. If you wish to withdraw your manuscript or publish it elsewhere, you must inform press@hnlu.ac.in before the final acceptance mail. No withdrawal request will be entertained after final acceptance.

Submit your manuscript in .doc or .docx format through the official Google Form. Name your file in the format Author Name underscore Title of Submission (for example, Amit_Kumar_Criminal_Justice_System). Make sure your submission reaches the journal by 5 July 2026.

• Manuscript falls within the correct category and word range (Article 5,000 to 10,000, Essay 3,000 to 5,000, Case Note or Commentary 2,000 to 7,000, inclusive of footnotes).
• Abstract of 250 words or fewer with 7 to 10 keywords is included.
• No more than two authors, and you have submitted only one manuscript.
• Times New Roman 12 for text and 10 for footnotes, with 1.5 and 1.0 line spacing respectively.
• Footnote citations follow the latest edition of The Bluebook.
• Headings are bold and numbered, no all caps, paragraph indentation rules followed.
• Work is original, unpublished and free of plagiarism.
• File is in .doc or .docx and named Author Name underscore Title of Submission.
• Submitted through the official Google Form on or before 5 July 2026.