About the Journal
Focus and Scope
The Brazilian Journal of Law and Justice (BJLJ) is a peer-reviewed, annual international legal journal.
The journal is open access and primarily focuses on the legal and socio-legal academic communities, with articles published eventualy in Portuguese/Spanish and English.
As is evident from its name, an important feature of the journal's editorial profile is the articulation it seeks to promote between two fields: technical-juridical reflections (Law) and social, political, economic and philosophical dimensions that affect the implementation of rights (Justice).
The BJLJ receives contributions from all disciplines of Law. However, the journal will focus on unpublished and original scientific studies that analyse and reflect on the theoretical and functional aspects of formal and informal conflict resolution systems - in the judicial or extrajudicial spheres. The BJLJ is particularly interested in contributions that deepen cross-disciplinary dimensions of the legal universe; that is, BJLJ editorial policies will promote the production of scientific knowledge in law that is not limited to purely abstract or dogmatic reflections and that is not indifferent to the concrete operation or socio-political context of Law institutes and institutions.
Because BJLJ is a bilingual journal that is intended to reach international audiences, articles to be published should address themes that, despite being local in nature, may be understood and discussed by a universal community of professors, researchers and practitioners of law who are able to associate, criticise, compare, and interact with themes or topics of analogous interest, mutatis mutandis, in their own countries.
In short, the key elements of BJLJ's editorial line are theoretical background, socio-political contextualisation, the practical applicability of research findings (which must be ethically oriented towards the implementation of rights and to the promotion of justice, equality and democracy), and contribution to discussions between international researchers. However, these elements are evaluated independently of the purely technical or academic merit of received contributions.
BJLJ's bilingual feature and the institutional and geographical diversity of its Scientific Editorial Board serve objectives to internationalise the science of Law:
First, the journal will draw the interest of qualified researchers from Brazil and Latin America who will be granted the opportunity to have their articles, originally written in Portuguese or Spanish, translated into English. In turn, authors will be able to cite such articles in international contexts or otherwise reference them in their original language for teaching or research purposes in their own country. Similarly, the BJLJ will offer researchers who publish in English the opportunity to have their articles simultaneously published in Portuguese, potentially attracting numerous Brazilian readers without the need for prior facilitator contact in Brazil.
Second, by receiving articles written in Portuguese, Spanish or English and simultaneously publishing articles in a second language (English or Portuguese), the BJLJ will promote the involvement of foreign researchers in the peer-review process. The reciprocal use of Brazilian and Latin American studies by researchers from other countries, and vice versa, will have further impacts. Namely, this reciprocal use will induce the formation of international research networks, attract Brazilian and international funding agencies, improve the journal's classification and accelerate the journal's inclusion in Brazilian and international scientific search engines.
Peer Review Process
The BJLJ's editorial policy is managed by the Editor-in-Chief, who is assisted by Assistant Editors, lecturers and researchers who are affiliated with each of the three departments of the Legal Sciences Sector of the funding institution, the State University of Ponta Grossa (Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa - UEPG), Paraná, Brazil: Public Law, Social Law and Procedural Law. This team constitutes the BJLJ's Internal Editorial Policy Board.
The Internal Editorial Policy Board is responsible for advising the Editor-in-Chief on managing and editorial duties. However, it is primarily responsible for conducting preliminary reviews of submitted articles, defining minimum requirements of academic quality and evaluating submission based on the journal's editorial line (desk review). The Board will therefore advise on which submissions will continue to the next stage of the review process, which is carried out by the Scientific Editorial Board.
The BJLJ's method of selecting articles for publication is strongly based on the opinions and recommendations of Scientific Editorial Board members, which include lecturers and researchers who are affiliated with universities from different states of Brazil, as well as contributors from foreign universities.
The BJLJ adopts a double-blind peer review approach. Thus, at least 80% of the articles that are accepted at the desk review stage by the Internal Editorial Policy Board are sent to two Scientific Editorial Board reviewers. This Board examines submissions without any knowledge of submission origins such as authorship and source institution information and either recommends or discourages the publication of submissions in their original form or with suggestions for improvement.
Ad hoc reviewers may be invited to review submissions to avoid work overload, to accommodate impediments facing the Scientific Editorial Board, or to address articles written on highly specific subjects. In such cases, in recognition of their efforts and for transparency reasons, the BJLJ shall publish a list of ad hoc reviewers and their institutional affiliations in the first issue of the subsequent year.
Other journal content - up to 20% - will be composed of works by distinguished jurists and invited researchers.
The BJLJ's institutional design supports the values of impersonality, pluralism, universality, and ethical and scientific commitment. These values are upheld through its editorial process, which is managed by an Editor-in-Chief with a three-year mandate who is appointed through an internal selection process within the framework of the funding academic institution. The Editor-in-Chief interacts with an internal collegiate and with external reviewers who are involved in teaching and research activities in Brazilian and foreign universities.
Publication Frequency
The biannual publication is available online for free, and a small printed edition is distributed to reference libraries.
Open Access Policy
Following the principle that delivering free scientific knowledge to the public generates greater global knowledge democratisation, this journal provides immediate open access of its content.
