About JEL – Journal of Ethiopian Law

Scope, Focus and Objectives of the Journal

The Journal of Ethiopian Law (JEL/the Journal) is a publication of the School of Law of Addis Ababa University. It has been in publication since 1964 with occasional interruptions and variations in the number of issues coming out per year. As of 2023 it is a bi-annual publication, its twin issues coming out in June and December.

The Journal of Ethiopian Law publishes unsolicited as well as solicited original scholarly submissions that make significant contribution to or bring new insight as regards the understanding, development and implementation of the law applicable in Ethiopia. The Journal accepts scholarly works of any genre: doctrinal, empirical, interdisciplinary, critical, socio-legal, feminist, historical, or comparative scholarships pertaining to the broad spectrum of legal, economic, political, social and technological issues arising in relation to Ethiopian law and related international law.

While the main focus of the Journal is addressing the dearth of literature on the Ethiopian law and jurisprudence, it also considers for publication manuscripts based on legal materials from foreign jurisdictions on a case-by-case basis, having regard to their potential contribution to the understanding of Ethiopian law and/or informing its development and application.

Publication of articles or other forms of contributions in the Journal is free. The Journal does not charge authors manuscript submission, processing or publishing fee.

Publication History

The Journal of Ethiopian Law started publication in 1964 with inaugural statement by HIM Emperor Haile Selassie I. Since then, it has been in publication with occasional interruptions. As the sole legal periodical for a long time in Ethiopia, the Journal has significantly contributed to the study, understanding, development, and implementation of the law in Ethiopia. The number of issues of the Journal coming out per year was not consistent throughout the years it has been in publication. The first nine volumes were bi-annual, except Volume V which has a third issue and included comprehensive subject and author index for the first five volumes. Volume X never came out. Volume XI – volume XXI came out as single issue per annum. Volumes XXII – XXVI were again bi-annual. Volume XXVII – volume XXXIII were single issue volumes. In 2022 the Journal’s bylaw was revised, making the Journal a biannual publication starting from 2023, reflecting the School of Law’s commitment to reinvigorate the Journal’s role as the premier legal periodical in Ethiopia.

Journal Sections

The Journal publishes the following forms of contributions: Feature Articles; Notes, Case Comments, Book Reviews, Editorial, Current Legal Developments, and Letters.

Feature Article

A feature/full-fledged article is an original scholarly piece based on extensive review and analysis of primary data and/or the latest literature and up-to-date legal developments with balanced presentation of arguments pertaining to the issue under discussion.

Note

Notes are concise yet still original contributions in which authors review, elaborate, analyze or comment on significant legal topics or latest developments in the law or legal literature or canvas their insightful, informed personal thoughts on legal and justice related issues of significance to the legal system.

Case Comment

A Case comment is a contribution in which the author comments on case(s) decided by courts at the federal or regional states, the House of Federation, administrative tribunals, arbitration centers, regional or international judicial or quasi-judicial organs and standout for their effect on jurisprudential development in the country.

Book Review

A book review provides readers an engaging, informative, and critical discussion of the book under review.

Current Legal Developments

Current Legal Developments section presents, with a focus on the federal jurisdiction, a descriptive/analytical summary of laws enacted and decisions rendered by the Cassation Division of the Federal Supreme Court as well as the House of Federation in the six months since the last issue of the Journal, along with an indication of the impact of the legislation/decision on the existing body of law.

Letter to the Editor

A Letter to the Editor is an opinion/comment in response to articles, notes, case and legislation comments, current legal developments and book reviews appearing in the Journal within the last year.

Editorial

Editorial presents the views and opinion of the editors of the Journal on legal and justice related issue of significance to the Ethiopian legal system.

Commitment to the Highest Standard of Publication Ethics

The Journal of Ethiopian Law takes its duty of ensuring the integrity of the publishing process seriously. It follows a rigorous peer-review process together with strict publication ethical policies and standards to ensure the addition of high-quality research outputs to the body of legal literature. Where breach of ethics is suspected or alleged, we are committed to investigating and taking the necessary actions to maintain the integrity of the body of legal literature.

In addition to the general ethical standards and procedures we specified, the Journal uses the elaborate codes of conduct and best practice guidelines on publication ethics formulated by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) as the standard of expected ethical behavior for all parties involved in the act of publishing as well as to address reported or suspected misconduct.

Submitting Manuscript

See Guidelines section

Contacting JEL

For any queries, questions, suggestions or feedback the Journal can be reached at the following addresses. The preferred way is e-mail.

E-mail:

jel@aau.edu.et

Telephone:

+251-111-240821

P.o.B.: 1176

Physical Address:

Addis Ababa University Main Campus (6 Kilo)

Mandela Bldg.

Office No. 318

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia