Guidance for Authors

Journal Focus and Scope
The Eastern Africa Law Review is a journal of law and development. It provides a forum for discussing legal and related issues, with a focus on promoting critical analysis of existing laws and legal structures in developing countries, particularly in East Africa. The journal encourages interdisciplinary approaches that link legal issues to the broader social and economic context.

Contact Information for Submission

Peer Review Process
The EALR employs a rigorous and fair double-blind peer-review system. This means the identities of the authors and the reviewers are kept confidential from each other.

The process is as follows:

  1. Initial Editorial Evaluation:

    • The Editor-in-Chief assesses the manuscript for suitability based on originality, legal soundness, language quality, and alignment with the journal's scope.

    • Rapid Decision: Authors of manuscripts rejected at this stage are usually notified within two weeks of submission.

    • The editor may request initial corrections before sending the manuscript for peer review.

  2. Peer Review:

    • Manuscripts passing the initial evaluation are sent to a minimum of one reviewer.

    • Reviewers are senior academics (PhD holders and Professors) from the University of Dar es Salaam School of Law and other qualified external experts selected for their subject-matter expertise.

  3. Reviewer Criteria:
    Reviewers evaluate the manuscript based on:

    • Originality of thought and method.

    • Methodological soundness.

    • Clear presentation of results that support the conclusions.

    • Correct and exhaustive referencing of previous works.

    • Adherence to ethical guidelines, especially concerning plagiarism.

    • Contribution to the knowledge and development of the field.

    • Relevance and substance.

    • Proper formatting.

  4. Decision and Revisions:

    • The reviewer recommends: Accept, Accept with Corrections, or Reject.

    • If revisions are required, authors must submit a corrected version to the Editor-in-Chief for further processing.

  5. Language and Style:

    • While language correction is not the primary focus of the review, reviewers may suggest improvements.

    • Final linguistic and stylistic checks are conducted by the handling editor before publication. In rare cases, the manuscript may be returned to the author for a full language revision.

Important Notes for Authors

  • Acceptance Rate: The journal has an acceptance rate of approximately 60% (18 out of every 30 submitted manuscripts are accepted after review).

  • Review Duration: There is no fixed timeline for the review process. The duration depends on the manuscript's length, the reviewers' workload, and the complexity of the subject matter.

  • Open Access: The journal is Open Access, meaning published articles are freely available online.

  • Text Language: Manuscripts must be submitted in English