Author Guidelines
Authorship, contributions and submission (CRediT)
Submission must be made by an author/coauthor, using their own OJS account and with the agreement of all authors. Submissions by third parties who are not authors are not permitted, even with authorization. Include each author’s named contribution statement in the identified version, including for single-author articles, using the relevant CRediT roles. This version is intended exclusively for the editorial team. Do not include the named statement in the anonymous file sent to reviewers.
See the authorship, contributions and submission policy (CRediT).
Alignment with Lex Humana’s legal aims and scope will be assessed during initial editorial screening. The manuscript must define a legal question and demonstrate a substantive contribution to law of national or international relevance, including when it adopts an interdisciplinary approach.
1. General guidelines
The journal accepts articles by authors holding a completed doctorate (PhD) and by doctoral students. Authors without these qualifications may publish in coauthorship with at least one doctorate holder or doctoral student. Every article must therefore include at least one doctorate holder or doctoral student among its authors. Participation by a supervisor is not mandatory in itself; all coauthors must meet the contribution and responsibility criteria set out in the journal’s ethics policy.
The process of submission and evaluation of articles is free of charge, according to the institutional policy. We recommend that you read the copyright policy before submitting your article.
The article submitted for possible publication should be written in Portuguese, English, Spanish or French according to the model available here.
Submission must be made exclusively through OJS by an author or coauthor. Submit two .docx versions of the same article with matching scholarly content: an anonymous version for review and an identified version for the editorial team, using the respective mandatory templates.
Anonymous template · Identified template
Authors’ and reviewers’ identities are not communicated to one another during review; they are accessible to the responsible editorial team. Double-anonymous review is a procedure, not a guarantee that identities can never be inferred from the topic or previous dissemination. Possible identification and conflicts must be reported to the editor. The review file must omit names, affiliations, identifying acknowledgements and personal data in file properties, while retaining necessary references; self-citations should use impersonal wording. The named CRediT statement is submitted separately and does not accompany the review file. Manuscripts, reports and communications are confidential; AI use must comply with the journal’s specific policy.
2. Submission steps
To submit, access your author account in OJS, start a new submission and select the appropriate section. Read and confirm the submission conditions, upload the anonymous and identified .docx versions, and complete the metadata for every author and the article, including the required translations and funding where applicable. Add the relevant supplementary files and complete confirmation in the system.
3. Length and formatting of the article
The article should contain at least 10 pages and at most 25 pages, typed in A4 format, with top and left margins of 3cm and bottom and right margins of 3cm, paginated, with a justified paragraph, and the usual indentation of 1.25cm on the first line. The font for the body text should be Latin Modern Roman, size 12, for footnotes, size 10, and for quotations with more than three lines in the body text, size 11.
Paragraph spacing should be
1. Simple for the abstract, footnotes and citations longer than three lines in the body text;
2. 1.5 spacing for the remaining paragraphs.
4. Structuring of the article
Every paper should contain the following parts: 1:
1. Original title and subtitle, if any, in the article’s language, uppercase and bold; below, translated title and subtitle in uppercase and italic, without bold. For Portuguese, Spanish or French originals, include an English translation; for English originals, include a Portuguese translation. Follow the hierarchy of the templates.
2. Abstract and keywords first in the original language and then in translation: English for Portuguese, Spanish or French originals; Portuguese for English originals. Each abstract must contain no more than 250 words. Use separate left-aligned single-spaced blocks with appropriate language labels. Translate the keywords too.
The body of the text should be subdivided into at least three parts, corresponding to the introduction, development and final considerations. Organize the text in sections and subsections with a consistent hierarchy, following the templates. When used, numbering must follow current ABNT NBR 6024.
4. Long quotations must be presented as separate blocks without quotation marks, following the template and adopted bibliographic style. Short quotations remain in the text within quotation marks, with the relevant reference and locator.
References: must be organized according to the adopted bibliographic style, as described in Citations and bibliographic references.
5. Citations
Citations must follow the bibliographic style adopted in the article, as described in “Citations and bibliographic references”. Direct quotations must include a page number or another appropriate locator. Short quotations remain in quotation marks within the text; long quotations appear as blocks without quotation marks, following the template.
As a rule, articles by Brazilian authors follow current ABNT standards. Contributions by foreign authors, including international coauthorship, may use other recognized styles in the field, applied consistently.
8. Practices not accepted for article submission
The situations below are examined during editorial screening according to the guidelines and integrity policies. Non-compliance may result in return for correction or reasoned rejection. Suspected misconduct requires contextual human assessment and an opportunity for authors to provide clarification.
Multiple submissions: submission of the same article to multiple journals simultaneously will not be allowed. The journal requires that the article is not being considered by any other publication at the same time.
PDF submission: submissions must be in a specific Microsoft Word file format (.docx), so it is important to check the journal's guidelines before submitting.
Copyright infringement: an article should not include copyrighted material without obtaining the appropriate permission or license. Authors should ensure that they have the necessary permissions and licenses before submitting their work.
Redundant publication and reuse of one’s own content: related previous works must be cited, and relevant overlaps must be disclosed to the editor. Reuse is assessed in terms of extent, context, transparency and the manuscript’s original contribution. Improper redundant publication may result in reasoned rejection after contextual human assessment and an opportunity for clarification, following the plagiarism and ethics policies.
Incomplete submissions: a submission that does not meet the journal's requirements or guidelines will not be accepted.
Lack of originality: a paper that lacks original research or significant contributions to law will not be accepted. Authors must ensure that their work is new, innovative, and makes a significant contribution to the field.
9. Use of generative artificial intelligence
All GenAI use related to the research or manuscript, including language editing and translation, must be disclosed with the tool, version where available, purpose, stage and human verification. Methodological use belongs in Methods or an equivalent section; writing-only assistance may be disclosed in Acknowledgements or before the references. Conventional non-generative tools need no declaration. GenAI cannot be an author or replace human intellectual contribution. Read the full AI/LLM policy, based on CNPq Ordinance No. 2,664/2026, with separate rules for authors, reviewers and editors.
Before submitting a manuscript, review or translation, all authors must read and agree to the journal’s policies and these guidelines. The submitting author must ensure that all coauthors agree. Please also consult the policies on open access, fees and funding, dissemination and communication, privacy, and copyright and licensing.
Citations and bibliographic references
As a rule, the journal adopts current ABNT standards for citations and references in articles by Brazilian authors. For contributions by foreign authors, including international coauthorship, other standards recognized in the field, such as APA, Chicago or equivalent styles, are accepted at submission and publication.
The chosen style must be applied consistently throughout the article. References must provide the information needed to identify and locate sources, correspond to citations in the text and include a DOI or web address when available and relevant. Direct quotations must indicate a page or another locator appropriate to the source.
Classical works, legislation and case law may follow their own citation conventions, provided these allow precise identification of the work, edition, document or passage cited.
Bibliographic flexibility does not waive compliance with the template or the journal’s other editorial requirements. The editorial team may request adjustments to correct inconsistencies or ensure source identification.
Mandatory versions and author metadata
Submit two mandatory .docx files of the same article with matching scholarly content: an anonymous and an identified version. For every author/coauthor, the identified version must include full name, completed qualification or doctoral studies in progress, complete institutional affiliation, country, ORCID URL and email. Identify the corresponding author. Include the named CRediT statement in the identified version, separate from the anonymous file. The identified version is exclusively for the editorial team and will not be sent to reviewers.
In the anonymous version, remove author-identifying details and acknowledgements, including from file properties, comments and revision history, while retaining necessary references and impersonal self-citations. Non-compliant submissions may be rejected during editorial screening or returned for correction following editorial assessment.
Anonymous template · Identified template
Book reviews
The journal accepts critical reviews of works relevant to law. The text must identify the work and edition examined, present its main arguments and offer a reasoned assessment of its contribution and limitations. Merely descriptive or promotional texts will not be accepted.
The identification, qualification, authorship, integrity and AI disclosure requirements in the journal’s policies apply to review authors. Relationships with the authors, editors or those responsible for publishing the reviewed work must be disclosed.
Book reviews undergo editorial assessment by two responsible persons without conflicts of interest; specialist assessment may also be requested. Texts constituting original research, even when discussing a work, will be classified and reviewed as articles.
The publication will be identified as a book review, distinguishing the authorship of the review from that of the work examined.
Translations
The journal may accept translations of texts relevant to its aims and scope, accompanied by an explanation of their scholarly contribution. The original author, work, edition used, source language and translators must be identified.
Where required, permission from the rights holder must cover the translation and its open access publication under the journal’s licensing conditions. If the work is in the public domain or its license permits these uses, those responsible must state this and provide the information needed for verification. Ownership and any different conditions applicable to the original work will be expressly identified.
The identification, qualification, contribution and responsibility requirements in the journal’s policies apply to those responsible for the translation. The original author will be identified separately and will not automatically be registered as a coauthor of the translation.
The translation will be assessed by at least two independent reviewers competent in the subject and languages involved, considering fidelity, terminological precision and scholarly relevance. Translator identities and permission documents remain restricted to the editorial team during assessment.
The publication will be identified as a translation and will state its source and the relevant credits.
Length and organization by contribution type
Specific length and organization requirements for book reviews and translations will be provided in the guidelines for the respective section. Limits defined for articles do not automatically apply to these contribution types.
Consult the peer-review policy.
Copyright Notice
Copyright and Licensing Policy — Lex Humana
Revised: 13 October 2026.
1. Copyright ownership
Authors retain the copyright to their works published in Lex Humana. Submission and publication do not transfer these rights to the journal, Universidade Católica de Petrópolis, or Editora UCP.
Authors grant Lex Humana and Editora UCP the right of first publication and a non-exclusive, royalty-free authorization for an indefinite period to prepare, publish, reproduce, distribute, disseminate, and preserve the work in print and digital formats, including repositories, databases, and indexing services.
This authorization does not prevent authors from making the work available through other channels or entering into other agreements for its use, provided that the original publication in Lex Humana is acknowledged.
2. License applicable to articles
Unless expressly stated otherwise for third-party materials, articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives 4.0 International license — CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
The license permits copying and redistributing the article in any medium or format for non-commercial purposes, provided that credit is given to the authors, the original publication in Lex Humana is acknowledged, and a link to the license is supplied.
The license does not authorize distribution of adapted or transformed versions of the article, including translations. Commercial uses and distribution of adaptations require specific authorization from the rights holders, subject to exceptions and limitations under applicable law.
A change of medium or format alone does not constitute an adaptation. No additional legal or technological restrictions may be imposed that prevent uses permitted by the license.
The full terms are available at: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International.
3. Authors’ rights of use
Authors may deposit and share the published version on personal websites, institutional or subject repositories, and other academic dissemination channels without embargo, providing the full reference and the DOI or URL of the article in Lex Humana.
The restrictions of the license granted to the public do not remove the rights holders’ ability to authorize other uses of their own work.
4. Editorial preparation and approval of the final version
Authors authorize adjustments to style conventions, layout, spelling, and grammar necessary for editorial preparation, while respecting the content and the authors’ writing style.
Changes affecting the content, argument, or meaning of the work require the authors’ agreement. The final version will be submitted to the authors for approval before publication.
Post-publication corrections will be identified and recorded transparently in accordance with the journal’s editorial policy.
5. Third-party materials
Authors are responsible for identifying third-party materials used and obtaining the necessary permissions where required.
Materials not covered by the article’s license must have their ownership and conditions of use expressly indicated in the caption, text, or an appropriate note.
6. Preservation, indexing, and metadata
Authors authorize the deposit, preservation, and distribution of the work and its metadata in repositories, libraries, databases, and indexing services, respecting copyright and the license identified in the article.
This authorization does not permit the journal to grant third parties exclusive rights over the work or to extend rights of use of the text beyond those authorized by the rights holders.
7. Authors’ agreement
The submitting author declares that all coauthors have agreed to this policy and to publication of the approved final version.
Declarations concerning originality, simultaneous submission, scientific integrity, and responsibility for the content are governed by the author guidelines and Lex Humana’s ethics policy.
8. Responsibility and indemnification
Authors are responsible for the content of their works and for the permissions necessary to use third-party materials. They undertake to indemnify Universidade Católica de Petrópolis — UCP for proven losses arising from infringements of third-party rights attributable to the authors and related to publication in Lex Humana, including court awards, court costs, and reasonable defense expenses.
UCP will notify the authors of any claims or legal proceedings received and request their cooperation in providing the necessary explanations and documents.
9. Identification, history, and effective date
Each article must identify its authors as copyright holders, the year of publication, and the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.
This revision maintains the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license already configured in Lex Humana and takes effect on 12 October 2026. The original date of adoption of version 4.0 has not been confirmed. Earlier articles retain the licensing conditions applicable to them.