Get your Journal of Environmental Law paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4.3
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 17 August, 2026
Submitting to Journal of Environmental Law goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Journal of Environmental Law guide for authors before peer review, so formatting, structure, and required statements should be right on the first draft rather than repaired during upload. This template sets that structure up for you.
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Journal of Environmental Law. It covers front matter, the abstract the journal expects, a body organized to the journal's article types, and a reference list in the journal's required style. Confirm current scope and article types on the Journal of Environmental Law journal page before you draft.
Prepare the title, authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs. Write the abstract to the journal's rule and word limit, organize the body to the article type, and apply the required reference style from the first citation. Complete every declaration (ethics, competing interests, funding, data availability) the Journal of Environmental Law guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
The common failure modes are formatting or reference style that does not match the guide for authors, missing required statements, and an incomplete portal checklist. Clear all three against the Journal of Environmental Law guide for authors before you submit.
The shell mirrors what editorial staff check first: article-type fit, the abstract rules, required declarations, and the journal's reference style. For more detail see the author resources. When your draft is ready, upload it through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).
| Element | J Environ Law requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Abstracts required for Articles and Analysis Essays, must be written in English. No word limit or structure (structured vs unstructured) specified in the author guidelines. The general OUP guidance states abstracts should avoid abbreviations or reference citations, but no journal-specific word limit is provided |
| Main text | Articles: 10,000-14,000 words inclusive of footnotes and abstract (must observe both limits). Analysis Essays: 1,500-4,000 words including footnotes and abstract. Review Essays: 3,000-5,000 words including footnotes |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Not specified in the official author guidelines |
| References | OSCOLA (Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities). The guidelines state: 'Journal of Environmental Law uses the Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA). Please refer to OSCOLA for detailed information on citation style.' |
| Peer review | Double-anonymized (double-blind) peer review. The identities of the authors are hidden from reviewers, and the reviewers' identities are hidden from the authors. The editors know the identity of both reviewers and authors |
| Submission | mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jel |
Read the Journal of Environmental Law guide for authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after results are stable. Set the reference style before adding citations. Keep a cover letter that states your contribution and fit to Journal of Environmental Law in under a page.
Skim two or three recent J Environ Law papers to calibrate depth and figure style. Make the novelty clear in the first two pages. Deposit data and code when the policy on the Journal of Environmental Law journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Journal of Environmental Law guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).