Good practices in gender equality
LEGAL Aldizkaria Academic Review is committed to a gender equality policy that seeks to achieve real and effective equality between men and women. This commitment is reflected in the following practices:
Editorial parity participation
The existence of a minimum percentage of women in the composition of the editorial teams (management, editorial team, editorial board and advisory board), measured jointly.
The presence of at least 40% of women as reviewers of papers submitted to the journal.
Use of inclusive language
The editorial policy recommends the use of inclusive language in all proposed scientific articles. In this regard, we recommend consulting the Basque Parliament's guide to inclusive language.
Gender equality in research
LEGAL Aldizkaria will particularly value those works that take into account the variable of gender in order to allow the identification of possible differences, as well as those works whose content, objectives and methodology promote a critical analysis of gender relations.
The journal will include the full name in the authorship of the articles it publishes.
Authors are encouraged to disaggregate and analyse research source data that may be subject to gender analysis.
Code of Ethics and Good Practices
General Commitment LEGALAldizkaria Academic Review
The Basque Parliament reaffirms its commitment to ethical integrity and the highest standards of academic quality in all contributions published in LEGAL Aldizkaria. This Code of Ethics is inspired by the principles (Core Practices) established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and applies to all stakeholders involved in the editorial process: authors, the Editorial and Advisory Boards, peer reviewers, and the publishing institution.
Any ethical issue not explicitly addressed in this Code shall be resolved in accordance with COPE guidelines, which serve as a supplementary ethical framework.
Editorial and Advisory Board Commitments
The work of the Editorial and Advisory Boards is guided by the following core principles:
a) Impartiality.
b) Publication Decision and Transparency.
c) Academic Honesty.
d) Confidentiality.
e) Conflict of Interest Prevention.
f) Regular Publication Frequency.
g) Open Access and Free Publication.
h) Respect for Copyright.
i) Digital Preservation.
j) Mechanisms to Detect and Address Plagiarism and Other Irregularities.
k) Promotion of Research and the Basque Language.
Specific Guidelines:
a) Impartiality: External reviewers shall be selected based on their qualifications. Members of the Editorial Board may not act as reviewers. All review processes shall be rigorously documented and transparent.
b) Publication Decision: After peer review, authors will receive a reasoned decision regarding acceptance and, if necessary, requested modifications.
c) Academic Honesty: Articles are assessed solely on the basis of academic merit, with no discrimination based on race, gender, language, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, nationality, or ideology.
d) Confidentiality: The Editorial Board shall preserve the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and safeguard the integrity of the evaluation process.
e) Conflict of Interest: Board members must not use information obtained through peer review for personal advantage and must avoid any real or perceived conflicts of interest.
f) Publication Frequency: The journal is published annually on a rolling basis. Submissions are accepted continuously, and articles are published as they complete the review process. All articles are compiled into an annual volume.
g) Open Access and Free of Charge: All content is freely accessible, and no charges are levied on authors, reviewers, or readers.
h) Copyright: Articles are published under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Reuse is permitted under the following conditions: 1) Proper attribution is given to the authors and original source. 2) The work is not used for commercial purposes. 3) No derivative works are created. 4) The terms of the license are clearly stated.
i) Digital Preservation: The journal follows OAI-PMH standards to ensure indexing and accessibility. It is archived via LOCKSS and CLOCKSS, guaranteeing permanent and secure preservation. The PKP Preservation Network is used for additional backup services.
j) Mechanisms Against Plagiarism and Irregularities: LEGAL Aldizkaria enforces a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism. Suspected misconduct will be investigated thoroughly, with all parties granted a right to be heard. Detected cases may result in rejection, retraction, or future exclusion from publication. All manuscripts are evaluated using Similarity Check, the Crossref anti-plagiarism system.
k) Promotion of Research in Basque:
The journal actively supports and promotes academic work in the Basque language. Articles written in Basque are welcomed and evaluated with the same rigour. Reviewers with certified Basque proficiency are encouraged to participate in evaluations, particularly for submissions in Basque. This commitment aligns with the institutional mission of the Basque Parliament to foster a vibrant, Basque-speaking academic and legal community.
Authors' Commitments
Authors submitting to LEGAL Aldizkaria must guarantee:
• The originality of their work, confirming it has not been previously published or submitted elsewhere.
• Accurate citation of all sources used.
• Disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest.
• Declaration of the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in writing, translation, or data analysis within the methodology section.
The following practices are considered misconduct:
• Plagiarism: Reproducing content without citation.
• Identity plagiarism: Copying the structure of another’s work without exact wording.
• Overuse of quotations: Excessive direct citation is discouraged; authors are urged to paraphrase and synthesize.
Reviewers' Commitments
Peer review
All articles undergo double-blind peer review, ensuring anonymity of both authors and reviewers. Reviewers are selected from outside the authors’ institutions and must have proven expertise in the field.
Reviewers must:
• Provide objective, well-reasoned evaluations.
• Maintain strict confidentiality.
• Respect established deadlines.
• Evaluate based on subject relevance, structural coherence, methodological soundness, and reference adequacy.
• Report any suspected plagiarism or overlaps with other works.
• Refrain from participating if a conflict of interest exists.
Review Procedure:
a.Manuscript receipt is acknowledged.
b.External, anonymous reviewers are appointed.
c.Evaluation focuses on content relevance, structure, methodology, and citations.
d.Similarities or irregularities are reported to ensure process integrity.
e.Publication decisions are communicated with explanatory feedback.
f.In case of major discrepancies between reports, a third review is solicited.
g.Reviewers may suggest additional relevant references and must declare any potential conflicts.
Digital Preservation and Anti-Plagiarism Measures
To ensure the long-term integrity and accessibility of its content, LEGAL Aldizkaria implements the following:
• Preservation: Articles are archived using LOCKSS and CLOCKSS.
• Plagiarism Detection: All submissions are evaluated using Crossref’s Similarity Check system.
If misconduct is detected, the article may be withdrawn and future submissions by the author restricted.
Conflict Resolution
Any ethical issue not explicitly foreseen in this Code will be resolved in accordance with the COPE Guidelines.