Guidelines for Authors

Notes on Content and Style

Thank you for your interest in contributing to our blog! We value diverse perspectives on human rights and public international law, and we invite submissions that align with our focus areas.

Blog posts here are shorter, more informal, and stylistically flexible compared to traditional journal articles. They are ideal for testing new ideas. To maintain reader engagement, we recommend diving straight into your argument and using a clear, catchy title with creative subheadings to highlight key details.

You can consult our style guide for more information.

Here is what you need to know before submitting your work:

Content Focus

Our blog covers a wide range of topics related to human rights law and public international law. We are particularly interested in timely analysis, critiques, and discussions that engage with current issues or debates in the field. We encourage you to provide fresh insights, whether through academic, policy-oriented, or practice-based lenses.

We also welcome analyses that explore more theoretical and fundamental aspects, as well as conference reports and book reviews. If you have an idea for a contribution but are unsure if we accept it, please contact us!

Article Length

Typically, contributions should range between 500 to 1000 words. However, we value substance over strict word counts—if your topic requires more space, feel free to discuss this with us.

Nevertheless, for more in-depth analyses, the word count does typically not exceed 2000 words.

Language and Style

Please write in a clear, accessible style that appeals to both legal professionals and a broader audience. Consistent use of a standard form of English is required; while UK English (as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary) is preferred, other standard variants are permitted if applied uniformly throughout the text. For more questions, refer to the Style Sheet.

While we appreciate academic rigour, avoid overly technical language or jargon. Our preference is for pieces written in English, but we also accept submissions in Finnish and Swedish.

How to Submit

• Send your article in Word format to talkingrights@abo.fi.
• Please add your name, your position and academic institution/employer. If you wish to be tagged on twitter(X) and linkedin, please send us your social media profiles.
• You may provide a royalty-free headshot to accompany your article.
• If you would like to submit images, please ensure that their license allows for publication on our blog. For example, a Creative Commons license such as CC-BY-SA is acceptable. When submitting an image, please provide details such as the source, photographer’s name, and license information. Kindly note that, in the absence of an image provided by you, you authorize us to select one on your behalf.

Licenses and Parallel Submissions

All posts on Talking Rights are published under Creative Commons license BY SA 4.0 and will be uploaded to the open research repository Zenodo. We allow parallel submissions to other blogs as well as cross-posting. Please specify if your contribution has been previously published or is currently in the process of being published elsewhere.

Citations and Plagiarism

When citing sources, use hyperlinks within the text rather than footnotes. If a source is not available online, you may use footnotes. Ensure all your references are accurate and complete.

Talking Rights is committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity. When submitting a piece to our platform, authors agree to follow relevant laws and adhere to the principles of good academic conduct as outlined in the DFG “Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Research Practice.”

We are looking for posts that offer unique contributions to ongoing academic discussions. If a submission is influenced by or derived from conferences or presentations, authors must disclose this connection and ensure that any unpublished original ideas are properly attributed to their creators.

We foster open, transparent, and respectful engagement within the academic community. In alignment with this approach, we strongly urge authors to acknowledge the contributions of individuals who assisted with their research or writing process, including early-career researchers and student assistants.

The editorial team reserves the right to use plagiarism-detection tools as needed.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

The editorial team reserves the right not to publish pieces suspected of being written with the assistance of AI tools.

Review Process

Once submitted, your article will go through an editorial review. We may provide feedback or request revisions, and publication is at the discretion of the editorial team. Please be open to adjusting your piece to meet our standards.

Post-Publication

After publication, we encourage you to engage with readers by sharing your article and responding to comments. We believe in fostering an interactive community and appreciate your participation.

Contact us

For any questions or to discuss your ideas before submission, do not hesitate to reach out to our editorial team at talkingrights@abo.fi. We look forward to reading your contributions!