About the Journal

I. About the Journal

The Yearbook of the Faculty of Law, Goce Delcev University, Stip is a blind peer-reviewed academic journal established in 2009. It is published annually by the Faculty of Law and serves as a multidisciplinary forum for scholarly research and debate in the fields of law, political science, sociology, and media studies. The Yearbook is a bilingual publication, published in Macedonian and/or English, supporting academic exchange both locally and internationally.

The journal is part of the UGD Publishing Platform, using an open-access model to ensure free and global dissemination of knowledge. The Yearbook serves as a platform for legal scholars, researchers, and practitioners to engage with contemporary legal challenges, with a focus on issues relevant to North Macedonia, the Western Balkans, and the broader European and international legal landscape.

The Yearbook welcomes original, high-quality, research-based articles, as well as critical essays, reviews, and case analyses. It encourages contributions that bridge theory and practice and offers space for both established and early-career scholars. The publication seeks to foster an open exchange of ideas, promoting interdisciplinary dialogue among academics, practitioners, policy-makers, and civil society actors.

The journal is committed to supporting academic excellence and ensuring the accessibility of its content to a broad audience, including readers from outside the contributors’ immediate fields of expertise.

ISSN: 1857-8713

Publishing Institution: Faculty of Law, Goce Delcev University, Stip, North Macedonia

Official Website: https://pf.ugd.edu.mk

II. Scope of the Journal

The Yearbook of the Faculty of Law, Goce Delcev University, Stip is an academic journal that welcomes high-quality scholarly contributions from a wide range of legal, political, and interdisciplinary fields. The journal provides a platform for the exploration of contemporary issues, theoretical developments, and practical challenges across disciplines with a particular focus on relevance to North Macedonia, the Western Balkans, and the broader European and international context.

We invite original research papers, case studies, and theoretical reflections in the following areas:

  • Public and Private Law
  • Civil Law and Civil Procedure
  • Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure
  • Constitutional and Administrative Law
  • International Public Law
  • International Private Law
  • European Union Law and European Integration
  • Financial and Tax Law
  • Commercial and Trade Law
  • Tort Law
  • Labor and Social Security Law
  • Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
  • Legal Theory and Legal Philosophy
  • Legal History
  • Law and Society
  • Comparative Legal Studies
  • Political Science and Political Theory
  • International Relations and Diplomacy
  • Security Studies and Geopolitics
  • Sociology of Law and Society
  • Media Law, Media Studies, and Journalism
  • Environmental Law and Sustainable Development
  • Migration, Asylum, and Refugee Law
  • Cyber Law and Information Technology Law
  • Gender, Law, and Social Justice
  • Legal Education and Methodology
  • Other

The Yearbook particularly encourages interdisciplinary approaches and contributions that analyze legal and political developments through a comparative or integrative lens. Submissions that address the harmonization of Macedonian legislation with European Union law, international legal standards, or analyze regional integration processes are highly welcomed.

The journal is committed to academic inclusivity and accessibility:
There are no fees for processing or publishing articles in the Yearbook.

III. Language of Publication

The Yearbook of the Faculty of Law is a bilingual journal and publishes articles in either Macedonian or English.

  • If a paper is submitted in English, it is mandatory for the author(s) to provide proof of proofreading by a native English speaker before the manuscript enters the peer review process.
  • If a paper is submitted in Macedonian, it must include an English-language title, abstract, and keywords upon submission, to ensure international visibility and accessibility.

Submissions not meeting these language requirements may be returned to the authors for revision prior to peer review.

IV. Submission Registration and Tracking Process

To ensure transparency, efficiency, and proper recordkeeping, all manuscripts submitted to the Yearbook of the Faculty of Law, Goce Delcev University, Stip are formally registered upon receipt. This process supports the double-blind peer review system and allows the Editorial Board to track the status of each submission from entry to publication.

Submission Registration

Each paper submitted through the official journal email or platform is registered with a unique submission ID (e.g., YFL-2025-001) and logged in the Yearbook’s Submission Register. The register is managed by the Editorial Office and includes the following information:

Field

Description

Submission ID

Unique identifier (e.g., YFL-2025-001)

Date of Submission

When the manuscript was received

Title of the Paper

Full title of the submitted manuscript

Author(s)

Names and affiliations of the authors

Language of Submission

Macedonian or English

Proof of Native English Language Review

Confirmation submitted (required for English-language papers)

Initial Editorial Decision

Accepted for review / Desk rejection

Reviewers Assigned

Two anonymous reviewers (double-blind)

Review Status

In review / Revisions required / Completed

Final Editorial Decision

Accepted / Rejected / Accepted with revisions

Date of Decision

When the editorial board issued the final decision

Language Requirement

If the manuscript is submitted in English, authors must include proof that the paper has been professionally proofread by a native English speaker prior to submission. Submissions that do not meet this requirement may be returned to authors or rejected during the initial screening phase.

Acknowledgment of Submission

Upon receiving a manuscript, the Editorial Office sends a formal confirmation email to the corresponding author, including:

  • The submission ID
  • Date of receipt
  • Overview of the review timeline
  • Reminder of the double-blind review process and editorial policy

Archiving and Document Management

All submissions and related correspondence are stored in a structured digital archive (organized by submission ID). Each folder contains:

  • The original manuscript
  • The language proofreading confirmation (if applicable)
  • Review forms from both reviewers
  • Communication with the author
  • Final decision notice
  • Final version of the manuscript (post-revision)

V. Journal’s Peer Review Policy

All manuscripts submitted to the Yearbook of the Faculty of Law, Goce Delcev University, Stip are subject to a double-blind peer review process conducted by at least two independent reviewers. This means that the identities of both authors and reviewers are concealed throughout the review process, ensuring objectivity and impartiality in the evaluation of scholarly work.

The Yearbook is committed to maintaining high academic standards, ensuring that all accepted contributions are original, methodologically sound, clearly written, and aligned with the journal’s scope and ethical publishing principles.

Review Procedure

All submissions received in response to the annual Call for Papers follow the process outlined below:

  1. Initial Editorial Screening

Each submitted manuscript is first reviewed by the Editorial Board to determine whether it meets the basic requirements for peer review. A submission may be desk-rejected at this stage for reasons such as:

  • Failing technical requirements (e.g., incomplete manuscript, improper formatting, unclear figures/tables, or suspected plagiarism)
  • Falling outside the aims and scope of the Yearbook
  • Inadequate methodology or flawed data analysis
  • Poor language quality or structural incoherence
  • Lack of engagement with relevant academic literature
  • Not conforming to the Author Guidelines
  • Exceeding the maximum number of co-authors (no more than three authors per paper)
  • Previous publication by the same author(s) in the last two consecutive issues (a two-year gap is encouraged to ensure broader author inclusion)
  1. Language Review

If the manuscript is submitted in English, authors are required to provide proof that the text has been professionally proofread by a native English speaker prior to the peer review process. Submissions that do not meet this requirement may be returned to the authors for language revision or rejected during the initial editorial screening.

  1. Double-Blind Peer Review

Papers that meet the language and technical criteria are submitted for double-blind peer review by at least two independent reviewers who are experts in the subject area. Reviewers use a structured evaluation form that addresses:

  • Originality and scientific merit
  • Relevance to the Yearbook’s scope and audience
  • Theoretical and/or practical contribution to the field
  • Academic writing quality and structure
  • Suggestions for improvement

Reviewers provide one of the following recommendations: acceptance, minor revision, major revision, or rejection. Based on the reviews received, the Editorial Board makes the final editorial decision on the manuscript’s acceptance, revision, or rejection, taking into account the reviewers’ recommendations and the journal’s editorial policies. Authors may submit a reasoned appeal concerning procedural irregularities or potential conflicts of interest in accordance with the journal’s Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement (PEMS).

Annual Publication Timeline

  • Open Call for Papers: April 1
  • Deadline for Paper Submission: July 1
  • Notification of Acceptance and Reviewer Feedback: September 1
  • Final Revised Version Due: October 1
  • Online Publication of the Issue: December 1

The Yearbook of the Faculty of Law follows an open-access policy, ensuring free and global access to all published content.
There are no submission, processing, or publication fees.

VI. Open Access Policy

The Yearbook of the Faculty of Law is an open-access journal that provides immediate and free access to all published content, without subscription fees or registration requirements.

All articles are freely available to read, download, copy, distribute, and reuse in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s), a link to the license is provided, and any changes are indicated.

The journal does not impose embargo periods on published articles.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

VII. Publication Fees

The Yearbook of the Faculty of Law does not charge authors any submission, article processing, or publication fees. All articles are published free of charge.

VIII. Editorial Aims

The Editorial Board of the Yearbook of the Faculty of Law, Goce Delcev University, Stip is fully committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity, transparency, and scholarly excellence. The editors aim to:

  • Ensure fair, objective, and unbiased editorial decisions, independent of commercial or institutional interests, and to maintain a rigorous double-blind peer review process for all submissions
  • Apply transparent editorial policies that promote clear, honest, and complete academic reporting
  • Safeguard the integrity of the academic record by issuing corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when necessary, and by actively addressing suspected cases of research or publication misconduct
  • Take appropriate measures in cases of editorial or reviewer misconduct, upholding the journal’s ethical standards throughout the publication process
  • Maintain and enforce policies to manage conflicts of interest within the editorial and peer review process.

IX. Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement (PEMS)

The Yearbook of the Faculty of Law is committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. Its publication ethics policy is guided by internationally recognised principles of responsible scholarly publishing, including the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of their submitted manuscripts. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of research findings, and duplicate publication without appropriate disclosure are unacceptable. All sources must be properly acknowledged, and submitted manuscripts must not be under consideration by another journal.

Authorship must reflect substantial scholarly contributions, and all co-authors must approve the submitted manuscript. Any authorship disputes or proposed changes to authorship must be disclosed to the Editorial Board. Authors must also declare relevant sources of funding and any potential conflicts of interest and comply with applicable research ethics and data protection requirements.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively, independently, and confidentially. Reviews should be based on scholarly merit and provide constructive assessments. Reviewers must disclose potential conflicts of interest and inform the Editorial Board of any suspected plagiarism, research misconduct, or other ethical concerns identified during the review process.

Responsibilities of Editors and the Editorial Board

Editors and members of the Editorial Board must ensure fair, impartial, and independent editorial decisions based on the scholarly quality and relevance of submitted manuscripts. They must maintain confidentiality, manage conflicts of interest, and safeguard the integrity of the journal's double-blind peer review process. Manuscripts submitted by editors or Editorial Board members must be handled without their involvement in the relevant editorial decision.

Publication Misconduct, Corrections, and Retractions

Allegations of publication misconduct, whether concerning submitted or published manuscripts, may be reported to the Editorial Office. The Editorial Board will assess the available information, provide the individuals concerned with an opportunity to respond, and determine appropriate measures in accordance with the nature and seriousness of the concern.

Where necessary, such measures may include rejection of a manuscript, publication of a correction, retraction of an article, or an expression of concern. Any published corrective notice will be clearly identified and made publicly accessible.

Complaints and Appeals

Authors, reviewers, and readers may submit complaints concerning editorial procedures, publication ethics, or alleged misconduct to the Editorial Office. Complaints will be examined impartially and with appropriate confidentiality.

Authors may also submit reasoned appeals concerning editorial decisions where a procedural irregularity, conflict of interest, or other substantial concern is identified. Appeals will be reviewed by an editor or Editorial Board member not directly involved in the disputed decision, where practicable. The outcome will be communicated to the complainant or appellant.

The journal is committed to reviewing its publication ethics practices in accordance with developments in internationally recognised standards of scholarly publishing.

X. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

The Yearbook of the Faculty of Law recognises the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in academic research and scholarly publishing and supports their responsible, ethical, and transparent use.

Authors are responsible for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of their submitted manuscripts. The use of generative AI tools that substantially contribute to the preparation or development of scholarly content must be disclosed, including the purpose of their use. AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors, and authors remain fully accountable for all submitted content.

Reviewers and editors must ensure that any use of AI tools respects the confidentiality of unpublished manuscripts, the independence of peer review, and the integrity of editorial decision-making. AI tools must not replace independent scholarly assessment or human responsibility for editorial decisions.

The use of AI must comply with the journal's Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement (PEMS) and applicable standards of academic integrity and data protection.

XI. Call for Papers

The Yearbook publishes one issue annually. The Call for Papers is open from April 1 to July 1 each year.

For more information, submission instructions, and important dates, please consult the Call for Papers published on the Faculty website or contact the Editorial Office.