About the Journal
Focus and Scope
Mission
The Groningen Journal of International Law aims to promote knowledge, innovation and development. It seeks to serve as a catalyst for author-generated ideas that address the role of international law in facing the challenges of the 21st century. The Journal aims to become a recognised platform for legal innovation with the purpose of developing and promoting the rule of international law through engaging analysis, innovative ideas, academic creativity, and exploratory scholarship.
Values
Innovation + Creativity + Exploration + Open Mindedness
The Groningen Journal of International Law is based on four values, all of which are intertwined with one another. Innovation is the bedrock upon which the Journal is based. Innovation requires creativity, for without the creative mind new solutions will not present themselves. Creativity is dependent on exploration to systematise the unknown. Open mindedness, the ability to look for solutions beyond current structures and paradigms, underlies the exploration of new ideas.
Peer Review, Special Issues and Endogeny Policy
Last updated: May 2026
The Groningen Journal of International Law is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal. All submissions are subject to editorial screening before they are sent for formal peer review. Submissions that do not fall within the Journal’s aims and scope, or that do not satisfy the Journal’s submission requirements, may be rejected without external review.
Manuscripts that proceed to formal review are assessed through a double-anonymous peer review process. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two independent reviewers. Reviewers are asked to assess the manuscript’s originality, scholarly quality, legal analysis, structure, contribution to international law and compliance with the Journal’s submission requirements. Following peer review, the Editor-in-Chief and Publishing Director make the editorial decision, which may include acceptance, acceptance subject to minor revisions, acceptance subject to major revisions, rejection, or such further review as the editors consider necessary.
Special issues and guest-edited content
The Journal may publish special issues, thematic issues or other curated content where this falls within the Journal’s aims and scope. The Editor-in-Chief remains responsible for the scholarly content and editorial integrity of the entire Journal, including any special issue or guest-edited content.
A proposal for a special issue must be reviewed and approved by the Editor-in-Chief before publication planning begins. In assessing a proposal, the Journal considers the proposed theme, its fit with the Journal’s scope, the scholarly rationale for the issue, the proposed timeline, and the qualifications, expertise and potential conflicts of interest of any proposed guest editor.
Guest editors, where appointed, act under the oversight of the Editor-in-Chief or designated members of the Editorial Board. Their role may include advising on the theme of the issue, identifying suitable reviewers, and assisting with scholarly assessment. Guest editors do not have final authority over acceptance or rejection decisions. Final editorial responsibility remains with the Journal.
Articles submitted to a special issue are subject to the same editorial standards, screening procedures and double-anonymous peer review process as articles submitted to regular issues. Special issue articles are externally reviewed by at least two independent reviewers and are clearly identified as part of the relevant special or thematic issue.
A manuscript submitted by a guest editor, editor, Editorial Board member, Advisory Board member, reviewer, or other person involved in the preparation of a special issue will be handled through an independent review process. The person concerned will have no role in selecting reviewers, accessing reviewer reports before an editorial decision is made, or making or influencing the editorial decision on that manuscript. Articles authored or co-authored by guest editors will not constitute more than 25% of the total number of articles in the relevant special issue.
Endogeny and conflicts of interest
The Journal seeks to minimise endogeny and to preserve editorial independence. For this policy, an endogenous article is an article in which at least one author is, at the time of submission or publication, an editor, Editorial Board member, Advisory Board member acting in an editorial capacity, guest editor, reviewer, or other person involved in the Journal’s editorial or review process.
The Journal monitors endogeny before publication of each issue. The proportion of published research articles in which at least one author falls within the categories listed above must not exceed 25% in either of the Journal’s two most recent issues. Where an issue contains special or guest-edited content, the same 25% threshold applies and is assessed before the issue is published.
Authors who hold, or have recently held, an editorial, advisory, guest editorial or review role with the Journal must disclose that role at submission. Such submissions are handled independently. The author concerned must not participate in editorial screening, reviewer selection, peer review, discussion of reviewer reports, or the final editorial decision concerning their manuscript. Where necessary, the Editor-in-Chief or Publishing Director will assign the manuscript to an independent editor who has no conflict of interest.
The Journal will not publish an issue if doing so would cause the Journal to exceed the applicable endogeny threshold. If necessary, publication may be deferred, an article may be reassigned to a later issue, or further independent review may be required.
