The AAfPE Legal Educator Journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and scholarly publishing. Our guidelines and principles are designed to support authors and ensure the quality and credibility of published research. For comprehensive guidelines, please refer to the AAfPE Legal Educator Journal Operations Manual.

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AAfPE Legal Educator Journal Operations Manual

 

The AAfPE Legal Educator Journal Operations Manual outlines all operations and guidelines for our publication services and products. Key areas of interest include:

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• Definition of Authorship: Criteria for who should be listed as an author on an article.

• The Article Review Process: Steps and standards for peer review.

• Referencing Guidelines: Proper citation and referencing practices.

• Ethical Standards: Expectations for ethical conduct in research and publishing

 

Principles of Scholarly Publishing

 

The AAfPE Legal Educator Journal adheres to the following core values and principles in an ever-changing publishing landscape:

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• Integrity: We are committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity in all aspects of the publication process, including the conduct of research, peer review, and the presentation of results.

• Transparency: Clear and transparent communication of research methods, findings, and potential conflicts of interest.

• Quality: Rigorous peer review and editorial processes to ensure the highest quality of published work.

• Inclusivity: Encouraging diverse perspectives and contributions from scholars of various backgrounds and disciplines.

• Accessibility: Promoting access to research findings through open access options and digital platforms.

 

Appropriate Use of Bibliometrics

 

The AAfPE Legal Educator Journal recognizes the importance of bibliometric indicators as independent measures of the quality or impact of scholarly publications. We explicitly condemn any practice aimed at influencing citation metrics solely to artificially enhance these indices.

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Assessing Quality

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1. Multiple Indicators: The use of multiple complementary bibliometric indicators is essential for offering a comprehensive and balanced view of each publication's quality and impact. We support the use of diverse measures such as the Impact Factor, Eigenfactor, and altmetrics.

2. Limitations of Journal Metrics: Journal-based metrics are not designed to capture the qualities of individual papers and should not be used as proxies for single-article quality or to evaluate individual authors. Bibliometric indices are averages over many papers and do not reflect the impact of individual articles.

3. Peer Review: The primary method for assessing the scientific quality of a research project or an individual scholar should be peer review, focusing on the scientific content and relevance to the field. Peer review considers the expectations within the research community and evaluates the work based on its scholarly merit.

 

Ethical Standards

 

Authors submitting to the AAfPE Legal Educator Journal must adhere to the following ethical standards:

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1. Originality: Submissions must be original work that has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal.

2. Citation: Properly cite all sources and references used in the research. Avoid plagiarism and give credit to the original authors.

3. Data Integrity: Accurately report research data, findings, and methodologies. Avoid fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation of data.

4. Authorship: Only individuals who have made significant contributions to the research should be listed as authors. All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission.

5. Conflict of Interest: Disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the research or its interpretation.

 

By adhering to these guidelines and principles, the AAfPE Legal Educator Journal ensures the publication of high-quality, credible, and impactful research that advances the field of legal education.