Authors
Manuscripts are submitted through the Open Journal System (OJS) (registration or login required).
The Journal publishes unpublished manuscripts and those that are not in the review process in another journal. Papers published in the Journal may be published in another publication only with the permission of the Editor in Chief, with an indication of journal in which paper was originally published.
The Journal does not charge a fee for submitting a manuscript or its publication, in case of acceptance. Likewise, the Journal does not pay authors a fee for the published article.
The instructions for submitting and formatting papers are as follows:
- The paper is submitted in electronic form, in Word format .doc or .docx through the Open Journal System (OJS).
- The paper is written in Times New Roman font, size 12, with spacing 1.5, and alignment on both sides.
- Footnotes are written in Times New Roman font, size 10, spacing 1, double-aligned.
- The paper should be numbered at the footer in Arabic numbers (Times New Roman font, size 12, aligned in the middle).
- Each paper must contain the following elements: abstract in English, introduction, central part of the paper, conclusion, list of references and list of tables/graphs (if used). All information about the author within the paper must be removed.
- The abstract of the paper should have a maximum of 250 words with an indication of up to five keywords. The abstract of the manuscript in English is written below the title of the manuscript.
- The recommended length of the paper is 10,000 words, which includes an introduction, the central part of the manuscript, a conclusion, and footnotes. The Editorial Board also accepts reviews of books and conferences, the length of which must not exceed 2,000 words.
- It is cited in APA style. The list of references is listed at the end of the paper, and contains only those sources that were used in the paper.
- If the author uses tables and/or graphs, it is necessary to name them and indicate the source (for example, Table 1: Title of the table). At the end of the paper, after the list of references, the author lists the tables and graphs used.
- The paper must be structured through titles and subtitles, which are indicated by Arabic numbers: TITLE; 1.1. Subtitle; 1.1.1. Subtitle.
- Foreign terms (such as Latin terms de lege lata, de lege ferenda, or terms in another foreign language) are written in italics.
- Papers published in English must be written in standard English.
- Considering the different ways of labeling the legal regulations and jurisprudence of each country, authors are exceptionally allowed to label the cited sources of literature differently with consistency throughout the work. It is necessary to inform the Editorial Board about this when sending the paper.
Citation of the sources used in the paper
The Journal uses APA citation style. Below are the basic rules for citing the sources used in the work and the list of references, while instructions for citing all other sources are available in Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: The Official Guide to APA Style (Seventh Edition) (2020). American Psychological Association.
General rule
When citing a source, depending on whether it is a parenthetical or narrative citation, the author's surname, year of publication, and the page number from which the source was taken are given, or the author's surname is highlighted in the text, and the year and page number are in parentheses. For example:
Parenthetical citation: (Kilkelly, 2016, 25)
Narrative citation: Kilkelly (2016, 25) states….
Sources with several authors
Sources with two authors are cited, for example:
(Choudhry and Herring, 2010, 25) or Choudhry and Herring (2010, 25) states….
Sources with three or more authors are cited, for example:
(Koziel et al., 2023, 355) or Koziel et al., (2023, 355) state…
Regardless of the number of authors, all authors are listed in the list of references, separated by a sign ;
Two authors: (Choudhry and Herring, 2010, 25) or Choudhry and Herring (2010, 25) state….
Three or more authors: (Koziel et al., 2023, 355) or Koziel et al. (2023, 355) state…
Several papers by the same author from the same year
If several papers by the same author from the same year are used, it is necessary to add a letter designation to distinguish them. The letter designation must also be indicated in the list of references. For example:
(Killkely, 2021a, 12; Killkely, 2021b, 23)
Authors with the same surname
If two authors with the same last name are mentioned, the initial of the first name is added before the last name of each of them. For example:
J. M. Taylor and Neimeyer, 2015, 387; T. Taylor, 2014, 36)
Unknown author
When the author of the book/paper is unknown, the publication title, year, and page number are given. If the author of the book/paper is explicitly stated as "Anonymous author", then the designation "Anonymous author", the year of publication, and the page number are indicated. For example:
(Social development, 2022, 45)
Using sources from a secondary publication
When an author is cited from a secondary (intermediate) publication, first the author of the primary publication is cited with the last name and year, and then the secondary publication with the author's last name, year, and page number. For example:
(L’Abate, 1994, as cited in Čačinovič-Vogrinčić and Mešl, 2019, 101).
Only the author of the secondary publication is listed in the list of references.
Reference to the author
If only referring to the author who wrote about a certain topic, the author's last name and the year of publication of the source are indicated along with the instruction "see more:". For example
(see more: Lowe and Fenton-Glynn, 2023; Fenton-Glynn, 2021)
Several different authors
Several different sources/authors within one reference are separated by a sign ; , where they are listed in order according to the year of publication (from newer to older edition). For example:
(Kilkelly, 2016, 25; Choudhry and Herring, 2010, 10)
Shorter and longer quotes
Quotations shorter than 40 words should be incorporated into the text of the paper using quotation marks („ “), while all quotations longer than 40 words should be given in a separate paragraph, left indentation, and font size 10 (also using quotation marks „ “). For example:
Shorter quotes, for example:
O'Halloran (2018, 29) states that „In the UK, as elsewhere, the traditional form of adoption is dying out.“
Longer quotes, for example:
Regarding the adoption of children with 'special needs', O'Halloran (2018, 29) states:
„In all western societies, the reduction in the number of healthy babies available for adoption has led to adopters broadening their outlook. This has been matched by a commensurate change in the factors governing the availability of children, particularly babies. Previously, the few children with complex healthcare or special needs, unwanted or inadequately cared for by their birth parents, would have been consigned to long-term institutional care. Due to the advances made in medical sciences, many more vulnerable children are surviving, and some need an intensity of care well beyond the abilities of 'average' parents.“
Sources without page numbers
Sources that do not have a page number are cited in such a way that they contain the name of the source, the year of publication, and the designation of the part of the source used. For example:
(New marriage legislation, 2019, paragraph "Civil marriage").
Reports and documents
When citing reports and documents, the author of the report or document (person or institution), the year of publication, and the number of pages from which the source was taken are indicated. For example:
(Ombudsperson for children, 2023, 34) or Ombudsperson for children (2023, 34) states…
Web pages
Web pages in the paper are cited by specifying the name of the website and the year of access. For example:
(UNICEF, 2023).
Sources of law
In the case of domestic and international legal sources, it is necessary to indicate their full name, in the text or in brackets, and the designation of the official gazette in which it was published. After the first indication of the number of the official gazette, the abbreviation that the author will use for that legal source in the rest of the paper can also be indicated in parentheses. For example:
Family Law Act (Official Gazette, no. 103/15, 98/19, 47/20, 49/23; hereinafter: FLA)
European Convention on the Adoption of Children (Revised) (Council of Europe Treaty Series – No. 202, 2008; hereinafter: ECAC 2008)
Council Regulation (EC) No 4/2009 on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of decisions and cooperation in matters to maintenance obligations (Official Journal of the European Union, L 7/1 of 10 January 2009; hereinafter: Regulation on maintenance).
Case law
When using case law, the name of the case and/or court, the year of the decision, and the number of the paragraph from which the source is taken are indicated. For example:
(X. v. Croatia, ECtHR, 2008, p. 34).
(Judgment of the County Court in Zagreb, Gž Ob-212/2023-1, p. 8).
List of references
Books
When listing books in the list of references, the author's last name and first initial, year of publication (in parentheses), book title (in italics), place of publication, and publisher are given. The DOI number of the book is also added if available.
Surname, N. (Year of publication). The title of the book. Place of publication: Publisher.
Kilkelly, U. (2016). The Child and the European Convention on Human Rights. London/New York: Routledge.
When there are several authors of a book, they are separated by the sign ;
Books with chapters and collections of papers
When citing a chapter in a book or an article in a collection of papers in the list of references, the author's surname and initials, year of publication (in parentheses), chapter/article title, editor's initials and surname, book title (in italics), page number range chapters, place of publication and publisher. The DOI number of the book/proceedings is also added if available.
Surname, N. (Year of publication). Title of the chapter/article. In: N. Surname. (ed.). Title of the chapter/article (pp. xx-xx). Place of publication: Publisher.
Cantwell, N. (2017). Are 'Best Interests' a Pillar or a Problem for Implementing the Human Rights of Children? In: T. Liefaard; J. Sloth-Nielsen (eds.). The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: Taking Stock after 25 Years and Looking Ahead (pp. 61-72). Boston/Leiden: Brill Nijhoff.
Doctoral thesis
Surname, N. (Year of publication). Doctoral thesis title. Place: name of the faculty/department and university.
Hoško, T. (2016). Posvojenje u međunarodnom privatnom pravu (doctoral thesis). Zagreb: Pravni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu.
Articles
When citing articles, the author's surname and initial of name, year of publication (in parentheses), title of the article, name of the journal, year and number, and range of pages of the article in the journal are given. The DOI number of the article is also added if it is available, and if the article is available online, the link where the article is available is also added.
Surname, N. (Year of publication). Title of article. Title of the journal, volume(number), and the range of page numbers of the article.
Kilkelly, U. (2010). Protecting children's rights under the ECHR: the role of positive obligations. Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly, 61(3), 245-261.
Sources of law
When citing a regulation, the official name of the regulation and the name and number of the official gazette in which the regulation was published are indicated.
Name of regulation, name of official gazette, number of official gazette.
Family Law Act, Official Gazette, no. 103/15, 98/19, 47/20, 49/23.
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Official Gazette – International Agreements, no. 18/97, 6/99, 14/02, 13/03, 9/05, 1/06, 2/10, 13/17.
European Convention on the Adoption of Children (Revised) (Council of Europe Treaty Series – No. 202, 2008
Council Regulation (EC) No 4/2009 of 18 December 2008 on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of decisions and cooperation in matters to maintenance obligations, Official Journal of the European Union, L 7/1 of 10 January 2009
When citing case law, the name of the case and/or court, the number of the case, and the date of the decision are indicated.
Name of the case and/or court, case number, and date of decision
- v. Croatia, ECtHR, application no. 11223/04, judgment of 17 July 2008.
Judgment of the County Court in Zagreb, Gž Ob-212/2023-1 of 9 September 2023
Reports and documents
When citing documents or reports, the author (person or organization), the year of publication of the report or document, the name of the document or report (in italics), the place of publication, and the publisher are indicated.
Author (person or organization) (Year of publication). Name of the document or report. Place of publication: Publisher.
Ombudsperson for Children (2023). Report of the Ombudsperson for Children 2022. Zagreb: Ombudsperson for Children.
Web pages
When listing the web pages used in the work, the name of the web page, the URL, and the date of access are indicated.
The name of the web page. URL: xx. Access date.
Child rights and why they matter. URL: https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention/child-rights-why-they-matter. 12 October 2023.
