EDPL reports can take the form of
either (i) flash news or (ii) perspective articles.
(i)Flash news are meant to give readers a brief overview regarding a news of particular
interest (normative, judicial, academic and practical developments in pre-defined policy
areas and themes at the interface of science and law). In light of their quasi-journalistic nature, they should be concise and not more than 1500 words (indeed no bibliography is
required).
(ii) Perspective articles, on the other hand, should consist of a more detailed contribution, which should both highlight a topic of particular interest and provide readers with some critical and personal comments. In this case, just an embryonic bibliography is required and articles should be between 2000 and 3500 words.
Please note that submission of a manuscript does not guarantee publication. Responsibility
of the factual accuracy of a paper rests entirely with the author. The manuscript must also be complete and final in terms of formulation and factual information so that no major corrections–
only of typesetting errors or the like– will be necessary after type-setting, when an edited version will be returned to the author. Authors whose first language is not English should however ensure that their final draft is carefully spellchecked, preferably by a native speaker of English, for accuracy. Subsequent requests for corrections cannot be processed. The author will receive a free copy of the issue after printing.
Regarding citations & references, abreviations and style points, please refer to the ARTICLES section.
1. General Term of Publication
These guidelines shall be understood more with an emphasis on GUIDE then Lines. Generally, each contributor shall enjoy the most freedom to design the case note the way the case note desires. However, a typical case note in the EDPL
does not exceed 2000–3000 words in length on average. Their overall structure shall be divided in the Facts, the Judgment and the Comment. The case note shall be headed by a short headline in bold that summarises the main issue of the case. It shall be succeeded by the author’s name tagged
with a * footnote giving the author’s affiliation and Email-address, the reference of the case in Italics and the headnote(s) in bold with a ** footnote for the legislation at issue (please see the example below).
Please note that submission of a manuscript does not guarantee publication. Responsibility of the factual accuracy of a paper rests entirely with the author. The manuscript must also be complete and final in terms of formulation and factual information so that no major corrections–
only of typesetting errors or the like–will be necessary after type-setting, when an edited version will be returned to the author. Authors whose first language is not English should however ensure that their final draft is carefully spellchecked, preferably by a native speaker of English, for accuracy. Subsequent requests for corrections cannot be processed. The author will receive a free copy of the issue after printing.
2. Headings and Article Structure
HEADLINE:
The headline is the eye-catcher of the case note, which shall draw the reader’s attention to the case by summarising the main outcome of the case or the area of discussion in a short sentence and bold letters.
Example:
Tablets Containing Incense Extract are No Medicinal Products (Main outcome of the case) or:
On the Interpretation of the term ‘Medicinal Product’ (Area of discussion)
AUTHOR’S NAME AND AFFILIATION:
The case note shall include the author’s name, affiliation and e-mail address.
Example:
Marcin Beck-Snyder*
REFERENCE:
The full reference of the case shall be provided in italics, including its publication in the official journal of the respective Court. In cases where the judgment is not (yet) final, this fact shall be indicated.
Example:
Case C-179/90, Merci convenzionali porto di Genova [1991] ECR I-5889
HEADNOTE:
The headnote shall either reflect the official headnote of the judgment or the author’s summary of the outcome. It shall comprise all results of the case in the shortest way and in bold letter. It shall be indicated whether the headnote is official or the author’s. When there are several headnotes they shall be numbered in Arabic letters (1., 2.,…)
Example:
A product that includes in its composition a substance which has a physiological effect when used in a particular dosage is not a medicinal product by function where, having regard to its content in active substances and under normal conditions of use, it constitutes a risk to health without, however, being capable of restoring, correcting or modifying physiological functions in human beings (official headnote).
LEGISLATION:
This section shall guide the reader quickly to the main legislation at issue in Italics. It shall only provide the main legislation relevant to the case.
Example:
Aricle 1 No. 2 of Directive 2001/83/EC on the Community Code Relating to Medicinal Products for Human Use, last amended by Directive 2004/27/EC, OJ L – 311, of 28.11.2004, 67–128.
FACTS:
The facts shall summarise the main issues that arise in that case. It shall be structured according to the following scheme:
- Tag the parties and explain who is the claimant/appellant and the defendant/respondent. Where there is no such structure possible (eg, preliminary ruling procedures), tag the main
- Give short names to the actors in brackets and continue using them throughout the summary.
- List those facts relevant to the
- Wrap up the history of the legal proceedings, such as what the previous courts held on the issue and how the case came before the last instance court.
JUDGMENT:
The summary of the judgment shall embrace the added value of the court’s findings. Please note that only the added value shall appear in the summary. Stay as close as possible to the original wording of the judgment and obey any deviance of the wording if not absolutely necessary for the overall flow of the text. Deviations, addendums and omissions shall be indicated.
COMMENT:
The comment shall give the author enough freedom to comment on the outcome of the case. The author may put the case into its societal context, into context with other legislation or judiciary developments. Please note that a good comment is: 1. Easy to read, 2. Straight to the point and 3. as short as it requires to be.
Regarding the citations & references, abreviations and style points, please refer to the ARTICLES section.
The EDPL accepts submissions of book reviews. Authors can submit two types of reviews.
(i) Standard Book Reviews – should be approximately 1500 words long, detail the contribution of the book, in particular its added value for this publication’s audience, and provide a critical appraisal of whether the book’s aims and objectives are met.
(ii) Critical Book Review Essays – should be approximately 3000 words long and in addition to detailing the book’s contribution, in particular its added value for the publication’s audience, they should also assess critically the book’s arguments focusing on key theoretical or philosophical perspectives.”
Please note that submission of a manuscript does not guarantee publication. Responsibility of the factual accuracy of a paper rests entirely with the author. The manuscript must also be complete and final in terms of formulation and factual information so that no major corrections – only of typesetting errors or the like – will be necessary after type-setting, when an edited version will be returned to the author. Authors whose first language is not English should however ensure that their final draft is carefully spellchecked, preferably by a native speaker of English, for accuracy. Subsequent requests for corrections cannot be processed. The author will receive a free copy of the issue after printing.
Regarding the citations & references, abreviations and style points, please refer to the ARTICLES section.