Style Manual

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This manual aims to guide the collaborators of the Cálamo Legal Studies Magazine, so that they comply with the basic standards of academic writing and adjust to the standards and format of the magazine. Recommendations and instructions are included, especially for authors, who should ensure that their articles, research essays, reviews and interviews conform to this manual before being submitted for publication.

The guide has been divided into two sections. The first section contains instructions regarding the format that the texts must have before being submitted for publication. These instructions must be applied strictly and thoroughly so that the texts pass the first selection phase. Papers that do not comply with these instructions and the citation rules will be returned to the authors. The second section contains recommendations to help contributors improve and revise their writing style. Compliance with these recommendations is also considered in the first selection of the texts nominated for publication. To facilitate consultation of instructions and recommendations, they have been arranged alphabetically.

 

Instructions

General Formatting Instructions

The files will be delivered in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, or WordPerfect format. Single spacing, 11-point font size, Times New Roman font, A4 size sheet, normal margins (default), justified text on both sides are used.

  • Authors: if there are several authors, write down their names in the order that corresponds to their level of involvement and responsibility in carrying out the research and writing of the document. If the participation of the authors is similar, it is recommended to arrange them in alphabetical order. If someone has participated and contributed to the preparation of the text, without being considered the author, their name, level, and type of participation will be noted in a footnote.
  • Bold: used only to give emphasis to a word or expression. If this is done within a textual quote, it should be noted, in a footnote, that emphasis has been added. It is not advisable to use the emphases indicated in bold; Its use should be minimal and in special cases.
  • Citations in other languages: if you make textual citations of texts in a language other than that of the article or essay, you will have two options. The first, make the citation in the language of the cited text and include its translation in a footnote. The second, translate the quote directly in the text and, in a footnote, make it known that the author has made the translation.
  • Citations of regulations and jurisprudence: if regulations and/or jurisprudence are cited, a section of regulations and jurisprudence is added after the bibliography, which includes all the cited texts, and in the format indicated in the citation rules manual.
  • Cited bibliography: a bibliographic section is included at the end of the text, after the conclusions, that contains all – and only – the cited bibliographic references, either verbatim or as a paraphrase. The bibliography must strictly follow the citation standards used in Cálamo.
  • Footnotes and endnotes: Notes at the end of the text will not be used and the use of footnotes will be avoided. If it is necessary to use footnotes, we will ensure that they are no longer than five lines.
  • Graphs and tables: they must be numbered, have a title, be centre-aligned, and indicate the source and elaboration at the bottom. If using images which are not the author property’s, it must be ensured that they are free to use and that they can be used in this type of publication; This is the exclusive responsibility of the authors, not Cálamo.
  • Index: content or other indexes are not included.
  • Italics: used for words and expressions in a language other than that of the text. It is not used for emphasis or other purposes. It is also used when notating titles and subtitles of books, paintings, and films.
  • Keywords: a thesaurus is used to choose keywords (we recommend that of UNESCO and that of the Inter-American Court).
  • Numbering: the parts of the texts will not be numbered. The titles and subtitles of the sections (introduction, development sections and conclusion) should not be numbered.
  • Offensive language: works that contain hate messages, offensive language or value judgments that violate the dignity of individuals or groups will not be accepted.
  • Photographs: they mut be numbered and centre-aligned; The name of the photograph (if available) and its authorship must be indicated at the top of the photograph, and the source at the bottom of it. In the case of photographs which are not the author property’s, it must be ensured that they are free to use and that they can be used in this type of publication; This is the exclusive responsibility of the authors, not Cálamo.
  • Quotations: short textual quotations (up to two lines) are differentiated from long quotations (three or more lines), and paraphrases.
    • Short quotes (up to two lines): they are noted within the text, as part of the paragraph, between English quotation marks (“”), without italics. The bibliographic reference is placed in parentheses, immediately after the closing quotation marks, following the citation standards used in Cálamo (Author year, page). If a complete phrase is cited, the quotation marks after the end period of the cited phrase will be closed, immediately adding the bibliographic reference. In the event that part of a phrase is cited, and it is integrated into another of the author's phrases, the final period will be placed after the quotation marks and the bibliographic reference.
    • Long quotes (three or more lines): are noted separately from the text, leaving a line before and after the quote, without using quotes or italics (unless the quote is in another language), and leaving indentation on both sides. The bibliographic reference will be placed after the final period and in parentheses.
    • Paraphrases: they are considered non-textual quotes, so they will not be put in quotes; but they must, of necessity, be followed by the corresponding bibliographic reference, in the format indicated in the citation rules (Author year). References to texts by other authors are considered paraphrases, even if they are not included textually. If eight (8) or more words followed by another author are taken verbatim, it is not considered a paraphrase, but rather a short quote, and must be enclosed in quotation marks (see previous point).
    • Omissions of parts of textual quotations: they will be indicated with ellipses in brackets: […].
    • Beginning and end of textual quotes: ellipses will not be used either at the beginning or at the end of textual quotes, since, since they are quotes, it is understood that there is text both before and after what is cited.
  • Quotation marks: English quotation marks (“”) are used for short textual quotations. If the verbatim quote contains a quote, it will be enclosed in single quotes (''). They are also used for titles of articles, essays, interviews, chapters and other sections of books, names of blogs, exhibitions, conferences, and presentations.
  • Titles and subtitles: they are written in bold, without numbering and aligned to the centre. The titles of the article or essay and its sections are written in capital letters, and their subtitles (if any) in lowercase letters. If a section of the development contains subsections, the titles of these will be written in bold and lowercase and will be aligned to the left. In titles and subtitles that are written in lower case, only the first letter of the first word, proper names and others will be capitalized depending on the rules of writing.
  • Underline: The use of underlines is discouraged. If emphasis is needed, bold letters will be used.

 

Section Instructions

Dossier and Essay

  • Title of maximum 10 words, in Spanish and English (a subtitle can be used to complete the title).
  • Summary of up to 800 cce (characters with spaces) in Spanish and English.
  • Between five (5) and eight (8) keywords that do not repeat those of the title or subtitle, in Spanish and English.
  • Length between 30,000 and 50,000 cce (characters with spaces).
  • At least four parts: an introductory text, two development sections and a closing section. Each section will be marked with a title and, eventually, a subtitle.
  • Recognizable and appropriate argumentative structure.

Interview

  • Title of maximum 10 words, in Spanish and English (subtitle can be used to complete).
  • Summary of up to 800 cce (characters with spaces) in Spanish and English.
  • Between five (5) and eight (8) keywords that do not repeat those of the title or subtitle, in Spanish and English.
  • Length between 15,000 and 40,000 cce (characters with spaces).
  • The person interviewed is an academic, legal professional, public figure, member of a citizen initiative or political or academic personality linked to the legal scenario.
  • There is a common thread that guides the interview.

Review

  • Between five (5) and eight (8) keywords that do not repeat those of the title or subtitle of the reviewed book, in Spanish and English.
  • Image of the book cover is provided.
  • Length between 5,000 and 20,000 cce (characters with spaces).
  • Presents the basic information of the book and the complete bibliographic reference.
  • Indicate how the book is organized.
  • Discusses the content of the book, presents critical judgments (contributions, etc.) and conclusions.

 

Style Recomendations

  • Abbreviations: it is recommended to avoid the use of abbreviations. Thus, it is suggested not to use “pages.”, “caps.”, “num.” or “USD”, but rather “pages”, “chapter”, “number” or “dollar”.
  • Acronyms: may be used once their meaning has been established for the first time, for example: “United Nations Organization (hereinafter UN)”.
  • Adjectives and adverbs: adjectives and adverbs must be used to benefit the speech (they qualify or modify it); Its abuse hinders reading and trivializes the content.
  • Capital letters: the first letter of the first word is capitalized at the beginning of sentences, after a period and, if necessary, after a semicolon. This capital letter is also used according to the instructions of the Royal Spanish Academy. Words are not written with all letters capitalized, except in the case of titles (see point on titles and subtitles).
  • Currencies: the names of the currencies will be written in lower case and their abbreviations or signs will be avoided. Example: “the dollar is a strong currency”, “counterfeit yen goes out of circulation”. See use of abbreviations.
  • Dates: it is recommended to write the complete dates. For example: May 23, 2023. For dates that require abbreviation, it is suggested to separate the numbers with hyphens: 05-23-2023 (day-month-year). It is also suggested to avoid using spaces or signs between the digits that make up a year. It will be written, for example, 1978, and not 1978 or 1978.
  • Ellipsis: used between brackets inside a textual quote when a part of the quote is omitted. To mean etcetera, it is recommended to write “etc.”
  • Examples: when using expressions such as “such as” or “for example”, “etc.” should not be added to the end, since it is understood to be an incomplete enumeration.
  • Foreign words: it is recommended to avoid the use of foreign words. Words like webinar, followers or papers have alternatives in Spanish: webinar, followers, or articles.
  • Hours: when writing hours, a distinction will be made when referring to a duration from when referring to a specific time. In the case of referring to a duration, the complete expression will be noted, for example: “the interrogation lasted ten hours and twenty minutes.” If referring to a specific time, unwritten numbers will be used, for example: “at 10:20 a.m. on Wednesday, December 23, 2022.”
  • Inclusive language: the use of inclusive language is recommended as it allows you to write more precisely and clearly. Although the way to use gender-inclusive language is left to the authors' choice, by virtue of a principle of economy of language, it is recommended to use, whenever possible and when necessary, formulations that encompass to all genders. For example, instead of referring to “all men and women,” you can use “all people.” It is also recommended not to use “x” or “@”, but rather: “-“, “/” or “•”.
  • Law and law: Cálamo, being a legal studies magazine, needs to differentiate the use of certain frequent concepts, the word law is one of them. That is why it is recommended to write “Law”, with a capital letter, when it is a legal norm that is being talked about, for example: Road Law, Water Law. In other cases, lowercase letters will be used: “as the law orders,” “as the law says.”
  • Logical connectors: the use of connectors creates a logical relationship between propositions and allows the clear exposition of an idea. For clear, organized and fluid writing, the use of connectors is recommended.
  • Numbers: authors are recommended to write all numbers up to the number twenty; for example: “two alternatives”, “six cases”, “sixteen reasons”, “33 citizens”.
  • Orthotypographic and syntactic correction: the texts sent must comply with the rules that regulate writing and must take care of their relationship with punctuation marks, the use of upper- and lower-case letters, italics, bold, quotation marks and parentheses.
  • Repetitions: to avoid the repetition of terms and expressions, the syntax and use of the appropriate synonyms for each case must be kept in mind.
  • Sentence length: it is suggested to avoid sentences or phrases that, although they comply with grammatical and orthotypographical standards, due to their length, make the speech difficult to understand. To avoid them, proper use of syntax and punctuation must be made.
  • Study Topics: When used within an academic context, only the first letter of the study topics will be capitalized. For example: Consequences of mobility, Pandemic and migration, Governance crisis.
  • Subjects of study: when used in an academic context, words containing a subject of study will be capitalized. For example: English, Language, Contemporary Art, Comparative Law. However, if the name is too long, only the first word will be capitalized. For example: Introduction to the commentary on narrative and poetic texts from the 16th century. Furthermore, if it is cited within a text, it must be enclosed in quotation marks.
  • Very long quotes (greater than five lines): quotes validate and motivate academic dialogue; Therefore, its inclusion must be substantiated and relevant. It is recommended to use quotes longer than five lines only in cases where the dialogue and the foundation of the research require it.