Preliminary evaluation:

After receiving a manuscript, the Editorial Team performs an initial assessment to ensure that the subject of the submitted manuscript is consistent with the substantive and thematic scope of Law in Action. The structure, volume, style and form of the submitted work is also evaluated for its thematic consistency with the section of Law in Action in which the work is to be published. Another aim of the preliminary evaluation is to verify if the submission satisfies the formal requirements set out in the Publication Policy. If a submitted work is evaluated positively, the author will be informed about the registration of the work and the commencement of the substantive review process.
The Editor-in-chief may reject a submitted work if it does not comply with Law in Action’s thematic scope or has insignificant or low academic value. If a work fails to meet the formal requirements, it may be returned to the author for correction. The Editorial Team's decision to send the work for a double-blind review is discretionary and final.

Assessment by third-party reviewers:

 Law in Action will make every effort to ensure that the majority of reviewers are academics with the degree of doktor habilitowany (holders of this postgraduate degree have the academic status roughly comparable to that of an associate professor) or profesor nauk prawnych (full professor in the field of law). Due to the double-blind review requirements, the anonymity of the author and reviewers will be maintained throughout the assessment period. Reviewers will conduct their review based on a review form (a sample of the form can be accessed here). The purpose of the review is to determine the academic relevance of the manuscript. The list of reviewers will be published in Law in Action on an annual basis.

Reviewers are obliged to notify the Editorial Team if they discover that a submitted manuscript is not an original work or violates copyrights. Reviewers should refuse to conduct a review if they know the author's identity or become aware of the author's identity in the course of the review.

In the event that reviewers recommend minor changes to a manuscript, which, in their opinion, do not mandate another review, the author will be asked to make such changes to the manuscript. If the review shows the necessity to introduce major changes to the manuscript, a new review may be carried out after their introduction. In such a case, the corrected manuscript may be re-submitted for a review twice. If, following two additional reviews, the reviewers consider the manuscript unsuitable for publication, it will be rejected without the right to re-submit.

If the reviewers differ in their assessment of a manuscript submitted for review, a third reviewer will be appointed. In accordance with the results of the review process, the Editorial Team reserves the right to accept or reject submitted manuscripts, as well as to recommend that the author(s) should make editorial changes that do not affect the substance of a submitted work.

After receiving a review, the author has one month to submit the corrected version of the manuscript to the editorial team. If the manuscript is submitted after this time, it may be sent for a new review. Special cases will be dealt with separately by the Editorial Team.

If a manuscript is accepted for publication, the pre-printing process (proofreading, typesetting, etc.) commences and the Editorial Team makes a decision as to which volume the manuscript will be published in.

A request for changes

A request to introduce changes communicated to the author at any stage of the above process does not imply a commitment to publish the work on the part of Law in Action. This obligation is undertaken only after the Editorial Team presents the author with confirmation of the acceptance of a manuscript for printing.

Reviews and source materials

Submitted manuscripts are subject to assessment by the Editorial Team. If the Editorial Team considers that a submitted manuscript requires minor changes, the author will be asked to make such changes. Once a manuscript is accepted, the process of its publication will begin, and the author will receive confirmation of the acceptance of a manuscript for printing.

At the end of the publishing process, an advance copy of the article is submitted to the author for final revision and approval. Authors have three calendar days to approve the advance copy. If no reply is given within this time, the Law in Action Editorial Team will assume that the authors have expressed their tacit approval of the preview version.