# _SPECIAL EDITION_
# SAFE SPORT COMMENTARIES

The safeguarding of our sport environments has emerged as a pivotal concern at the intersection of law, integrity and policy. This special edition will feature a series of Safe Sport Commentaries, offering diverse perspectives around law, governance and safety in sport. We are pleased to announce that the Centre for Commercial Law and Governance member, Dr Matthew Raj, will join the SLGJ as guest editor for this special edition. In addition to being a member of the CCLG, Matthew is a member of the Safe Sport Legal Research Team and brings a wealth of insight and dedication to this critical area. His contribution will shape a timely and impactful collection of work. We anticipate receiving submissions (800 - 1000 words) on themes associated with evolving challenges and opportunities in safeguarding sport environments. While commentaries are not typically peer reviewed, the Editor has elected to implement peer review for all submissions to this special issue. Abstracts will not be published; however, to help us identify submissions intended for this issue, please enter the phrase 'Safe Sport Commentaries' into the abstract field when submitting your manuscript. Submissions are due by October 18, 2025. Please see the submission guidelines below and direct any general questions to the Publications Officer at SLGJ@bond.edu.au. Thank you for your interest in the _Sports Law and Governance Journal_ (SLGJ). **Please read the following information before submitting your article.** # Submit Manuscript Manuscripts must be uploaded as a Word document only with all reference to author/s identity removed. Should submission of a revised manuscript be required, authors must upload the Word document via ‘Manage manuscript’ only. All manuscripts submitted to the Journal will be subject to checks for plagiarism using iThenticate plagiarism detection software. **Anonymity** In order to maintain anonymity in the review process, authors are required to ensure that all information that might identify the author to potential reviewers should be removed (including his or her credentials), references to his or her other publications (unless included as a general reference), and identification of affiliated organisation, university and/or geographic location. # Submission Guidelines Manuscripts must be original, unpublished work. The Sports Law and Governance Journal does not consider manuscripts that are currently being considered by other journals. Authors should clearly state that their manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere when submitting. This journal does not levy any Article Processing Charges for the processing or publication of a paper. All manuscripts must be preceded by a short abstract of no more than 200 words. On submission, manuscripts are subject to an initial review by the General Editor, or another delegated person, at which stage a preliminary decision is made as to whether the article might be suitable for publication in the Sports Law and Governance Journal. The following types of content are welcome to be submitted to the Sports Law and Governance Journal: * Editorial Commentary (peer review may be conducted at the Editors' discretion) * Articles: Proposed word count maximum 5,000-7,000 words excluding endnotes and references (blind peer reviewed) * "From the Field" Commentary: shorter pieces of 2,000-3,000 words, such as case notes, update on current developments (peer review may be conducted at the Editors' discretion) * Book reviews: 300-500 words (not peer reviewed) * Short Commentaries: 800 - 1000 words (peer review may be conducted at the Editors' discretion) # Indigenous Knowledge Where a proposed article is addressing Indigenous affairs, or a matter that is primarily of concern to First Nations peoples, all efforts should be made to include an Indigenous or First Nations author or co-author. If this is not possible an Indigenous reviewer will be sought. In the absence of credited input from an Indigenous or First Nations academic such an article will only be published if a genuine attempt has been made to satisfy this policy. # _Authors Style Guide_ The Sports Law and Governance Journal is committed to publishing original, lucidly written contributions that offer readers relevant analysis of current sports law. The electronic file name should not include the author name. The TITLE may be abbreviated to the first few key words. When the paper is accepted for publication, following the review and corrections, if any, the author(s) will be asked to submit a final file in Microsoft Word for the purpose of editing and typesetting. **Manuscript Format** The title of the paper should be in Sentence Case. Section Headings should be justified left and be in bold. Each main Section Heading should be numbered in Arabic numerals. Each subheading should be justified to the left (and formatted in italics), and follow the alphabetical numbering by A, B, C, etc. Manuscript must be typed on one side of the A4 paper, double spaced and with a margin of 2.5 cm on the left- and 2 cm on the right hand-side. Please use Arial font size 11. **Title Page** Please include a date on the title page of the manuscript, e.g. "Working paper, May 24, 20xx". **Abstract** The page containing the abstract must be the second page of the paper after the title page. The abstract page however must be numbered as the first page of the paper. The abstract should be complete, self-contained, and is no longer than 200 words. At least five key words/phrases must be provided below the abstract. **Tables and Figures** Tables and Figures should be in camera-ready form in the final version of the accepted paper. They should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Example: "Table 3" on one line, and in the next line include the title of the table before the table itself. Each table and graph must have self-contained descriptions to explain the contents. **Referencing** Manuscripts from the Law disciplines must be referenced using the [Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC 4th Ed)](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TGvYqdqQnOU-GtSV3I25ft6EyYIx_w4U/edit). Footnotes apply when adopting the AGLC style. Examples are provided in the AGLC reference guide. Manuscripts from other disciplines must be referenced using the [American Psychological Association (APA 7th Ed)](https://bond.libguides.com/apa-referencing) style guide. Endnotes apply and should appear before References and numbered in Arabic numerals. Examples are found in the APA style guide. **Submission Process Summary** * The first page of the article should contain only the title with no acknowledgements, footnote or any other information identifying authors or their institutional affiliations. * The electronic file name should follow the format of “author-TITLE.doc” or docx. The TITLE may be abbreviated to the first few key words. * The article must be a Microsoft Word. Graphics must be scalable. * Microsoft Office documents should be submitted in MS file versions no earlier than Office 2007. * Include keywords to describe the paper. * Include acknowledgements. # _Copyright and Publication Policy_ This policy sets out the terms under which the Author/s agree to permit the Sports Law eJournal to (1) publish and reproduce the Manuscript, and (2) permit others to publish and reproduce the Manuscript. **Copyright of the Author/s** Copyright in the Manuscript is owned by the Author and Sports Law eJournal jointly. All publications are made available under a [Creative Commons licence CC-BY-NC-ND](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/). **Authorship** The Author/s warrant that the Manuscript: * Is an original work created solely by the Author/s, is not plagiarised, and no part of the Manuscript infringes the copyright of another person; * Properly attributes any material contained in it not created solely by the Author/s; * Does not contain any material that is defamatory; and * Does not infringe any of the rights of any third party. **Ethics Approval** The Author/s warrant that they sought and obtained appropriate ethical approval for any research reported in the Manuscript, and that they have obtained the informed consent of research subjects or interviewees wherever necessary. **Sole Submission for Publication** The Author/s warrant that the Manuscript: * Has not been published in whole or in part elsewhere; * Will not be submitted for publication elsewhere whilst it is under consideration by the SLGJ; and * If related to material presented at a conference, has either not been published in conference proceedings or is substantially different to what has been published in the conference proceedings. # Review of the Manuscript In submitting the Manuscript for publication in the Sports Law and Governance Journal, the Author/s agree to be bound by the decisions of the General Editor. All decisions of the General Editor about whether or not to publish the Manuscript in the SLGJ shall be final. The Manuscript may be: * Rejected by the General Editor before being sent to referees; * Returned to the Author/s for revision prior to being sent to referees; * Subject to a ‘double-blind’ referee process by external reviewers; * Rejected after refereeing, or if requested changes are not made in a timely manner; and/or * Returned to the Author/s for revision at any time after refereeing, after proofing, and/or after typesetting. * The Author/s acknowledge that the above process is to ensure a high quality production with full compliant references. The General Editor reserves the right to edit the Manuscript to ensure that it conforms to accepted grammatical, presentation and in-house style guidelines and to enhance clarity of expression. While the General Editor will endeavour to consult the Author/s before making such changes, there may be occasions when due to time constraints this will not possible. The Author/s approval of the final draft of the Manuscript will be sought prior to publication, unless the Author/s indicate in writing that they do not wish this to occur. # Contact SLGJ@bond.edu.au

Professional sport, work health and safety law and reluctant regulators