CfP: National Seminar on 'Music, Mental Health and Law' by NUALS, Kochi [Blind Peer-Review Process]

For law students interested in intellectual property law, health law, or the rapidly growing field of entertainment and media law, this seminar offers a rare opportunity to engage with a genuinely novel academic discourse. The themes go well beyond standard IP coursework — presenting a chance to think critically about how law intersects with neuroscience, digital access, and traditional cultural heritage.

Submitting and presenting a paper at a nationally recognised NLU seminar with a blind peer-review process is a meaningful credential for your academic profile. It demonstrates research aptitude, the ability to produce original scholarship, and engagement with contemporary legal questions — all qualities that matter to clerkship panels, academic committees, and competitive legal employers alike.

Even if you are early in your legal studies, working through a submission for this seminar — even an abstract — is a valuable exercise in legal research, argumentation, and academic writing. The interdisciplinary nature of the topics also gives you the flexibility to approach questions from a variety of angles, whether your background is in IP, constitutional law, health policy, or cultural studies.

The seminar is open to a broad range of participants across three categories:

• Academicians — Faculty members and legal professionals with an academic orientation are welcome to submit. Registration fee: ₹1,000.
• Research Scholars — PhD scholars and postgraduate researchers pursuing advanced legal or interdisciplinary studies. Registration fee: ₹750.
• Students — Undergraduate and postgraduate law students are explicitly eligible to participate. Registration fee: ₹500.

There is no mention of restrictions based on institution type or nationality, suggesting the call is open to participants from across India. All submissions — regardless of category — must be original and unpublished work. Papers that have been previously published, presented elsewhere, or are under simultaneous review at another publication will likely be ineligible. No team size or co-authorship restrictions have been specified in the available information; prospective applicants should confirm co-authorship policies directly with the organisers.

Start by thoroughly reviewing the five seminar themes and identifying which one best aligns with your existing knowledge or research interests. Do not try to cover multiple themes in a single paper — a focused, well-argued contribution on one aspect will fare far better in peer review than a broad survey.

Since the seminar sits at the intersection of law and other disciplines (neuroscience, music theory, healthcare), you do not need to be an expert in all areas. However, your paper must have a clear and primary legal argument — courts, statutes, regulations, rights, or legal frameworks must be at the centre of your analysis. Use interdisciplinary material to support, not replace, your legal reasoning.

For the abstract stage, clarity and precision matter most. In 300–500 words, reviewers will want to see: the specific legal question you are addressing, your methodology or approach, the theme you are engaging with, and why your argument is original or contributes something new. Avoid vague or overly broad framing.

When writing the full paper, familiarise yourself with OSCOLA 4th edition citation style before you begin — retrofitting citations is time-consuming and error-prone. Use the University of Oxford's freely available OSCOLA guide as your reference. Ensure your .docx file is clean, consistently formatted, and free of author-identifying information given the blind review process.

Common mistakes to avoid: submitting work that has been previously submitted elsewhere, exceeding or falling significantly short of the word count, using non-OSCOLA citation styles, or submitting in PDF format instead of .docx. Proofread carefully — writing quality does influence reviewer perception even in blind review.