The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has issued a call for papers for the third edition of the NDPC International Journal of Data Privacy and Protection, inviting researchers, scholars, legal practitioners, policymakers, and other experts to contribute original work examining emerging challenges and developments in data protection.
The 2026 edition of the scholarly journal will focus on the theme: “Data Protection in a Changing Digital Landscape: Emerging Risks, Rights, and Responsible Innovation.”
According to the Call for Papers, the journal is intended to promote original, rigorous, and thought-provoking contributions that advance knowledge, inform policy, and contribute to practical solutions in the field of data privacy and protection.
The Commission has identified six principal focus areas for the forthcoming edition, beginning with children and data privacy, including the protection of children’s personal data and rights. A related area will examine online safety and children’s privacy, with attention to the protection of children in digital environments.
The call also seeks contributions on small and medium-sized enterprises and data protection, particularly issues relating to privacy governance, compliance, and the responsible use of data by SMEs.
Another important focus area is data protection and security, encompassing privacy, surveillance, national security, and cybersecurity.
Researchers are also invited to explore the relationship between data protection, artificial intelligence (AI), and emerging technologies, including AI, automated decision-making, profiling, and other developing technological applications.
The sixth focus area, data protection and current digital realities, covers issues relating to the digital economy, health data, innovation, data governance, and other emerging developments affecting privacy and data protection.
The NDPC said authors are encouraged to explore new and emerging issues that may not be expressly listed among the identified themes but which make a significant contribution to contemporary discourse on data privacy and protection.
The Commission said manuscripts submitted for consideration must be original and unpublished works and must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere.
Each submission is required to include an abstract of between 250 and 300 words, while the main manuscript must contain between 3,500 and 4,000 words, excluding the abstract and footnotes.
Submissions should demonstrate appropriate research methodology and scholarly rigour, where applicable.
References are to be presented using Chicago Style footnotes, while manuscripts should be typed in Times New Roman, 12-point font, with 1.5 line spacing.
The journal will consider a variety of contributions, including research articles, empirical studies, legal and regulatory analyses, policy papers, case studies, comparative studies, and practitioner perspectives.
All submissions must be written in English, properly edited, and professionally presented. Authors are also expected to ensure that all sources, quotations, and citations are appropriately acknowledged. Where applicable, submissions should clearly state the research question, methodology, findings, and conclusions.
The NDPC warned that manuscripts that do not comply with the submission guidelines may be rejected without further review.
All manuscripts will undergo an initial editorial assessment to determine their suitability and compliance with the journal’s scope and submission requirements. Suitable manuscripts will subsequently proceed through an appropriate peer-review process.
Authors may also be required to revise their submissions in response to editorial or peer-review comments before a manuscript is finally accepted for publication.
The call for papers opened on August 24, 2026, and the deadline for submission of manuscripts is October 31, 2026. The review and editorial assessment process is scheduled for November 2026, with notices of acceptance expected in December 2026.
The third edition of the NDPC International Journal of Data Privacy and Protection is scheduled for publication in January 2027.
Interested authors are required to submit their manuscripts electronically to research@ndpc.gov.ng, using the subject line: “Third Edition NDPC International Journal of Data Privacy & Protection.”
The Commission said enquiries may also be directed to the same email address.
