About the Journal

About GAVEL

GAVEL, The International Journal of AI in Aviation Law, is an open access, student edited journal based at Purdue University. The journal explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and aviation law and publishes AI generated scholarship and creative works, including posters, jingles, commercials, and manuscripts, authored by students on any subject related to aviation law.

Focus and Scope

GAVEL welcomes submissions on topics including, but not limited to: aviation regulation and safety standards; liability and insurance in civil and commercial aviation; international aviation treaties and conventions, such as the Chicago Convention and the Montreal Convention; airspace governance and air traffic management; unmanned aircraft systems and drone law; space and sub orbital aviation law; cybersecurity and data protection in aviation; passenger rights; environmental regulation of aviation; and the use, regulation, and ethics of artificial intelligence in aviation contexts. The journal encourages nontraditional formats, such as AI generated posters, audio jingles, short commercials, and multimedia manuscripts, alongside conventional written scholarship, in order to broaden how legal ideas are produced and shared.

Open Access Policy

GAVEL is a fully open access journal. All content is freely available to readers and their institutions immediately upon publication, at no charge. Users may read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles without prior permission from the publisher or author, consistent with the Budapest Open Access Initiative definition of open access. GAVEL does not charge authors any submission, processing, or publication fees.

Licensing

Unless otherwise noted, all works published in GAVEL are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Authors retain copyright of their work and grant GAVEL the right of first publication.

Copyright Notice

Authors retain copyright in their submissions. By submitting to GAVEL, authors agree to license their work under CC BY 4.0 and confirm that their submission is original, does not infringe any third party rights, and, where AI tools were used to generate content, that such use has been disclosed in accordance with the journal's AI use policy.

AI Use Disclosure

Because GAVEL specifically invites AI generated work, authors are required to disclose the AI tools, models, and prompts used to produce their submission, and to affirm that the final work has been reviewed and is being submitted in good faith. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their work.

Peer Review

Submissions undergo editorial review by the student editorial board, with support from faculty advisors as appropriate. Review criteria include originality, legal accuracy, engagement with aviation law subject matter, appropriate disclosure of AI use, and overall quality of presentation.

Publication Frequency

GAVEL publishes one issue per year, with additional special issues as appropriate. Accepted works may also be published on a rolling basis in the current issue before the issue is closed.

Sponsorship and Funding

GAVEL is supported by Purdue University. The journal does not accept commercial advertising or paid placements. Any in kind support or institutional funding is disclosed on this page.

History

GAVEL was founded in 2026 by students at Purdue University to create a dedicated venue for AI generated scholarship in aviation law. The journal was established in response to the growing integration of AI tools into legal research and communication, and out of a belief that students should have a platform to experiment with new formats while engaging rigorously with aviation law subject matter.

Archiving

GAVEL uses the PKP Preservation Network to create a distributed archiving system that ensures permanent preservation of the journal's content. Participating libraries and archives permit journals to create permanent archives for purposes of preservation and restoration. This ensures long term access to GAVEL's published record even if the journal ceases operations.

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party. GAVEL does not sell user data. Cookies and analytics, if used, are limited to understanding site traffic and improving the reader experience.

Contact

For editorial inquiries, please contact the Senior Editor kim4442@purdue.edu  For technical issues with the website, please contact support@gavel-journal.org.