how to publish a law research paper

Submissions

Print & forum submissions.

The Harvard Law Review and Harvard Law Review Forum welcome submissions of Articles, Essays, and proposals for Book Reviews through our electronic submission system.

We strongly prefer submissions that comply with the following length limits (including all text, footnotes, and appendices):

• Articles (Print) : 25,000 words*
• Book Reviews (Print) : proposals need not be more than a few pages.
• Essays (Print/ Forum ) : 12,000-17,500 words.
• Responses ( Forum ): 8,000 words (typically solicited but proposals welcome).
• Commentaries ( Forum ) : 6,000 words (typically solicited but proposals welcome).

*Length exceeding 30,000 words will weigh against selection, and we rarely unconditionally accept submissions over 37,500 words.

For background regarding the Review ’s length policy, please see a joint letter issued by a number of law journals across the country.

Electronic Submission

We encourage contributors to submit manuscripts as Microsoft Word documents through our electronic submission system. Alternatively, manuscripts can be mailed to: Articles Office, Harvard Law Review , 1511 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138.

To submit a piece for publication in the Forum , please select “Forum (online)” in the “Article Type” dropdown menu on the submissions form.

Anonymization

Please help facilitate our anonymous review process by:

• Confining your name, affiliation, biographical information, and acknowledgments to a separate cover page
• Including the manuscript’s title on the first text page.
• Removing any self-citations by replacing phrases such as “I have previously written that . . .” with anonymized replacements such as “It has previously been written that . . .”

Please use footnotes that conform to the 21st edition of the Bluebook .

Expedited Review

If you would like to request an expedited review of your submission, please use the unique link included in your confirmation email (these sometimes end up in spam folders).

Blog Submissions

The Blog aims to publish content from a variety of points of view, and uses a more abbreviated editing process than our print and Forum content. If you are a scholar or practitioner interested in publishing on the Blog , please contact us via email at [email protected] and include either a full draft or a description of your potential post. Blog posts are typically between 750 and 1500 words, although there is no strictly enforced maximum. Posts also use hyperlinks instead of footnotes. The Blog does not accept submissions from current law students.

Submission Notes

Seven-day offer window.

The Harvard Law Review and several peer journals have committed to give every author at least seven days to decide whether to accept any offer of publication. The Review believes that eliminating “exploding offers” will improve the quality of our deliberations and the scholarship that we publish.

Preference for Exclusivity

We recommend that you consider submitting your manuscript to us exclusively. Our review process is lengthy; we conduct faculty reviews and a vote of our entire editorial board before we accept pieces. As a result, we are often unable to make quick decisions when faced with exploding offers from other journals. If your preference is to publish in the Review , consider submitting the manuscript to us exclusively at least two weeks before submitting it to other journals.

Authors who choose to submit exclusively should indicate in our electronic submission system the date they expect to send the manuscript to other journals. We apply the same standards of review to all submissions, but submitting exclusively makes it more likely that we will have time to put the manuscript through all the stages of our review process.

Review Process & Timing

The Harvard Law Review carefully considers all manuscripts that it receives. Our selection process has many steps: each piece is reviewed anonymously, at least three editors review every submission, and many pieces go through substantially more stages of review, including an Articles Committee vote, preemption check, faculty peer review, and full-body vote. Although we make every effort to honor requests for expedited review, we do not omit any of our review stages in response to such requests. When requesting an expedited review, please understand that our selection process takes time.

There is no best time to submit a manuscript to the Review . We will never reject an article for lack of space; rather, we will hold it over for consideration by the next volume. We notify authors of our decisions by email and we do not discuss the reasons for our publication decisions.

Source Attribution Policy

The Review aims to ensure that any ideas that already exist in the literature are properly referenced. We do not permit authors to repurpose sentences or paragraphs published elsewhere without quotation marks or citations. As part of our editorial process, we require quotation marks whenever a non-trivial amount of exact language has appeared in another source and citations whenever an idea has been paraphrased from another source — even if the source is the author’s prior work. The Review ’s editors work with authors we publish to help them meet our self-citation requirements.

Indian Journal of Law and Legal Research ISSN: 2582-8878 | PIF: 6.605 Indexed at Manupatra, Google Scholar, HeinOnline & ROAD

INDIAN JOURNAL OF LAW AND LEGAL RESEARCH

ISSN: 2582-8878 (O)

Subject Area: Law and Related Disciplines

Publication Impact Factor: 6.605

Plagiarism Limit - Upto 25 Percent

Plagiarism Software - Turnitin and Plagiarism X

Publication Frequency - Bi-monthly

CALL FOR PAPERS

The IJLLR is inviting authors across India and the Globe to contribute their pieces of academic writings for publication.  Volume: Volume V Issue IV |  Theme: Law & Related Disciplines

Perks:  Certificates of Publication, Certificate of Excellence, Free DOI Link, Internship Opportunities, 48-hour Review Process, Indexed at Google Scholar, HeinOnline, Manupatra, ROAD  & others.

* Verify our Manupatra, Google Scholar & ROAD Indexing by clicking the Buttons given above.

** Do not fall prey to journals making false claims regarding their Indexing at various databases.

IJLLR Journal is an online bi-monthly   journal with 6 Issues per year. The Journal revolves around Socio-legal  topics and is not restricted to any particular field or subject of law. The Journal promotes interdisciplinary research entailing detailed study of law with other disciplines in the contemporary era.

IJLLR aims to provide a platform where everyone related to the field of law can contribute their research work on any topic related to law and help create a quality open-access platform that can be used by anyone to gain or develop their knowledge and expertise in the subject of law.

Provide a detailed conceptualisation of socio-economic phenomenon and its interplay with law and policy-making.

Encourage  interdisciplinary and  comparative research  to develop a holistic and multifaceted approach towards the complex issues of today’s society.

Critically and intellectually engage with contemporary issues and the discourse surrounding them.

Enable the development of legal intellect, critical analysis and quality research by promoting original legal writing. 

PERKS OF GETTING PUBLISHED AT IJLLR

Publication Certificate  - Certificate of publication is given to all the authors published in each issue without any additional cost. The certificate is given to the authors as soon as the publication is live.

Free DOI (Digital Object Identification) - A DOI is a string of numbers, letters and symbols used to permanently identify an article or document and link to it on the web. A DOI will help your reader easily locate a document from your citation.

Certificate of Excellence - The top 10 authors in each issue are given a Certificate of Excellence for their publication with other prizes.

Indexed:  The Indian Journal of Law and Legal Research is indexed in reputable places like Google Scholar & Manupatra which makes the articles available to a wider community making the research available to all. 

Hard Copy Available: The authors have the choice to get a hard copy of their Publication Certificate/Certificate of Excellence on payment of a minimal fee after their manuscript is published.

No Delays and Timely Process  - The whole review process takes up to 72 hours (1-3 days). The final publication after the payment of the processing fee is done within 24-72 hours (1-3 Working days).

Internship Opportunities: The top authors are provided with internship opportunities.

Chance to be a Student Editor: Students are also provided with an opportunity to work as an editor for the Indian Journal of Law and Legal Research .

TYPES OF SUBMISSIONS ACCEPTED ​

The IJLLR Journal invites original, unpublished manuscripts from all academicians, authors, legal professionals and Law students in the following categories:

I. Long Articles (3000-6000 words)

II. Essays/Short Articles (1500-3000 words)

III. Case Notes and Legislative Comments (1200-2500 words)

Submissions in this category are expected to engage with the theme and literature of a particular topic comprehensively. The article must survey current practice in the field, identify any lacunae and offer innovative reassessment along with constructive suggestions. Theoretical pieces are also welcome in this category.

Essays/short articles are more concise in scope and are focused on a particular issue and offer new perspectives and critical insights on the selected topic. They offer clearly identifiable arguments and may provide different ways of conceptualizing the selected issue.

This category is meant for the analysis of any contemporary judicial pronouncement, legislative action, or policy proposal. Notes and Comments must trace the line of cases in which the decision appears and comment on its implications on the evolution of that branch of law. Similarly, a legislative comment or policy proposal must identify the object and expected impact of the legislative action/policy proposal in question.

INDEXING PARTNERS

Library electronic resources outage May 29th and 30th

Between 9:00 PM EST on Saturday, May 29th and 9:00 PM EST on Sunday, May 30th users will not be able to access resources through the Law Library’s Catalog, the Law Library’s Database List, the Law Library’s Frequently Used Databases List, or the Law Library’s Research Guides. Users can still access databases that require an individual user account (ex. Westlaw, LexisNexis, and Bloomberg Law), or databases listed on the Main Library’s A-Z Database List.

• Georgetown Law Library
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Publishing Articles in Law Reviews and Journals

How to submit articles for publication.

• Listings of Law Reviews and Law Journals
• Gather Information on Style, Strategy, and Selection

Key to Icons

• Georgetown only
• On Bloomberg
• More Info (hover)
• Preeminent Treatise

These sources provide contact information for submission to law journals as well as a brief summary of the format and timing requirements those journals use to consider submitted articles for publication.

Tips for Getting Your Scholarly Paper Published .  A guide created by the Writing Center at Georgetown Law.  In addition to providing tips for writing and editing your work for publication, this guide addresses law student access to article submission services provided through Scholastica. It was last updated in 2016 (please note that ExpressO is no longer available as of June 2021).

Information for Submitting Articles to Law Reviews & Journals .  A journal-by-journal chart compiled by Allen Rostron and Nancy Levit that describes the formatting requirements, submission policies, and contact information for over 200 law journals.  It was last updated in July of 2022.

Information for Submitting Articles to Specialty & Non-Flagship Law Journals .  A document compiled by Michael Goodyear containing information on submitting articles to specialty law journals.  Contains requirements and links to further information on over 450 law journals.  It was last updated in June of 2021.

Information for Submitting to Online Law Review Companions .  A document compiled by Bridget Crawford containing information related to submitting articles to the online companion journals of selected law reviews.  Contains information on submitting to the online companions of flagship law reviews at 45 law schools.  It was last updated in August of 2022. 

Submission of Law Student Articles for Publication .   Also curated by Allen Rostron and Nancy Levit, this guide includes recommendations for law student authors and a table detailing the publication policies for nearly 200 law reviews, specifically including whether or not they accept student-authored pieces from other academic institutions. It was last updated in September of 2016.

Faculty Resources

SSRN  (Social Science Research Network) is an online repository for social science scholarship, including legal scholarship.  Support for faculty is available to help with posting scholarship to SSRN (as well as for posting to Georgetown Law's Scholarly Commons). 

Additional assistance for faculty members can be obtained through the Department of Faculty Support .

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• © Georgetown University Law Library. These guides may be used for educational purposes, as long as proper credit is given. These guides may not be sold. Any comments, suggestions, or requests to republish or adapt a guide should be submitted using the Research Guides Comments form . Proper credit includes the statement: Written by, or adapted from, Georgetown Law Library (current as of .....).
• Last Updated: Jan 13, 2023 2:26 PM
• URL: https://guides.ll.georgetown.edu/Publishing

Writing a law school research paper or law review note

• Books and articles

Basics of Format & Content

Research papers are not as strictly structured as legal memos, briefs, and other documents that you've learned about in legal writing and drafting courses. For example, there is no prescribed content/format similar to to the Questions Presented, Brief Answers, etc. that you learned for a legal memo.

A general approach to thinking about the content of a research paper is:

• Introduction in which you give some background and a clear statement of your thesis
• Status quo -- what is the existing law and why is it a problem
• Proposals for change

See this blog post by Jonathan Burns , an IU McKinney alum, for more on basic content.

If you're writing for a law review or seminar, you should get formatting instructions regarding things like margins, font size, line spacing. If you don't, or if you're doing an independent study, here are some basic guidelines to follow:

• Times New Roman or similar, 12 pt font.
• Double spaced lines.
• One inch margins all around.
• Footnotes in academic Bluebook style (use the rules on the main white pages instead of the light blue pages at the front of the Bluebook).
• Footnotes in same font as text, 10 pt font.
• Use Roman numerals and/or letters on headings and subheadings or style the fonts so that the difference between headings and subheadings is clear.   
• Page numbers in the footer, preferably centered, especially on first page. You could do bottom center on first page and then upper right in the header thereafter. Use the header and footer functions for this. If you don't know how to use headers and footers in Word, here is help:  https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/word2016/headers-and-footers/1/ . 

Headings and subheadings

Research papers should have headings and subheadings. These help your reader follow your logic--and a logical structure is very important. Headings and subheadings can also help you keep your thoughts organized. Just don't overuse them--you don't want every paragaph to have a subheading. 

Road map paragraph

Often, research papers will also include a paragraph at the end of the introduction that narrates the road map the paper will follow.   Here is an example of this kind of paragraph:

"The section that follows [this introduction] sets the stage by recounting two scenarios from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, with discussion of the knowledge and implementation of accessibility features in online instructional materials. The next section provides an overview of various impairments and their effects on a user's experience of the online environment. Next is a review of the laws relevant to accessibility with attention to their potential application to online instruction, along with standards used to guide accessibility compliance. The article then explores the concept of universal design and its guiding principles, followed by a discussion of how to use the universal design principles to organize and better understand accessibility standards and practices. The final section briefly summarizes the discussion and encourages law librarians and professors to become knowledgeable and skilled in universal design for online materials to benefit all their students."

Table of Contents

A table of contents can also be helpful, though it's not necessary. If you add a table of contents to your papers, put it right at the beginning, before the introduction. Here's part of the table of contents for the same paper the paragraph above was taken from--it really just lays out the heading and subheadings with page numbers: 

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Researching Law School Papers

• Research papers
• Coming up with a topic
• Checking for preemption
• Expanding your research

Resources on academic legal writing

Make a research appointment.

Reference librarians are available to help you get started and research your topic. 

• Stop by the Reference Desk in the library lobby
• Email: [email protected]

Articles (UC Davis law students may access from offsite using Kerberos password)

• Stalking the Golden Topic: A Guide to Locating and Selecting Topics for Legal Research Papers by Heather Meeker
• Writing a Student Article by Eugene Volokh
• How to Write a Law Review Article by Richard Delgado
• How to Write a Law Review Article by Sean Burke

• << Previous: Expanding your research
• Last Updated: Sep 14, 2023 10:00 AM
• URL: https://libguides.law.ucdavis.edu/seminarpapers

JD Writing Requirement: Getting Published

• Picking a Topic
• Preemption & Scope
• Organization
• Workshopping & Review
• Getting Published

You Completed the Writing Requirement -- Why Publish?

Writing requirement papers--particularly option two papers--frequently serve as great starting material for future law journal submissions. You might wonder why, after spending so much time and effort on the writing requirement, you should expend additional hours adapting your paper to a journal submission. We can assure you, there are a host of reasons that students should look to publish their work:

• Scholarship looks impressive on a resume as a  proxy for  a wide variety of  desirable attributes,  including intellectual curiosity / engagement
• Publishing  signals  a certain  quality of writing  as well as a level of  substantive knowledge  / interest in a particular practice area
• In come cases, an accepted note can result in " publishing on " to a flagship journal. The  California Law Review , for instance, accepts Berkeley Law student notes for publication during two cycles. If a 2L submits a student note during the spring cycle and is accepted for publication, they will be offered a coveted journal membership for the following academic year.

We encourage you to investigate available channels for publication, keeping in mind:  1)  the structural changes required to adapt a paper to a note, comment, essay, or article,  2)  standard publication cycles, and  3)  best practices for selecting the appropriate journals for submission.

The  How to Get Published training session  (Spring 2021), led by Professor Rebecca Wexler, includes advice and tips on the publishing process.

Nancy Levit et al., Submission of Law Student Articles for Publication (2021) offers a number of suggestions for law students who want to publish their research papers.

Adapting the Paper

Though it is hard to return to a paper that you have worked on for an entire semester for further revision, it is important to tailor the piece to the appropriate submission category: no one should submit their class paper as a journal submission. The elements for (and definitions of) submission categories can vary from publication to publication (particularly the scope of a note or comment), so it is important to review each journal's specific guidelines. Typically, though, the categories are outlined as follows: 

• A note  should advance a particular area of legal scholarship beyond its current state, make a detailed argument, and provide persuasive evidence for each of its conclusions.
• A comment, by contrast, should present a concise yet still original argument with minimal literature review. Comments often (but need not necessarily) respond to a recent development in the law, such as cases, legislation, law review articles, administrative rulings, and executive orders.
• An essay typically starts a new conversations rather than entering existing ones by employing methodologies atypical for law review article. 
• An article should attempt to situate novel ideas within existing legal conversations. Articles generally provide a comprehensive breadth of treatment of a particular area of law and follow a traditional roadmap: I. introduction, II. background information, III. arguments, and IV. conclusion.

Additionally, although it is unlikely that you are dealing with issues of privilege in a writing requirement paper, it is important to scrub any privileged information from the paper prior to submission for journal consideration. The  Yale Law Journal offers helpful guidance on resolving issues of privilege for scholarship purposes (page 5). 

Submissions

Consider where to publish by talking to faculty and research librarians, and by browsing:

• Journals by  topic, geography, or reputation
• American Bar Association,  Student Writing Competitions
• Listing of competitions and dates from Loyola Law School
• Listing of competitions by topic from Suffolk Law School
• Databank of competitions from AccessLex Institute

Submission procedures : Through the Law Library licenses, you have access to Scholastica, a service that will allow you to submit to multiple publications at one time. Many law journals explicitly state that they prefer scholarship to be submitted through Scholastica rather than via email.

What to Include:

• Cover letter : submitted articles should be accompanied by a cover letter that states (in a paragraph) the thesis of the article and why it is relevant (or how it is novel). 
• No need to mention that you are a student in your letter; the first footnote in your article (or note) should include: "JD candidate, UC Berkeley School of Law"
• Abstract : Draft and submit an abstract that summarizes your article in 150-300 words. Most law journals require an abstract, but be sure to include one even if the publisher does not ask for one.

Below, please see a handy summary of requirements for various flagship journals and listing of submission and publications resources from the 2021 How to Get Published training session.

• Journal Submission Requirements - Jan 2019
• How to Get Published: Submission & Publication Resources
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• Last Updated: Jun 17, 2024 7:47 AM
• URL: https://libguides.law.berkeley.edu/c.php?g=909425

Seminar Paper Research

• Topic Selection
• Preemption Checking
• Guides to Academic Legal Writing
• Interdisciplinary Research
• Evaluating Authority
• Writing the Abstract
• Problems in Constitutional Law Seminar Resources
• Food Law and Policy
• Gender and Criminal Justice Resources
• Equality and Sports

• Heather Meeker, Stalking the Golden Topic: A Guide to Locating and Selecting Topics for Legal Research Papers, 1996 UTAH L. REV. 917 (1996).
• Mary Beth Beazley & Linda H. Edwards, The Process and the Product: A Bibliography of Scholarship about Legal Scholarship, 49 MERCER L. REV. 741 (1998).
• Eugene Volokh, Writing a Student Article, 48 J. Legal Ed. 246 (1998)

Research Guides

• Georgetown Law Library Research Strategies for Seminar Papers
• University of Cincinnati: Seminar Paper Research
• UCLA Researching for a Scholarly Article or Seminar (SAW) Paper: Introduction and Things to Know
• Selecting & Developing Your Seminar Paper Topic: Selecting a Topic
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• Next: Interdisciplinary Research >>
• Last Updated: Jan 25, 2024 3:32 PM
• URL: https://guides-lawlibrary.colorado.edu/c.php?g=1112479

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Publishing Papers: Topic Selection, Preemption Checking & Preparing for Publication: Writing Publishable Articles

• Writing Publishable Articles
• Current Awareness Sources
• Selected Databases & Web Sources
• Running a Preemption Check
• Selecting the Best Journal
• Preparing for Publication
• Submitting your Article

Tips for writing publishable articles

Originality and contribution to the legal field.

• Legal writing should have a goal and recommend a means to achieve that goal.
• Articles should share new ideas about law with the legal community.
• Successful scholarly legal writing says something innovative.
• Be sure to run a thorough preemption check on your topic before you begin research.

Importance of Topic

• Writing should make a claim that is novel, non-obvious, useful, sound, and seen by the reader as such.
• Topics should either: - analyze conflicting or transitional case law and resolve the conflict; - argue that a legal rule is unfair or inequitable; - analyze proposed or recently enacted legislation with comments and criticism; - apply insights from another field to show how the legal issue can be better dealt with; or - explain the legal history of a rule or institution.
• Use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
• Avoid awkward and verbose sentences.
• Writing should read smoothly and provide concise, thoughtful, and authoritative analysis.

Thoroughness

• Consider all sides of the issue--articulate your position forcefully, but treat contrary arguments seriously and respectfully.
• Read and cite original sources.
• Continuously update your research during writing and before submission.

Well Written

• Writers should avoid redundancy.
• Articles should take a clear position on the issue addressed and discuss and resolve the relevant issue.
• To persuade the reader, answer discrete questions fully rather than broad questions shallowly.
• Ideas should show that you grasp the subject matter and should be presented in logical sequence with coherent paragraph organization and sentence structure.
• Your topic should be current and relevant to the present legal climate.
• If the article proposes something, it should be feasible in the near future.
• The text and the footnotes should support each other.
• Footnotes should be used to support, expand, and clarify.
• Footnotes should be of use to the reader and should not make up for textual inadequacies.
• Readers should not have to refer to the footnote to understand the text.

Pence Law Library Student Publishing Workshop February 3, 2021

Professors Snyder, Postar, and Roddy discuss what makes a good paper, what makes a publishable paper and how to submit to law reviews.  This workshop was held on February 3, 2021. View the  Workshop  here.

Ask Pence Library

Chat Service is offered during Reference Desk hours , and is available to AU and WCL currently enrolled students, faculty and staff.

Privacy: Pence Law Library values confidentiality. We may save a copy of your chat session for research or educational purposes, but will remove all identifying information.

Bibliography of Scholarly Legal Writing Sources

• Allison Christians, Really Basic Rules for Writing Good Papers in Law School, 23 The Green Bag 2D 181, 2020
• Andrew Yaphe, Taking Note of Notes: Student Legal Scholarship in Theory and Practice, 62 J. Legal Educ. 259 (2012)
• Cass Sunstein, In Praise of Law Books and Law Reviews (and Jargon-Filled Academic Writing), 114 Mich. L. Rev. 833 (2016).
• Christian C. Day, In Search of the Read Footnote: Techniques for Writing Legal Scholarship and Having it Published, 6 Leg. Writing 229 (2000).
• Darby Dickerson, The Publication Process: Citation Frustrations -- And Solutions, 30 Stetson L. Rev. 477 (2000).
• Eugene Volokh, Writing a Student Article. Journal of Legal Education, 48(2), 247–272 (1998))
• Jonathan Burns, How to Write a Law Review Note Worthy of Publication: Writing the Note, The Girl’s Guide to Law School, July 11, 2014
• Joseph Kimble, Tips for Better Writing in Law Reviews (and Other Journals), Michigan Bar Journal (Oct. 2012).
• Richard Delgado, How to Write a Law Review Article, 20 U.S.F. L. Rev. 445 (1986).

Research Tips

• Westlaw - Guide to Law Review Research
• Westlaw - Writing a Law Review Article
• Lexis - Researching for Law Review or Journal
• Lexis - Write a Publishable Note for your Law Review or Journal
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• Last Updated: Jun 21, 2024 3:58 PM
• URL: https://wcl.american.libguides.com/publishingpapers

• Law Library

Researching for a Scholarly Article or Seminar (SAW) Paper

• Publishing Your Article
• Introduction and Things to Know
• Organizing Your Research
• Selecting a Topic
• Preemption Checking
• Searching for Scholarly Legal Articles
• Searching for Non-Legal Articles
• Searching for Forthcoming Articles
• Searching for Books
• Searching for Statistics
• Searching for Primary Sources
• Citing Sources
• Books on Legal Writing
• Books on Dissertation Writing (for SJDs and JD/PhDs)

Book Chapters on Publishing Law Review Articles

Articles and online guides to the law review publication process, how to submit your article, finding calls for papers, ranking law reviews.

• Getting Help

Optimizing Law Review Submissions

2022 webinar on increasing your chance of law school acceptance, presented by University of Minnesota Professor Jon Choi, Indiana-Bloomington Professor Leandra Lederman, and an Indiana Law Journal Executive Articles Editor.

Publishing in U.S. Law Reviews Presentation

Click below to view slides from a presentation by a UCLA law librarian for visiting scholars on how to publish in U.S. law reviews:

• Publishing in U.S. Law Reviews- Slides 23.05.10

• Brian D. Gall, The Law Review Submission Process: A Guide for (and by) the Perplexed (2016) Short, practical FAQ explaining the quirks and oddities of the law review submission process.
• Barry Friedman, Fixing Law Reviews , 67 Duke L.J. 1297 (2018). Overview of criticisms of the current law review system. Page 71 of the PDF onward provide the results of a survey of 98 law reviews, asking about their selection and editing practices.
• University of Washington Law Library, Guide to Writing For & Publishing in Law Reviews University of Washington Law Library's online research guide provides general advice on topics such as choosing law reviews to submit to and when and how to submit to law reviews .
• University of Cincinnati Law Library, Guide to Law Faculty Publishing The University of Cincinnati Law Library's guide provides an overview of advanced topics such as journal impact factors, journal acceptance rankings, author agreements, open access, and ORCID author identifiers.
• Scholastica Law Review Submission Insights Statistics on when law reviews accept articles and make decisions, compiled each year by the major article submission system, Scholastica.
• PrawfsBlawg: Law Review Review This popular blog for law professors includes regular posts on publishing in law reviews, under its Law Review Review tag.

Two law professors maintain a detailed, regularly updated guide to submitting articles for 195 law reviews:

• Allen Rostron & Nancy Levit, Information for Submitting Articles to Law Reviews & Journals

Following the closure of the ExpressO article submission system, most law reviews now prefer submissions via Scholastica:

• Sign Up for Scholastica
• Law Review Author Guide How to guide from Scholastica, explaining how to submit articles to law reviews.

Scholastica charges $6.60 per article submission per law review and $10 per article submission for other scholarly journals. (See How much do submissions cost? )

You will need to pay out of pocket to submit articles but, if you are a current law student, you can request reimbursement from your Career and Conference Fund (up to $100 per year). Applications for reimbursement are on My Law → Department → Student Services → Career & Conference Fund Application (in the far right column, under the Documents heading).

• Scholastica: The Conversation Scholastica posts calls for papers on a subpage it labels The Conversation.

Authors commonly want to publish in a law review that it is as highly ranked as possible. There's no definitive, agreed upon list of law review rankings, but the following tools can help you get a rough sense of which law reviews are better ranked. 

The Washington & Lee Law Library maintains a list of law journals by ranking, including the ability to sort to law reviews on specific subjects:

• Washington & Lee Law Journal Rankings

Law review rankings generally align closely with the ranking of the law school, so many authors look to the U.S. News Law School Rankings:

• U.S. News Law School Rankings

Google Scholar ranks law reviews and other journals based on how often their articles have been cited in the past five years, which Google Scholar calls their h5-index. The higher the h5-index, the better.

Google Scholar lists the top 20 overall law reviews, as well as the top 20 law reviews in the fields of international law and law and technology:

• Google Scholar- Law Review Rankings
• Google Scholar- International Law Journal Rankings
• Google Scholar- Technology Law Review Rankings

You can also find the h5-index for a law review not on the top 20 lists by clicking the Search icon and then searching for the law review by name. 

Formatting is not the most important factor in whether a paper is accepted, but a polished, professional appearance can give your article a slight boost. 

The following templates may be helpful:

• Volokh's Academic Legal Writing- Word template for formatting the article Word template for law review articles, posted by Professor Volokh as a companion to his Academic Legal Writing book.
• General Law Review Article Template Modified version of Volokh's template, converted into LaTeX .
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• Next: Getting Help >>
• Last Updated: Jun 10, 2024 5:51 PM
• URL: https://libguides.law.ucla.edu/papers

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Legal Research Strategy

Preliminary analysis, organization, secondary sources, primary sources, updating research, identifying an end point, getting help, about this guide.

This guide will walk a beginning researcher though the legal research process step-by-step. These materials are created with the 1L Legal Research & Writing course in mind. However, these resources will also assist upper-level students engaged in any legal research project.

How to Strategize

Legal research must be comprehensive and precise.  One contrary source that you miss may invalidate other sources you plan to rely on.  Sticking to a strategy will save you time, ensure completeness, and improve your work product. 

Follow These Steps

Running Time: 3 minutes, 13 seconds.

Make sure that you don't miss any steps by using our:

• Legal Research Strategy Checklist

If you get stuck at any time during the process, check this out:

• Ten Tips for Moving Beyond the Brick Wall in the Legal Research Process, by Marsha L. Baum

Understanding the Legal Questions

A legal question often originates as a problem or story about a series of events. In law school, these stories are called fact patterns. In practice, facts may arise from a manager or an interview with a potential client. Start by doing the following:

• Read anything you have been given
• Analyze the facts and frame the legal issues
• Assess what you know and need to learn
• Note the jurisdiction and any primary law you have been given
• Generate potential search terms

Jurisdiction

Legal rules will vary depending on where geographically your legal question will be answered. You must determine the jurisdiction in which your claim will be heard. These resources can help you learn more about jurisdiction and how it is determined:

• Legal Treatises on Jurisdiction
• LII Wex Entry on Jurisdiction

This map indicates which states are in each federal appellate circuit:

Getting Started

Once you have begun your research, you will need to keep track of your work. Logging your research will help you to avoid missing sources and explain your research strategy. You will likely be asked to explain your research process when in practice. Researchers can keep paper logs, folders on Westlaw or Lexis, or online citation management platforms.

Organizational Methods

Tracking with paper or excel.

Many researchers create their own tracking charts.  Be sure to include:

• Search Date
• Topics/Keywords/Search Strategy
• Citation to Relevant Source Found
• Save Locations
• Follow Up Needed

Consider using the following research log as a starting place: 

• Sample Research Log

Tracking with Folders

Westlaw and Lexis offer options to create folders, then save and organize your materials there.

• Lexis Advance Folders
• Westlaw Edge Folders

Tracking with Citation Management Software

For long term projects, platforms such as Zotero, EndNote, Mendeley, or Refworks might be useful. These are good tools to keep your research well organized. Note, however, that none of these platforms substitute for doing your own proper Bluebook citations. Learn more about citation management software on our other research guides:

• Guide to Zotero for Harvard Law Students by Harvard Law School Library Research Services Last Updated Sep 12, 2023 324 views this year

Types of Sources

There are three different types of sources: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary.  When doing legal research you will be using mostly primary and secondary sources.  We will explore these different types of sources in the sections below.

Secondary sources often explain legal principles more thoroughly than a single case or statute. Starting with them can help you save time.

Secondary sources are particularly useful for:

• Learning the basics of a particular area of law
• Understanding key terms of art in an area
• Identifying essential cases and statutes

Consider the following when deciding which type of secondary source is right for you:

• Scope/Breadth
• Depth of Treatment
• Currentness/Reliability

For a deep dive into secondary sources visit:

• Secondary Sources: ALRs, Encyclopedias, Law Reviews, Restatements, & Treatises by Catherine Biondo Last Updated Apr 12, 2024 5262 views this year

Legal Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

Legal dictionaries.

Legal dictionaries are similar to other dictionaries that you have likely used before.

• Black's Law Dictionary
• Ballentine's Law Dictionary

Legal Encyclopedias

Legal encyclopedias contain brief, broad summaries of legal topics, providing introductions and explaining terms of art. They also provide citations to primary law and relevant major law review articles.  

Here are the two major national encyclopedias:

• American Jurisprudence (AmJur) This resource is also available in Westlaw & Lexis .
• Corpus Juris Secundum (CJS)

Treatises are books on legal topics.  These books are a good place to begin your research.  They provide explanation, analysis, and citations to the most relevant primary sources. Treatises range from single subject overviews to deep treatments of broad subject areas.

It is important to check the date when the treatise was published. Many are either not updated, or are updated through the release of newer editions.

To find a relevant treatise explore:

• Legal Treatises by Subject by Catherine Biondo Last Updated Apr 12, 2024 4557 views this year

American Law Reports (ALR)

American Law Reports (ALR) contains in-depth articles on narrow topics of the law. ALR articles, are often called annotations. They provide background, analysis, and citations to relevant cases, statutes, articles, and other annotations. ALR annotations are invaluable tools to quickly find primary law on narrow legal questions.

This resource is available in both Westlaw and Lexis:

• American Law Reports on Westlaw (includes index)
• American Law Reports on Lexis

Law Reviews & Journals

Law reviews are scholarly publications, usually edited by law students in conjunction with faculty members. They contain both lengthy articles and shorter essays by professors and lawyers. They also contain comments, notes, or developments in the law written by law students. Articles often focus on new or emerging areas of law and may offer critical commentary. Some law reviews are dedicated to a particular topic while others are general. Occasionally, law reviews will include issues devoted to proceedings of panels and symposia.

Law review and journal articles are extremely narrow and deep with extensive references. 

To find law review articles visit:

• Law Journal Library on HeinOnline
• Law Reviews & Journals on LexisNexis
• Law Reviews & Journals on Westlaw

Restatements

Restatements are highly regarded distillations of common law, prepared by the American Law Institute (ALI). ALI is a prestigious organization comprised of judges, professors, and lawyers. They distill the "black letter law" from cases to indicate trends in common law. Resulting in a “restatement” of existing common law into a series of principles or rules. Occasionally, they make recommendations on what a rule of law should be.

Restatements are not primary law. However, they are considered persuasive authority by many courts.

Restatements are organized into chapters, titles, and sections.  Sections contain the following:

• a concisely stated rule of law,
• comments to clarify the rule,
• hypothetical examples,
• explanation of purpose, and
• exceptions to the rule  

To access restatements visit:

• American Law Institute Library on HeinOnline
• Restatements & Principles of the Law on LexisNexis
• Restatements & Principles of Law on Westlaw

Primary Authority

Primary authority is "authority that issues directly from a law-making body."   Authority , Black's Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019).   Sources of primary authority include:

• Constitutions
• Statutes 

Regulations

Access to primary legal sources is available through:

• Bloomberg Law
• Free & Low Cost Alternatives

Statutes (also called legislation) are "laws enacted by legislative bodies", such as Congress and state legislatures.  Statute , Black's Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019).

We typically start primary law research here. If there is a controlling statute, cases you look for later will interpret that law. There are two types of statutes, annotated and unannotated.

Annotated codes are a great place to start your research. They combine statutory language with citations to cases, regulations, secondary sources, and other relevant statutes. This can quickly connect you to the most relevant cases related to a particular law. Unannotated Codes provide only the text of the statute without editorial additions. Unannotated codes, however, are more often considered official and used for citation purposes.

For a deep dive on federal and state statutes, visit:

• Statutes: US and State Codes by Mindy Kent Last Updated Apr 12, 2024 3585 views this year
• 50 State Surveys

Want to learn more about the history or legislative intent of a law?  Learn how to get started here:

• Legislative History Get an introduction to legislative histories in less than 5 minutes.
• Federal Legislative History Research Guide

Regulations are rules made by executive departments and agencies. Not every legal question will require you to search regulations. However, many areas of law are affected by regulations. So make sure not to skip this step if they are relevant to your question.

To learn more about working with regulations, visit:

• Administrative Law Research by AJ Blechner Last Updated Apr 12, 2024 645 views this year

Case Basics

In many areas, finding relevant caselaw will comprise a significant part of your research. This Is particularly true in legal areas that rely heavily on common law principles.

Running Time: 3 minutes, 10 seconds.

Unpublished Cases

Up to  86% of federal case opinions are unpublished. You must determine whether your jurisdiction will consider these unpublished cases as persuasive authority. The Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure have an overarching rule, Rule 32.1  Each circuit also has local rules regarding citations to unpublished opinions. You must understand both the Federal Rule and the rule in your jurisdiction.

• Federal and Local Rules of Appellate Procedure 32.1 (Dec. 2021).
• Type of Opinion or Order Filed in Cases Terminated on the Merits, by Circuit (Sept. 2021).

Each state also has its own local rules which can often be accessed through:

• State Bar Associations
• State Courts Websites

First Circuit

• First Circuit Court Rule 32.1.0

Second Circuit

• Second Circuit Court Rule 32.1.1

Third Circuit

• Third Circuit Court Rule 5.7

Fourth Circuit

• Fourth Circuit Court Rule 32.1

Fifth Circuit

• Fifth Circuit Court Rule 47.5

Sixth Circuit

• Sixth Circuit Court Rule 32.1

Seventh Circuit

• Seventh Circuit Court Rule 32.1

Eighth Circuit

• Eighth Circuit Court Rule 32.1A

Ninth Circuit

• Ninth Circuit Court Rule 36-3

Tenth Circuit

• Tenth Circuit Court Rule 32.1

Eleventh Circuit

• Eleventh Circuit Court Rule 32.1

D.C. Circuit

• D.C. Circuit Court Rule 32.1

Federal Circuit

• Federal Circuit Court Rule 32.1

Finding Cases

Headnotes show the key legal points in a case. Legal databases use these headnotes to guide researchers to other cases on the same topic. They also use them to organize concepts explored in cases by subject. Publishers, like Westlaw and Lexis, create headnotes, so they are not consistent across databases.

Headnotes are organized by subject into an outline that allows you to search by subject. This outline is known as a "digest of cases." By browsing or searching the digest you can retrieve all headnotes covering a particular topic. This can help you identify particularly important cases on the relevant subject.

Running Time: 4 minutes, 43 seconds.

Each major legal database has its own digest:

• Topic Navigator (Lexis)
• Key Digest System (Westlaw)

Start by identifying a relevant topic in a digest.  Then you can limit those results to your jurisdiction for more relevant results.  Sometimes, you can keyword search within only the results on your topic in your jurisdiction.  This is a particularly powerful research method.

One Good Case Method

After following the steps above, you will have identified some relevant cases on your topic. You can use good cases you find to locate other cases addressing the same topic. These other cases often apply similar rules to a range of diverse fact patterns.

• in Lexis click "More Like This Headnote"
• in Westlaw click "Cases that Cite This Headnote"

to focus on the terms of art or key words in a particular headnote. You can use this feature to find more cases with similar language and concepts.  ​

Ways to Use Citators

A citator is "a catalogued list of cases, statutes, and other legal sources showing the subsequent history and current precedential value of those sources.  Citators allow researchers to verify the authority of a precedent and to find additional sources relating to a given subject." Citator , Black's Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019).

Each major legal database has its own citator.  The two most popular are Keycite on Westlaw and Shepard's on Lexis.

• Keycite Information Page
• Shepard's Information Page

Making Sure Your Case is Still Good Law

This video answers common questions about citators:

For step-by-step instructions on how to use Keycite and Shepard's see the following:

• Shepard's Video Tutorial
• Shepard's Handout
• Shepard's Editorial Phrase Dictionary
• KeyCite Video Tutorial
• KeyCite Handout
• KeyCite Editorial Phrase Dictionary

Using Citators For

Citators serve three purposes: (1) case validation, (2) better understanding, and (3) additional research.

Case Validation

Is my case or statute good law?

• Parallel citations
• Prior and subsequent history
• Negative treatment suggesting you should no longer cite to holding.

Better Understanding

Has the law in this area changed?

• Later cases on the same point of law
• Positive treatment, explaining or expanding the law.
• Negative Treatment, narrowing or distinguishing the law.

Track Research

Who is citing and writing about my case or statute?

• Secondary sources that discuss your case or statute.
• Cases in other jurisdictions that discuss your case or statute.

Knowing When to Start Writing

For more guidance on when to stop your research see:

• Terminating Research, by Christina L. Kunz

Automated Services

Automated services can check your work and ensure that you are not missing important resources. You can learn more about several automated brief check services.  However, these services are not a replacement for conducting your own diligent research .

• Automated Brief Check Instructional Video

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• Last Updated: Sep 21, 2023 2:56 PM
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Legal Writing

• Choosing a Scholarly Paper Topic
• Conducting a Preemption Check
• Evaluating Information
• Keeping Current
• Publishing Your Scholarly Writing

Publication Submissions and Writing Competitions

Expert advice, journal information, scholarship databases.

• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Legal Citation & the Bluebook
• Persuasive Legal Writing
• Transactional Legal Writing
• Litigation Focused Writing
• Legislative Drafting
• Judicial Writing
• ADR Drafting

• Publication Submissions
• Writing Competitions

When to submit The academic publishing service  Scholastica  has identified two key dates for journals receiving and reviewing submissions: Feb. 1 and Aug. 1. However, student pieces are more likely to receive offers later in the cycle, and ASU Law Professor Troy Rule recommends a target date of late March. Submitting on schedule can help because a significant number of journals close themselves off from submissions for parts of the year. Scholastica also suggests that if you are hoping for a place in a particular journal to ask the staff when to submit your paper.

How to submit Scholastica  provides a law review author guide including instructions on creating an account, submitting your writing, communicating with prospective publishers, and submitting to multiple journals, as well as general tips to get your ideas in print. It also details how to withdraw papers and how to respond to publication offers.

Where to submit Law schools typically offer themed journals concerning particular aspects of law or society in addition to general, flagship law reviews and journals. If you have an offer but want to know whether another journal is interested in your paper, an  expedited decision request  can help.

Arizona State Law Journal: Criminal Justice Reform National Writing Competition This contest offers prize money and potential publication in the Arizona State Law Journal Online. It is open to law students across the country. Articles must not exceed 7,500 words and must concern criminal justice reform.

American Indian Law Review National Writing Competition Three awards offered annually by the American Indian Law Review at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. The competition is available to any currently enrolled law student who submits a paper on any issue concerning American Indian law.

Artificial Intelligence Writing Competition This competition from William & Mary Law School's Center for Legal & Court Technology requires students to identify an application of emerging technologies, such as Internet of Things, facial recognition, or autonomous systems, and propose new regulations or regulatory systems to govern those applications.

Suffolk University Law School ICompete Writing A breakdown of writing contests into particular areas of law.

Georgetown Law Technology Review Student Writing Competition This competition for law students invites submissions addressing a legal or public policy question relating to emerging and sustained challenges to legal and political structures created by online platforms, digital services, and other emerging technologies. Up to three winners will be selected, with a first prize of $4,000.

ABA for Law Students Writing Competitions Contests in a variety of subject areas offer money prizes.

National Law Review Writing Competition This monthly contest for law students focuses on practice oriented analysis for lawyers and professionals in related fields.

AccessLex Writing Competitions This is a searchable database of law school writing competitions put together by a non-profit dedicated to legal education.

• Publications
• Tips from Published Authors

Getting it Published: A Guide for Scholars and Anyone Else Serious About Serious Books (William Germano, 2016) This title, available as an ebook, provides clear and practical guidance on choosing the best path to publication of scholarly writing. The author focuses on book publication but the lessons provided are applicable to article publication as well.

Information for Submitting Articles to Journals and Law Reviews   (Allen Rostron & Nancy Levit, 2023) This frequently updated guide to submitting articles to law reviews and journals includes information on methods of submission (such as through Scholastica, another academic publication submission program, or direct email), word counts, formatting, and how to request an expedited decision. This resource focuses on flagship law reviews and journals rather than subject-specific secondary journals.

Information for Submitting to Online Law Review Companions   (Bridget J. Crawford, 2022) Online journal companions provide another outlet for academic writing. Although these major law review companions may be a difficult destination for student writing to reach, the submission principles that the author identifies may help you associate with a big-name journal or prepare your work for consideration by other journals and online services.

Modern Legal Scholarship: A Guide to Producing and Publishing Scholarly and Professional Writing (Christine Coughlin et al., 2020) This book provides a comprehensive approach to researching, writing, and publishing a variety of documents relevant to legal practice in today's world. It covers a variety of publishing options in modern contexts including law journal articles, seminar papers and capstone projects, bar journal articles, policy papers, op-eds, social media posts, blogs, and even creative works.

Submission of Law Student Articles for Publication  (Nancy Levit et al., 2016) This guide is geared specifically toward students, with practical tips such as withholding publication until after beginning a clerkship, when national flagship law reviews may be more receptive toward submissions. It provides tips on maximizing publication chances, such as co-authoring with a professor and optimizing the cover letter and abstract.

Professors at  ASU Law  and  S.J. Quinney College of Law , as well as students and alumni who have published articles, provided the following tips:

Write for Your Audience Legal audiences are diverse, and your paper should be useful or interesting to legal academics or legal professionals.  Commentators can provide guidance  on how to conceptualize, organize, and execute your legal arguments.

• Break new ground : Our  Conducting a Preemption Check guide  can help you make sure that other writers have not already argued your key points. The more current and cutting edge your topic, the more likely it will be of interest to a law journal.
• Tap into general interests : Notes or comments of broad interest will garner more interest than papers that are focused too narrowly, such as one examining just one particular case or jurisdiction. 
• Join a conversation : Journals may consider articles that make an effective counterpoint to an ongoing academic discussion. Our Choosing a Paper Topic guide can help you identify subjects of hot debate.
• Summarize a complex doctrine : By virtue of externships or particular research projects, students often emerge as the experts in very discrete areas of the law, and you can impart your wisdom to the professionals. Many legal practitioners turn to law review articles to help them navigate issues that arise while representing a client. User friendly breakdowns of complex legal doctrines can appeal to audiences and, consequently, journals.
• Write for particular journals : Secondary journals in your field are more likely to publish student writing than general, flagship law journals. You can tailor your article to a particular journal by choosing appropriate subject matter and writing techniques. You can read up on particular publications by browsing  HeinOnline  (available on campus or through ASURITE).
• Use reliable sources : Proper input is essential for helping you write a useful history of legal precedent in your comment or note.  Meet with a Law Librarian  for assistance in identifying and navigating reliable legal and academic resources.
• Strike an academic tone : With some exceptions, law journals and reviews will prefer sober academic and legal analysis with professional vocabulary to papers that indulge in overt activism or "soaring rhetoric." Still, the writing should be engaging and flow well.

Seek Guidance

• Join a professor:  If you find a strong connection with particular professors' research interests, assisting them with their projects can be an excellent way to learn about topics and get exposure. You will likely read up significantly on particular legal debates, and you may even be able to co-write an article with a professor, which will increase your publication potential. Our  Research Assistants' Guide  can get you started.
• Get lots of feedback:  The more criticism and advice you solicit, the stronger your paper will be. It's particularly useful to seek different perspectives, sending articles to legal practitioners as well as legal academics.

Meet Publications' Expectations

• Reach the word count : Some student notes and comments may not be long enough to meet journals' requirements, so be sure to check journal websites to find their submission guidelines.
• Format your text properly : Most journals will enforce formatting requirements for submissions such as double spaced text. Journals will more likely reject students than legal professionals for formatting errors.
• Format footnotes properly : The law library provides resources to help you master legal citation in this  Legal Writing Research Guide . You may also  make an appointment  to discuss complex citations with a reference librarian or  email the reference librarians  about simpler questions.

Get Noticed

• Strengthen your cover letter and abstract:  First impressions count for a lot, and engaging introductory materials can help your work advance beyond the initial stages of a journal's selection process.  Commentators provide guidance  on how to get noticed.
• Cast a wide net : Try to send your article to as many journals as will likely take an interest in your topic to maximize your publication changes.
• Enter a contest : Student writing competitions typically provide prizes, recognition, or publication, depending on the particulars of the contest. Find a partial listing of contests in the Writing Competitions section below. 
• Run a blog : Particularly if you have a strong interest and take many courses in related areas of law, you can opine on a series of topics and build an audience for your ideas through a blog. It can be an informal place to recycle research assignments to gain exposure.
• ASU Law Journals
• Journal Metrics

Arizona State's law journals publish student works in print and online.

Arizona State Law Journal ASU Law's quarterly flagship law journal publishes professional and student works on general legal topics.

Jurimetrics This quarterly journal focuses on intersections between the law and science, technology, mathematics, and engineering.

Sports and Entertainment Law Journal This journal publishes professional and student writing biannually in print and online.

Law Journal for Social Justice This online journal focuses on local, national, and international social justice issues and provides a topical blog.

Corporate and Business Law Journal This journal publishes articles by students and academics, and it provides a forum for shorter, topical works.

Law Journal Submissions and Ranking For students seeking journals that will maximize their work's impact, the Washington & Lee Law School Library provides rankings, primarily based on citation counts. 

Alfred L. Brophy, The Signaling Value of Law Reviews: An Exploration of Citations and Prestige , 36 Fla. St. U. L. Rev. (2009) . A study of citations finds that articles published in secondary or subject specific journals can receive as many citations or more than articles published in top ranked general law journals. 

Social Science Research Network The SSRN can help academics notice your work before it is published. Academics provide feedback and may even cite to draft articles hosted on the website.

Faculty Scholarship Repository - Arizona State University Published articles by ASU Law faculty can help you identify topics for further research or find a mentor for your writing project.

HeinOnline Law Journal Library   (available on campus or through ASURITE) This resource archives full text PDF copies of law journal articles dating back decades to help researchers  identify topics or find potential publishers. 

• This database's  subject indexes  include subject specific journals that will be more likely to accept student submissions than flagship law reviews.
• Most Cited Journals on HeinOnline  lists the most prestigious law reviews and journals, which are typically highly competitive for professional legal academics and professionals. 

Google Scholar This resource compiles interdisciplinary and nonlegal scholarship in addition to law journal articles. 

• << Previous: Keeping Current
• Next: Avoiding Plagiarism >>
• Last Updated: Jun 3, 2024 10:17 AM
• URL: https://libguides.law.asu.edu/legalwriting

Legal Writing Help

• Writing Help for Briefs
• Drafting Tools
• Formatting for Briefs
• Legal Citation -- Practitioner Format

Writing a Scholarly Article - General Tips

Narratives, storytelling, and outsider scholarship.

• Legal Citation -- Academic Format
• Law Student Guide to Identifying & Preventing Plagiarism
• Law Library Useful Links
• Accessing Databases & E-Resources
• Get Help & About the Author

For some background information on narratives, storytelling, and outsider scholarship (be sure and check with your editors or instructor regarding these styles of writing) try these:

• << Previous: Legal Citation -- Practitioner Format
• Next: Legal Citation -- Academic Format >>
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Submission Policy

Academike (Lawctopus’ Law Journal) has now relaunched and is inviting submissions.

We had started off with a philosophy that ‘all knowledge is useful’ and that reams of research being churned out by law students in India (via projects, etc.) needed an avenue for publication. The realms of research are mostly average, sometimes good, and on an occasion or two excellent. Many a time, the research is plain bad and plagiarised. The earlier version of Academike was comfortable publishing the average papers, because, well, ‘all knowledge is useful’.

We are back with stricter quality controls, a new logo, and a bigger, more capable editorial team. The mission remains the same. Our purpose is to also promote an inflow of ideas and facilitate discussions (through our comment box, which we realized goes berserk on some posts) on a range of issues pertaining to the law.

We are accepting long-form research or analytical articles, dissertations, short-form articles, book reviews, case notes, and legislation analysis or commentaries, and even notes on law subjects. While we are working within the bounds of the law, Academike recognizes its social implications. Thus, we wish to platform ourselves for law students, social science students, academicians studying the law, and lawyers to discuss and peer review texts.

Guidelines for submission

All submissions should be well researched and comprehensive. We expect only original pieces that reflect your analysis and understanding of the subject matter.

We are NOT accepting pieces right now. Till we do, please hang in there and read more from us here . 

Gentle request: Kindly abstain from submitting your manuscripts and abstract through email, as most of them can get lost. We appreciate your zeal. 

Kindly stick to the suggestive word limit for respective submissions:

• Research paper: 3000-6000 words
• Short articles: 1000-3000 words
• Case Notes: 1000-3000 words
• Legislation-analysis/commentary: 1000-3000 words
• Book Reviews: 1000-3000 words

Formatting and editorial guidelines

1. All submissions must be sent as a Microsoft Word document, doc name should be saved in the following manner- (lastnamefirstname).(type of submission), for instance, RawlsJohn.researchpaper

2. Please use Times New Roman, font size 12 with 1.5 line spacing for the main body of your piece (except the title). Footnotes must use Times New Roman, font size 10; alignment justified for the entire piece.

3. Footnoting can be done in any uniform method of citation (Bluebook, MLA, SILC, NUJS Law Review, ILI, etc.)

4. All non-English terms and Latin legal phrases need to be italicized.

5. Please avoid underlining or bolding phrases and sentences for emphasis (except for subheading and title).

6. Double quotations must be used only when directly quoting a statement, in other cases, use single quotes. All direct quotes must be referenced for context.

7. Acronyms or short forms (especially non-standard) must be written out in brackets accompanied by their full form.

8. Articles with subheads will be given preference. Subheads must be in bold. Using contextual and appropriate subheads breaks the monotony of the article and enhances readability.

9. All submissions need to be referenced, especially facts and case laws must not be stranded loosely. Articles with aforesaid irregularity can be sent back despite their potential.

10. Needless to say, plagiarised work will be outrightly refused.

11. Academike will accept only original work, in the case, the said work has been published elsewhere the author is obliged to disclose such details.

12. The author must ensure that third party copyright is not infringed in seeking publication at Academike

13. If the author wants to re-publish the said submission (original or with variations) with any other journal or publishing organization in the future, he/she/they must inform and seek permission from Academike. Further, we can ask the author to disclose information about the relevant journal.

Learn how to effectively write an effective academic article, here .

How to submit?

We are not accepting submissions right now.

The authors need to provide a brief but concise abstract before submitting their piece as it will inform the selection of their article. The abstract should not exceed 300 words accompanied by your email address.

It should lay out clearly what your submission attempts to say. In the case of long-form research essays/ papers, the objective must be described succinctly.

You can refer our tips on writing a winning abstract, here .

The author’s bio must be accompanied along with the main article if the latter is selected for submission.

The bio must be written in the third person and should describe the educational background, qualification, and prior work experience (if any). Bonus points for dressing it up with interests and fun facts.

Copyright Policy

Submissions are accepted for publication on the condition that they do not infringe the copyright or any other rights of any third parties and that the work does not contain any obscene, offensive, defamatory, or racially prejudiced material. The authors also agree to indemnify Lawctopus should their publications infringe the rights of any third parties.

We do not claim ownership in any Content that you submit to Lawctopus, but to be able to legally provide Lawctopus to our visitors, we have to have certain rights to use such Content in connection with Lawctopus, as set forth below.

By providing any content to our website in any form you agree to give Lawctopus a ‘non-exclusive’ right and license over the content.

The same thing is reproduced in legalese below ?

By providing any Content to our website: you agree to grant to us a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive right and license (including any moral rights or other necessary rights) to use, display, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, distribute, perform, promote, archive, translate, and to create derivative works and compilations, in whole or in part. Such license will apply with respect to any form, media, technology known or later developed.

You warrant and represent that you have all legal, moral, and other rights that may be necessary to grant us with the license set forth in this Section.

You acknowledge and agree that we shall have the right (but not obligation), in our sole discretion, to refuse to publish or to remove or block access to any content you provide at any time and for any reason, with or without notice.

No compensation will be paid with respect to the Content that you submit to Academike – Lawctopus, unless otherwise agreed upon.

We are NOT accepting new submissions right now. Until then, you can get to know us more here .

26 thoughts on “submission policy”.

please mention the email address for submissions.

I sent an article to publish on academike but google shows this email address not found.

Any update on this?

#पूरा _पढ़िए, #सोचिये और #समझने का प्रयास करिए, एक लेख मेरी कलम से………? #मानवाधिकारों और #संविधान की सोच को रखते हुए..?

क्या COVID-19 भारत को सबक देता है – स्वास्थ्य को मौलिक अधिकार बनाने के बारे में या “क्या भारत में स्वास्थ्य को मौलिक अधिकार की श्रेणी में लाने का समय आ गया है”

तो आइए आज हम संविधान के पननो को पलटते है र ये ढूढ़ने का प्रयास करते है कि ये अधिकार अभी तक मिला क्यों नही? या कहाँ से मिल सकता है, र इसके लिए संविधान के संरक्षक के रूप में सर्वोच्च न्यायालय ने क्या कदम उठाए…..

State, Socio Economic Rights को इम्पलीमेंट कराने की कोशिश करेगा जैसे जैसे उसके पास रिसोर्सेज अवेलेबल हो, तो इसमें संविधान के Article(39)(e) का जिक्र है की health and strength of workers man and women age of children shall be protected , Article (42) health of intent and mother shall be protected maternity relief shall be granted, Article (47) tells about की ये स्टेट की ड्यूटी है to improve the nutrition standard of the people ये सब बात करते है कि जो स्टेट सिस्टम है वो एक साउंड पब्लिक हेल्थ सिस्टम को एस्टेब्लिश करने की कोशिश करेगा लेकिन #एंटाइटलमेंट नही है ये, मैंने जैसे अगर कहा कि मुझे ये अधिकार नही मिला तो मैं कोर्ट में जाके ये नही कह सकता कि साहब हमको ये राइट नही मिला हेल्थ का आप आदेश दीजिये की मुझे अपोलो हॉस्पिटल में मेरा इलाज करवाया जाए, this kind of right is not available ye entitlement nhi h pr ye state ki duty r implicit right ke roop me hmare pss uplabdh h, तो इस बात को भी हमे समझ लेना चाहिए कि हमारे संविधान में #2_तरह_के_अधिकारों_के_समूह कहे जा सकते है कि एक तो वो अधिकार है जिन्हें तुरंत अप्लाई किया जा रहा है #Fundamental_Right(civil and political right) कहते है, दूसरा socio economic rights का ग्रुप है जो हमने #Directive_Principles ke roop me rkha hai की स्टेट धीरे धीरे इसको इम्पलीमेंट करने का प्रयास करेगा ये एक बेसिक सी अंडरस्टैंडिंग है, अब हम ये देखे की पिछले 70 या 80 वर्षो में #Judicial_Interventions se ये जो भेद शुरू में किया गया कॉन्स्टिट्यूशन में ये भेद ये करके समाप्त होना शुरू हो गया, और directive principles को भी हमने inforceable मानना शुरू कर दिया अब ये समझना थोड़ा सा मुश्किल है बस की किस तरह से #champakan_dorairajan के case se law wale smjh skte hai , की इस केस में ये मुद्दा उठा कि यदि directive principles और fundamental rights ke beech me conflict hogi to ky prevail karega, तब सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने कहा fundamental rights #prevail_krege, लेकिन बाद के cases में infact within 10 to 15yr the supreme court has started saying that fundamental rights and directive principles ke beech me hame #Balance Krna pdega और एक समय तो ऐसा आया कि #42nd_Amendment me ye upbandh kr diya gya ki yadi directive principles ko implement krne ke liye sarkar koi kadam uthati h to usme yadi koi fundamental right violate bi hota hai to bhi use court me nhi le jaya ja skega, ab isko bi #Minerva_Mills case me supreme court ne Article31 c ke later part ko invalid karar diya aur ultimately ye kha ki in Dono me conflict ka koi mudda ni इन दोनों में हमे बैलेंस करके चलना पड़ेगा तो इसका मतलब ये की directive principles या socio economic राइट्स की enforceability ki baat है तो जो लाइन थी इन दोनों के बीच मे उसे सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने खत्म करना शुरू कर दिया धीरे धीरे, infact in #Golaknath_case supreme court said that ki directive principle are the material from where fundamental right get meaning, unke jo content hai fundamntal right ke wo directive principle se nikal k aaege aisa golaknath ke case me #Justice_Subba_Rao ka statement h, बहुत सुंदर जजमेंट लिखा है उसे स्टूडेंट या कोई भी कभी ध्यान से पढेंगा तो समझ मे आएगा.! इसके अतिरिक्त सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने Article (21) का जो #क्रिएटिव_इंटरप्रिटेशन किया और इसपे बहुत सारे cases भी है, #Parmanand_Katara जो 1989 का जजमेंट है, उसमे सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने #Right to health care ko fundamental right me sangya di, पश्चिम बंगाल मजदूर केस में भी यही बात सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने कही, aur Jo ambusters case ke naam se judgement hai 1996 me SC ne dia usme bhi kha right to health care is a fundamental right which means it can be enforce as well so Jo distinction in dono k beech me thi wo SC ne samapt krna prarambh kr diya, यहाँ पर जो मैं समझता हूं इंडियन अनुभव है राइट टू हेल्थ को लेके हमारा जो डेमोक्रेटिक एक्सपेरिमेंट हुआ है पिछले 70 या 80 वर्षों में तो उसने एक बात सिद्ध की है कि fundamental right ki #availability itni important nhi h jitna uska #enforcement महत्वपूर्ण है, rights hamare pss bht sare hai pr ky hum unhe enforce krwa pa rae h ye jo fark hai, aur jo mera anubhav hai wo khta hai #enforciability important hai na ki #availability r enfocreability hogi kb jb state ki capacity hogi enforce krne ki to is trh ke logs hai jisme hum log fas gye hai, right hai pr enforce nhi kr skte, अब हमें ये बात भी समझनी चाहिए कि स्टेट के पास इतने रिसोर्सेज तो नही है जो हमारी ever increasing demand (furthering demands) है उनको स्टेट एक दिन में पूरा कर सके इतनी व्यवस्था तो स्टेट के पास नही है, लेकिन एक बात और समझना जरूरी है कि जब मैं कहता हूं कि #राइट_सिस्टम_पर्याप्त नही है तो इसका मतलब ये नही की #राइट_सिस्टम_important नही है,

राइट सिस्टम का जो एक्सपेरिमेंट पिछले 70 या 80 वर्षो में हिंदुस्तान में हुआ है एक #डेमोक्रेटिक_एक्सपेरिमेंट के तौर पर वो अपने आप मे एक #unique_achievement है, और हमे ये मानना चाहिए कि इस experiment के कारण की राइट सिस्टम #adequate नही है हमारी सारी व्ययवस्था को मैनेज करने के लिए केवल entitlement से काम नही चलेगा हम जानते है लेकिन केवल right system काम नही करता हम उसे कूडेदान में नही फेक सकते वो एक्सपेरिमेंट ने भी हमे बहुत कुछ दिया है और इस देश ने जो 70 या 80 वर्षो में प्राप्त किया है एक्सपेरिमेंट के माध्यम से उसे हम भूल नही सकते, लेकिन हमें ये ध्यान रखना पड़ेगा कि राइट सिस्टम alone cannnot help us, इस विषय मे मैं राइट बेस्ड approach इस बात को समझना जरूरी है, होता ये है कि जब हम राइट बेस्ड सिस्टम की बात करते है तो उसमें सेंस ऑफ #entitlement आ जाता है और उसके कारण से व्यवस्था एक #imbalance की तरफ बढ़ जाती है, इसको समझिए उदाहरण से असलियत में जो एलिमेंट है राइट के ऊपर इस कारण की वजह से जो हमारा #element_of_duty, #obligation, #compassion, #love_and_affection these are those #sentiments जिनके कारण हमें समस्याओं का समाधान ढूढ़ने में मदद मिलती है राइट अकेला समाधान नही उपलब्ध कराता sense of duty, sense of obligation, sense of compassion समाधान कराते है, तो हमारे जो राष्ट्रीय समस्या individual समस्या या चाहे socitial समस्या हो उनमे केवल राइट बेस्ड approaches काम नही कर सकते , हम लोगो ने जो जीवन को टुकड़ो में देखना शुरू किया है ये मेरा राइट है ये उसका राइट है ये मेरी ड्यूटी है ये उसकी ड्यूटी है जीवन ऐसा नही था जीवन अपने आप मे एक continuuim है, ये ना कभी समाप्त होता है न कभी शुरू, अनादि अनंत वाली व्यवस्था है, हमारी व्यवस्था कभी राइट बेस्ड थी ही नही या यूं कहें हम खाली अधिकार के तौर पे इसको नही ले सकते हमारी व्यवस्था में कभी अधिकार का प्रश्न उठा ही नही।

एक उदाहरण याद बता रहा हूँ आपको पढियेगा… #Fali_Nariman book (Before Memory Fades) quoted Mahatma Gandhi words 1948 की बात है हमारा constitution बनने की प्रक्रिया चल रही थी और 1948 में यूनिवर्सल डिक्लेरेशन ऑफ ह्यूमन राइट्स की भी तैयारी थी और उसके चेयरमैन ने प्लान किया कि जो ह्यूमन राइट्स का ड्राफ्ट बनाया है उसे महात्मा गाँधी को भेज के देखते है र उनसे पूछते है वो क्या ऐड करना चाहते है तो महात्मा गांधी ने उस ड्राफ्ट को डेढ़ लाइन लिख के वापस कर दिया, तो जब ह्यूमन राइट के 25 वर्ष पूरे हुए तो उनकी प्रतिमा लगाई गई वहाँ इतनी important थी ये डेढ़ लाइन वो सुन लीजिए क्या कहा था उन्होंने लिखा-:

*”I HAVE LEARNT IT FROM MY #ILLETERATE BUT #WISE_MOTHER, THAT THE BEST OF #HUMAN_RIGHTS FLOW FROM THE DUTIES WELL PERFORMED”*

यदि मैंने अपनी ड्यूटी पूरी करदी तो अधिकार की चिंता करने की आवश्यकता ही नही रही, हमने अपनी ड्यूटी कर दी है तो अधये पूरा जीवन एक यज्ञ चक्र है और हमारी व्यवस्था में बहुत सारी बातें है #गीता में एक दो छोटे छोटे #श्लोक भी है भगवान #श्री_कृष्ण कहते है ,

1.यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोऽन्यत्र लोकोऽयं कर्मबन्धनः।

तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसंगः समाचर।।

Endowment of reason h human k pass r reason kisi k pass nhi h kewal human ke pass sochne ki shakti hai reason ek h to is karan se hamari zimmedari bdh jaati h ki hm is yagy chakr ko manage kre ki sirf mai hi nhi puri vayvastha swasth rhe in fact best example geeta ka ye shlok

2.देवान्भावयतानेन ते देवा भावयन्तु वः।

परस्परं भावयन्तः श्रेयः परमवाप्स्यथ।।

हम सारी प्रकृति में जितनी भी व्यवस्थाए है उनको देवताओ (जो देते है), unconditional devta who give us, सूरज देवता है क्योंकि उसकी रोशनी सबको मिलती है, पूजा करो मत करो सूरज तो रोशनी देगा ही तो हमने इन सबको देवता की श्रेणी में रखा है र माना है इनमे और देवता में एक परस्पक संबंध है, तो भगवान कहते है जो ये देव र बाकी ह्यूमन रेस है इनके बीच मे एक संबंध हो, इनके बीच मे यदि एक परस्पक संबंध होगा तो “सारी व्यवस्था श्रेष्ठ की ओर बढ़ेगी” इसी कारण से आप देखे हमने कभी जीवन को टुकड़ो में नही देखा, इसी कारण से हमारी संस्कृति eco friendly संस्कृति मानी जाती है, हमारे यहां हमेशा से है पूरी प्रकृति बचेगी तो हम बचेंगे ये था, इसीलिए पहली ज़िम्मेदारी है कि हमे प्रकृति को बचाना है, यही अब हम सोच रहे घूम रहे इन बातों की तरफ की प्रकृति को नही बचाएंगे तो हम कहाँ रहेंगे, आप ये देखे की हमारी इस राइट बेस्ड अप्रोच से हमारी thinking kaise splintered ho gai h (मतलब टुकड़ा-टुकड़ा), कोई भी समस्या आती है तो हमे लगता है कानून बन जाए तो इसका समाधान हो जाए, तो बहुत सारे कानून है पर उन कानून को पूछता कौन है । प्रश्न ये है कि क्या हम उन्हें इम्पलीमेंट कर पा रहे है, उदहारण के तौर पे #Dowry_Prohibition act 1961 में आया था तो dowry khtm ho gayi kya. नही हुई तो इसीलिए हमको अपनी splintered thinking की जो प्रक्रिया है उसे बदलना होगा, और अधिकारों और कर्तव्यों को एक लाइन में लाना पड़ेगा।

सहृदय धन्यवाद। अधिवक्ता सोमेश श्रीवास्तव LL.M(मानवाधिकार)?

Hi, I wanted to publish my research paper I am student of 4th year at M.S Ramaiah college of law Bangalore could I get some guidelines or procedure for publishing the same.

sir/madam I send the article on your mail id mentioned above but it titled as address not found in my mailbox. please give your mail id for article submission

Are case comments also accepted?

I wanted to know in which journal will the article be published? Since, you have mentioned ISSN number. & can we get contact details for further enquiry?

i want to submit my research papers. Please send me the email address to submit the same

I sent an article on the mentioned mail ID. But the mail was not delivered because the address was not found. I request you to please give the right email ID for submission.

The above mentioned email address is not found. Can you please tell a valid email address?

i sent my paper to this above mail address but it said the site not found. what m i going to do

Sir/maam, I am willing to submit an article but there seems to be an error in the email adress given above. Request you to send another ID as a reply to this comment. Thank you!!

what is the email address ?

I wanted to know in which journal will the article be published? Since, you have mentioned ISSN number. & can we get contact details for further enquiry? Also will be getting any certificate?

please send in your email id for submission since its showing not valid.

Well I want to ask whenever we write research papers and then check on Anti plagiarism platform, they show a similarity percentage. In your platform how much similarity percentage is allowed for submission?

Up to thirty per cent.

Is co-author can also be there?

Yes, co-authorship is allowed.

do we have to send the abstract first?

Hey, You can submit the piece through the said form, https://forms.gle/DhrA4mdRfxomF65g7 .

How long does it take to review and revert back after submission of an article?

I wanted to know the charges for getting my blog, article published on Lawctopus?

There are no charges.

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Directed Research Projects

• Getting Started
• Preparing to Research
• The Research Process
• The Writing Process
• Checking your Sources

Overview: Getting it Published

Steps for getting published.

Congratulations, you've finished writing! If you'd like to publish your directed research or article, the below lists some recommended steps and resources for doing so.

• Research possible journals to submit your article, considering audience, length, timing, ranking, etc.
• Once you've decided on possible journals, review their submission requirements to ensure your article conforms to them, then submit!
• Considerations when you receive an offer of publication
• 1. Research possible journals
• 2. Review submission requirements & submit
• 3. So you got a publication offer?

1. Research Possible Journals to Submit your Article

Step 1: factors.

When you are considering which journals you want to submit your article to, there are a variety of factors to consider. The weight of the factors will vary by your own preferences and goals with the article, and those decisions will impact how you research the journals. So, take a moment to think about and weigh the following factors in choosing a journal:

• Who do I want to read my article? Do I want it to be more likely to reach a law audience or to an interdisciplinary audience? Do I want it to be open access or is it ok if it's behind a paywall?
• Is my article more general or niche? Do I want to publish in a subject-specific journal or a general law review-type journal?
• Is the ranking of the journal important to me? Which ranking system should I use, if so?
• Some of the above may matter less to you than simply getting your article published, and that's fine! If getting published is the most important factor to you, then the topic of the journal will matter most in deciding which journals to submit to.

Step 2: Research possible journals, keeping the above factors in mind

Once you've decided what's most important to you in deciding which journal to publish in, you can begin researching journals. Below are various ways to research acceptable journals, based on your preferences.

• For law-specific journals, HeinOnline publishes the Current Index to Legal Periodicals , which categorizes recently-published articles by subject. Though not journal specific, you can navigate to your topic and see which journals have published articles in that topic.
• BYU maintains a list of foreign and international law journals (including both general and subject-specific).
• If open access is important to you, Law Review Commons maintains a list of journals (both general and subject-specific) that provide open access to their articles. You can also check out the Directory of Open Access Journals (though it doesn't have many law journals).
• Web of Science , JSTOR , and Academic Search Premier (click By Subject & Description, then enter search terms) also provide lists of subject-specific journals.
• Reach out to a reference librarian if you'd like additional suggestions or help identifying journals by topic/audience.
• First, it's important to recognize that journal rankings systems are subjective and depend on what factors the ranking system considers (e.g. citation count, author reputation, reputation of citation, etc.), so review the ranking system you choose carefully to be sure you understand the metrics.
• Many authors consult Washington & Lee's Law Journal Rankings , which allow you to specify both the type of ranking (e.g. impact) and the type of journal (e.g. subject-specific v. general) and then run a search to determine the top journals given those parameters. Be sure to review their How to Use and Methodology sections so that you understand what you're searching and the limits of their ranking system.
• Google Scholar ranks journals by the citation count from the previous five years, and they have a specific list for law journals (you may also be interested in the broader social sciences ranking , too).
• Scopus also provides metrics for ranking journals, though its focus historically has been on the science fields (it has been expanding to social sciences, arts, and humanities, in recent years).
• For a comprehensive overview of several scholarly articles about rankings, see the University of Washington Gallagher Law Library, Measuring Journal Quality .
• Identify topical journals (see above).
• Review Nancy Levit et al., Submission of Law Student Articles for Publication (2016), about which law reviews accept student-written papers from other schools.
• Review Michael Goodyear, Information for Submitting Articles to Specialty & Non-Flagship Law Journals (2021), which, while more broadly targeted to non-students, does include a section on whether the journal accepts student submissions.

Important note: there are predatory/pseudo-journals out there, so do be aware of them if you find a journal that's not listed in one of the above databases. Think, Check, Submit has a good checklist to run through to evaluate potential journals.

Step 3: Timing

There are various schools of thought about when is the best time to submit your journal article. Traditionally, law journals opened for submissions in the late summer (August) and mid-winter (January/February), and those were considered the best times to submit an article. These practices are changing, however, so the timing of your submission will more likely depend on when you've finished the article, and whether the journals you've identified are open for submissions.

2. Review the Journal's Submission Requirements, then Submit!

Determining submission requirements.

Once you've decided where you want to publish, you'll need to make sure your article conforms to their submission requirements (and possibly draft a cover letter!).

We often get asked how many journals you should submit to. There's no right answer, and success rates vary by year, journal, article topic, and type of submission. If you want to talk more about how many journals to choose, contact the reference team to discuss your options.

For general information about submission requirements:

• One of the best sources for submission requirements for general law reviews is Allen Rostron & Nancy Levit, Information for Submitting Articles to Law Reviews and Journals , available on SSRN (last revised 2022). The authors update their review regularly, and include almost 200 journals on their list.
• Top Law Review Submission Tips for Authors: 2022 Edition and 5 Law Review Submission Criteria Authors should Always Look For (including the very important exclusivity requirement, in which you're only allowed to submit your article to that one journal for consideration)

For information specific to each journal :

• Check the journal's webpage (simply Google the name of the journal) or the journal's Twitter feed/social media pages
• Scholastica maintains a partial list of open calls for submissions , which often includes links to a journal's submission requirements

Factors to keep in mind :

• Does the journal require a cover letter or CV?
• Does the journal accept rolling submissions, or does it have specific times of year when it is open for submissions?
• Does the journal have an exclusivity requirement (in which you can only submit your article to that journal for consideration, and cannot submit your article to other journals until you have heard back from that journal)?
• Does the journal have an expedited review option, and would you like to request it (note that expedited reviews often require that you agree to an exclusivity requirement)?

Do a Final Check, then Submit

• Does my article adhere to the submission requirements (including any formatting specifics, citations, page numbers, cover page, etc.).
• Have I included a cover letter, CV, or any additional documentation required by the journal?
• Have I asked someone else to review my paper for any last-minute typos?

3. Considerations when you receive an offer of publication

Congratulations, your paper has been accepted for publication! Here are a few resources as you move forward:

Author Rights

• Review Benjamin Keele, Advising Faculty on Law Journal Publication Agreements , for an overview of common terms featured in author agreements
• Review SPARC's Author Rights page
• Benjamin Keele, Copyright Provisions in Law Journal Publication Agreements
• Brian Frye, CJ Ryan & Franklin Runge, An Empirical Study of Law Journal Copyright Practices
• SHERPA/RoMEO , which summarizes journals' open access and copyright policies, and can be useful to use as a comparison tool

Author Profile

• Consider creating an ORCID iD , a persistent digital identifier that helps authors disambiguate themselves from authors with the same/similar names. You can then attach that ORCID iD to all of your publications.
• Create an SSRN Author account and upload drafts/working papers.
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