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Writing for & Publishing in Law Reviews

This guide provides information and resources to help students and professionals who want to write scholarly papers and get them published in law reviews.

Introduction

photo of a stack of journalsThis guide is aimed at law students and professionals who want to write scholarly papers for publication in law reviews. Most of it will also be helpful for students who are writing seminar papers that they don't plan to publish.

It addresses many aspects of the process, from finding and developing topics to writing to submitting to journals.

Some of the sources linked to are to sources that are restricted, either to members of the UW community (Icon) or to UW Law faculty, staff, and students (Icon).

photo credit: Mary Whisner

What are law reviews?

Law reviews are scholarly journals about law, generally published by law schools and edited by students. More broadly, they can include journals published by professional associations (e.g., Business Lawyer, published by the American Bar Association) and the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, edited by law professors and published by Wiley Publishing in conjunction with the Society for Empirical Legal Studies.

Law schools typically have a general-interest (or "flagship") law review (e.g., Washington Law Review, Seattle University Law Review, Gonzaga Law Review) that publishes articles on a wide range of topics. Most law schools also have one or more specialized journals, focusing on one or more topics (e.g., Washington International Law Journal, Washington Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, Washington Journal of Law, Technology & the Arts, Gonzaga Journal of International Law, Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental & Innovation Law, Seattle Journal for Social Justice).

Print Plus Online

Most journals are available in one or more electronic forms, in addition to print. For example, the Washington Law Review is on Lexis, Westlaw, and HeinOnline, in addition to having an archive on its own website.

Online Companions

Some law reviews supplement their print offerings with short articles that are only posted on their websites. For example, the Washington Law Review publishes the Washington Law Review Online.

Online Only Journals

Some journals are published online only. They are called e-journals (or ejournals).

You can find lists of online law journals at the sites below.

Because the universe of online journals is growing, it's likely that each list is incomplete.

Other Guides for Writers & Editors