Choosing a Paper Topic
In Introduction
Ask a Librarian
Circuit Splits
Hot Legal Topics
Further Reading
General Legal News
Law Blogs
Conducting a Preemption Check
Does Your Paper Add New Information to the Field?
Legal Indexes
Full-Text Legal Databases
Multidisciplinary Journal Content
Working Paper Repositories
Avoiding Plagiarism
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
Best Practices for Avoiding Plagiarism
Resources for More Information
Legal Citation
What is the Bluebook?
Understanding Bluebook Citations
Law Reviews and Journals
Publishing Your Writing
Expert Advice
Submitting Your Paper
Writing Competitions
Journal Metrics
Scholarship Databases
ASU 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.
Google Scholar
This resource compiles interdisciplinary and nonlegal scholarship in addition to law journal articles. Many resources are available in full text PDF through the search bar on the law library homepage.
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.
HOW TO JOIN A JOURNAL'S STAFF
Students exhibiting essential writing and editing skills through the ASU Journal Write On Competition may be asked to join the staff of any of ASU Law's five journals. The competition involves a test of Bluebook citation skills and a writing assignment requiring students to produce a closed universe memorandum in a short timeframe. Students must attend an informational meeting and submit an online grade release form to qualify for the Write On Competition.
PUBLICATIONS
Information for Submitting Articles to Journals and Law Reviews (Allen Rostron & Nancy Levit)
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.
Submission of Law Student Articles for Publication (Nancy Levit et al.)
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.
Information for Submitting to Online Law Review Companions (Bridget J. Crawford)
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.
TIPS FROM PUBLISHED AUTHORS
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.
Seek Guidance
Meet Publications' Expectations
Get Noticed
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. ASU students have received publication offers from specialized journals including the Harvard Journal of Law & Gender and The Journal of Law Medicine & Ethics. 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.
University of Richmond School of Law Legal Essay Contest Catalog
"The Richmond Law Legal Essay Contest Catalog is the Web's largest collection of writing competitions for law students."
Suffolk University Law School ICompete Writing
A breakdown of writing contests into particular areas of law.
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.
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.
Impact Factor
The publisher Francis & Taylor describes the qualities that journal ranking services consider, revealing the importance of works attracting citations. Its Altmetric Attention Score page also explains how authors can measure the impact of their work in nontraditional and online sources.
The Signaling Value of Law Reviews: An Exploration of Citation and Prestige (Alan Brophy)
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.