Law schools typically have a general-interest (or "flagship") 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.
Online companions usually publish pieces more quickly than their print counterparts. And they may be open to pieces that the editors might not run in print.
Peak submission times for student journals are February-March (as new editorial boards are looking toward the next volume) and August (as student editors are returning from their summer jobs). Authors who submit after these peaks may still place their papers, but it might be harder because some journals will fill their issues early.
It is common for authors to submit papers to 20 or more student-edited journals at once.
Law journals published by professional associations are typically edited by paid staff. When they review articles for publication, they send them out to experts in a "peer review" process. Because of this different editorial process, it is common for these journals to require authors to submit only to one journal at a time. For example, The Business Lawyer, published by the American Bar Association, is peer reviewed, and its general submission guidelines state: "A manuscript will not be considered, and should not be submitted, if it is under consideration for publication elsewhere, nor should a manuscript under consideration for publication by The Business Lawyer be submitted for consideration with another publication."
Be sure to review journals' submission guidelines before submitting.
“Predatory journals and publishers are entities that prioritize self-interest at the expense of scholarship and are characterized by false or misleading information, deviation from best editorial and publication practices, a lack of transparency, and/or the use of aggressive and indiscriminate solicitation practices.”
Agnes Grudniewicz et al., Predatory Journals: No Definition, No Defence, Nature (Dec. 12, 2019)
If in doubt about a journal, consider:
See Predatory Journals: How to Identify Them?, Tress Academic blog (July 9, 2019).
There are many databases that collect information about law reviews and journals to help you decide where you should submit your article. You may choose to begin your search by identifying the subject of the journals to which you would like to submit your articles. Here are some of the most popular resources for searching law journals by subject:
Washington & Lee Jaw Journal Submissions and Rankings
This database of law journals is searchable by journal subject, name, format, and ranking.
This search will show you all journals in the database that publish in that subject area. You can also run a similar search filtered by country, language, format, or editing method.
HeinOnline Law Journal Library
In HeinOnline's Law Journal Library, you can browse their collection to find journals using different information including subject and number of citations. To find the HeinOnline Law Journal Library, click on the link above and choose "Law Journal Library" from the homepage. Once in that page, you can choose your filtering criteria using the menu shown below.
While HeinOnline indexes the journals, it does not have any of the contact or submission information. To find that either search for the desired journals on the Washington & Lee guide above or find the Journal's website and use the contact information they provide.
Once you have chosen the journals to which you would like to send your article, you can move on to the submission step of the process covered on the next page in this guide.
The Taggart Law Library is here to help! Schedule an appointment with a librarian or chat with us using our online chat feature. Open to ONU Law students, faculty, staff, and alumni.