Submissions
Thank you for considering submitting your article to the University of Chicago Law Review. We look forward to reading your work. In the meantime, please read this page carefully, as it contains important information regarding the submissions process.
I. Selection
The Law Review publishes articles and essays that make a significant, original contribution to their field. In general, this precludes the publication of case notes, comments, or other narrowly focused works. It also precludes the publication of scholarship that is derivative or has been published elsewhere.
Book reviews are considered on a limited case-by-case basis.
Because our editorial policy affords substantial deference to authors, articles must be both well written and completely argued at the time of submission. Limited resources generally prevent us from filling in the gaps of an otherwise significant article or substantially correcting its style.
We review and accept articles year-round on a rolling basis. Most authors choose to submit their articles to us in either February and March or August and September, when journals that have more limited submission windows are actively soliciting articles. But it is unnecessary to wait for these traditional peak periods to submit to the Law Review; indeed we welcome submissions during the winter and summer months. Our editors carefully read and consider every article regardless of when it is submitted, so we encourage all authors to submit their works to us whenever they believe they are suitable for publication.
The Law Review occasionally solicits feedback on submissions from faculty and practitioners who are expert in their field. Please be aware that this peer review is part of the standard review process that your article may undergo. Before sending an article out for peer review, we remove information that identifies the author, although the reviewer may be familiar with the article if it has been presented at a workshop or conference or circulated online. We never disclose the names of our peer reviewers or share their reviews with the author. More information about how we use peer review is available here.
Our editors always seek to review articles within a few weeks after receiving them, but it might take longer to reach a decision when submission volumes are high. If we are unable to extend a publication offer, we will notify the author promptly.
When the Law Review decides to publish an article, we contact the author immediately to extend an offer. We always allow the author seven days to decide whether to accept the offer. If the author needs additional time to decide whether to accept an offer of publication, we will likely grant an extension.
II. "Light Edit" Policy
The Law Review is proud to employ a "light edit" policy. The journal believes strongly that both the argument and the "voice" of a manuscript should be the creations of the author. Our edits are intended to hone the author’s vision, rather than replace it with our own.
To this end, after our first round of substantial editing, we return a redlined copy of the manuscript to the author, showing all changes we have made. Substantial changes are accompanied by substantive comments or questions. Our changes are meant as reasoned suggestions, not editorial edicts, and we will respect the author’s judgment regarding whether the changes should, in the end, be made.
III. Submission
The Law Review strongly prefers electronic submissions through the ExpressO submission system, which can be found online at http://www.law.bepress.com/expresso. You can also email your manuscript in Microsoft Word format or PDF to lrarticles@law.uchicago.edu.
We do not accept submissions in hard copy.
IV. Expedited Review
If you have received a formal offer of publication from another journal and would like to receive an expedited review by the Law Review, please contact us at lrarticles@law.uchicago.edu.
When requesting an expedited review, please put "Expedite" as the subject of your email and include in the text:
- The author name and title of your manuscript;
- The name of the journal that has extended an offer to you;
- The date that the offer expires;
- The phone number or email address of a contact person at that journal;
- An electronic attachment of your article (plus C.V. or cover letter) to facilitate and accelerate the process.
The Law Review will attempt to honor all requests for expedited review for which the above information is provided. Because of the large number of expedited review requests we receive and the limited time frame that we have to complete the review, we are not always able to respond personally to each request. Please be assured that we review each expedite request within the time constraints given and will contact you directly if we are unable to complete our review.
V. Withdrawal
If you wish to withdraw your piece from consideration, please contact us at lrarticles@law.uchicago.edu. Please put "Withdraw" as the subject of your email, and include in the text the author name and title of your manuscript.
Thank you again for considering submitting your piece to the University of Chicago Law Review. All additional inquiries concerning articles and article submissions should be directed to the articles editors at lrarticles@law.uchicago.edu.