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Directed Research Projects

Overview: Getting it 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.

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

Steps for Getting Published

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:

  • Audience
    • 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?
  • Topic
    • Is my article more general or niche? Do I want to publish in a subject-specific journal or a general law review-type journal?
  • Rank
    • Is the ranking of the journal important to me? Which ranking system should I use, if so?
  • I just want to publish it!
    • 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.

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:

For information specific to each journal:

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

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.