Submit your Note/Comment to the Journals
NYU students can take advantage of the "Note Pool," a special service that allows you to submit your Note or online Comment to many different journals at once. Please note that if you are not an NYU Law student at the time of submission you may not use this service. You can access the Note Pool at this link.
Both online components and Notes are covered in this service. Many journals prefer online Comments, which are faster to publish and more free-form than Notes. Often, a Note is accepted as a Comment (and vice-versa).
All journals give preference to their own members in Note publication, and you should accordingly submit your Note to your home journal (if any) before using this system.
All journals require submissions to be in accordance with the latest edition of the Bluebook, America's most despised citation system. You must submit your work in Word Document form, Times New Roman double-spaced (except for footnotes) 12 point font (10pt for footnotes). On all other matters, individual journals have different publication restrictions and clarifications, which are listed below:
Annual Survey of American Law
In its general format, a Note or Comment in the Annual Survey will introduce one or several recent developments in a particular area of the law. The Note/Comment should contain: a detailed background section that clearly sets up the context for the developments and highlights their significance; a developments section that summarizes the significant developments; and a ramifications section that discusses how the developments are likely to play out in future litigation, legislation, or practice, as well as making any recommendations that the author deems appropriate.
Within this general framework, authors have discretion to select a sub-topic within their area of expertise. Depending on the scope of the subject matter and the time frame covered, the Note/Comment may range from 25 to 70 pages or longer. What is most important is the thorough discussion of developments within the area chosen and their ramifications.
Currently, Annual Survey does not take any Notes from the Note Pool.
Environmental Law Journal
The NYU Environmental Law Journal invites authors to submit articles that investigate timely issues of environmental law and policy on an international, national, or local level. We do accept topics that borrow from or intersect with other areas of law, and particularly encourage articles presenting creative approaches to environmental problems. ELJ welcomes a variety of formats, including articles, essays, book reviews, and case comments. On average, ELJ publishes one student Note per print issue, and we publish three issues per year. We also encourage submissions of online content to be posted on the ELJ website.
ELJ has no minimum or maximum page requirement for submissions. We do believe, however, that most authors should be able to convey their argument clearly and persuasively in 30 to 70 pages, and encourage authors to tailor their submissions to that range. All pieces submitted for online posting should be no longer than 10,000 words; pieces around the 6,000-word mark are encouraged. Online posts may take a more vernacular tone, and ELJ encourages submissions with a distinct voice. These posts may be lightly footnoted, but ELJ prefers embedded hyperlinks in the text of the piece.
Currently, ELJ is only accepting Notes from current or former members.
Journal of Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law
The New York University Journal of Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law considers articles in the categories of copyright, patent, trademark, art, entertainment, and sports law, as well as any other topic which is related to intellectual property or entertainment law. We favor articles that touch on issues at the forefront of contemporary practice in these areas. The Journal has a strong preference for articles on the shorter side of academic writing, and tends to accept pieces in the 20-50 page range. Given the online nature of the journal, we think a relatively short-form format is best suited to our publication. We encourage authors to target the lengths of their submissions to be within this range.
For JIPEL, an online "comment" refers to a shorter entry that will be included on the JIPEL Blog, a frequently updated and dynamic discourse on intellectual property law. A print edition note refers to a full length note, included in our online and pdf journal editions.
Journal of International Law and Politics
JILP reserves 2-3 spots (8-12 total) in each of its 4 issues annually for student notes. Notes may be on any topic relevant to international law. Notes should be approximately 8,000-12,000 words (can be flexible). All notes must have been read by an NYU Law professor before submission to JILP. Selected notes go through a 2-3 month editing process with the SNE’s, ME’s, and EIC and you must agree to a specified timeline and work diligently with us on grammatical, substantive, and formatting edits. The editing process must begin before graduation.
Journal of Law and Business
The NYU Journal of Law & Business is dedicated to publishing innovative legal scholarship in the area of law and business. The Journal provides a forum for dialogue and thorough analysis of issues, ideas, problems, and solutions relating to law and business. The Journal focuses on recent developments and innovative successes in the law and business community. We highly value pieces that provide guidance for practitioners working within the fields of law and business.
The Journal explores a number of general areas, including: international law and business; law and finance; and the effect of law and business on public interest organizations. The Journal also addresses contemporary topics in law and business, including: corporate governance; mergers and acquisitions; venture capital and private equity; bankruptcy and restructuring; capital markets; and securities.
The Journal is committed to publishing work that is concise and readable. Though there is no maximum or minimum word or page requirement for submissions, excessive length (over 30,000 words) will weight significantly against acceptance of your manuscript. Please include a short abstract at the start of your submission.
Journal of Law and Liberty
The Journal of Law & Liberty is the first student-edited law journal dedicated to the critical exploration of classical liberal ideas. The Journal is dedicated to providing a forum for the debate of issues related to human freedom from both theoretical and practical standpoints. Recently, the Journal has published articles focusing on issues including the nature of rules and order, theories of rights and liberty, legal history, jurisprudence, constitutional law, historical and contemporary legislation. As befits a journal dedicated to freedom, no submission explanations or requirements are imposed on authors.
Journal of Legislation and Public Policy
The NYU Journal of Legislation and Public Policy specializes in the analysis of local, state, and federal legislation and policy. It is the goal of Legislation to offer legislators, judges, practitioners, students, and educators the most in-depth legal analysis of proposed and enacted legislation available.
Legislation publishes student writing in the form of Notes in the print journal and contributions to its online companion, Quorum.
For student Notes, we consider all pieces that analyze or propose a piece of legislation or address public policy in some way, which can cover a broad spectrum of topics. Notes should be between 35-45 pages in length, double-spaced. Quorum is open to student-written pieces that cover current developments and timely proposals for reform in a range of areas of legislation and public policy. Quorum pieces rarely exceed 5,000 words. Submission guidance can be found on Quorum.
Law Review
The Law Review does not publish student notes from non-members. However, the N.Y.U. Law Review Online publishes Comments and Responses from current students at NYU Law. Online strongly prefers Essays and Comments of 6,500 words or fewer, including footnotes, though the editors will consider pieces of up to 10,000 words, including footnotes. Responses should be no more than 1000 words.
Online content has a more vernacular, accessible style than traditional print scholarship. Online appreciates submissions with a more informal tone and/or unique voice. Comments should be lightly footnoted; an appropriate range is 5 to 10 footnotes per 800 words of above-the-line text. When possible, sources should include a hyperlink. Responses should provide support, when necessary, with embedded hyperlinks. Responses should have no footnotes unless absolutely necessary.
Moot Court Board
The Moot Court Board administers the Note Pool but does not publish student notes. The Board, however, welcomes submissions to its annually published Casebook and Proceedings, its online journal. The Casebook is the most widely recognized and utilized set of moot court problems in the nation. Students who have written moot court problems can submit them through the Casebook website. Students who would like to submit written pieces documenting new approaches to unsettled legal questions proceeding from moot court activities can submit them through the Proceedings website.
Review of Law and Social Change
Student Articles. Social Change does not distinguish between Student Notes and Articles. Instead, the scholarship you submit to Social Change must fit the page-to-practice model. “Page-to-practice” is a broad term refers to legal scholarship that seeks to eliminate inequalities, correct injustices, or consider the relationship between the law and individuals’ lived experiences. This does not mean that each article must advance discrete recommendations for legal practitioners. Rather, it is intended to encompass novel theoretical approaches to intractable legal problems, concrete policy suggestions, and advice to litigators and to direct service providers. Social Change only considers articles that are at least 6,000 words long. In addition, Social Change publishes only legal scholarship. We do not publish research surveys, book reviews, or purely historical articles.
Online Submissions. The Harbinger (i.e. Social Change Online) is dedicated to providing timely, approachable and high quality content related to the law and social issues. We strive to bring diverse and critical voices to the fore through swift online publication. Our selection criteria are less rigid than those of traditional legal scholarship. This allows us to publish a range of content—such as commentary, interviews, and narratives—in addition to academic work that is shorter than would be appropriate for the pages of a traditional law review. In choosing what we publish, we value accessible language and clarity in organization, an engaging approach to an important issue, relevance to current events, diversity in author background, and a compelling and original argument about law and social issues. Submissions should be between 500 and 6,000 words and whenever possible, authors should include a link to a stable online version of cited materials according to Rule 18.2 of The Bluebook.
Any questions?
The Note Pool is administed by the Moot Court Board; contact mootcourt@nyu.edu if you have any questions or suggestions.