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Can you publish as a student?

Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:26 pm
by Verity
As a current student, if I were to write an actual journal article, not a note, for a different law review or journal at a different school, is it possible that it would be published?

Please no remarks on how sophomoric anything I would produce would be. Just want to know if law reviews or journals would consider publishing work written by a student at a different school.

Re: Can you publish as a student?

Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:29 pm
by Lincoln
Depends on the journal. Most journals' articles committees take the author's pedigree into account, but there are some journals (Yale Law Journal comes to mind) that do blind selection, and consequently publish only based on strength of scholarship. Either way, though, your chances are pretty slim.

Also, publishing a note is not something to scoff at.

Re: Can you publish as a student?

Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:52 pm
by bloobook
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Re: Can you publish as a student?

Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 1:38 am
by roofles
Yes, you can. I know three current students who have. Just know that it will not be easy and that you will have to submit your note to many, many law reviews to have a good shot at publication.

Re: Can you publish as a student?

Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 6:29 am
by Verity
roofles wrote:Yes, you can. I know three current students who have. Just know that it will not be easy and that you will have to submit your note to many, many law reviews to have a good shot at publication.
How does that work? Do I send them to many law reviews, and then once a law review informs me that it might want to publish, do I withdraw from all the others?

Re: Can you publish as a student?

Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 10:25 am
by beardown_tho
read Academic Legal Writing by Volokh

he talks about it and can give you a better run-down than anyone here can

Re: Can you publish as a student?

Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 10:43 am
by bdubs
Get a well regarded faculty member to co-author your article. They will probably take top billing, but it's the way that is most likely to be successful.

Re: Can you publish as a student?

Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 10:48 am
by CanadianWolf
With respect to a student note, certainly possible, but with respect to an article penned by a current law student, possible but unlikely unless the student's pre-law school credentials are substantial & relate to the topic of the article.

Re: Can you publish as a student?

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 1:50 pm
by Younger Abstention
bdubs wrote:Get a well regarded faculty member to co-author your article. They will probably take top billing, but it's the way that is most likely to be successful.
Good luck trying to do this, unless you have a particularly close relationship with a professor. Even then, I'm not sure this happens too often.

I know a few people who published articles (not as a Note) as law students, but it's difficult. Consider saving the article and submitting it when you are a graduate, as journals are far more likely to accept an article from a graduate than from a student.

Re: Can you publish as a student?

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 2:33 pm
by Verity
Younger Abstention wrote:
bdubs wrote:Get a well regarded faculty member to co-author your article. They will probably take top billing, but it's the way that is most likely to be successful.
Good luck trying to do this, unless you have a particularly close relationship with a professor. Even then, I'm not sure this happens too often.

I know a few people who published articles (not as a Note) as law students, but it's difficult. Consider saving the article and submitting it when you are a graduate, as journals are far more likely to accept an article from a graduate than from a student.
Yeah, this sounds a little unusual. Profs don't really go around co-authoring with students; they seem to give them credit if they helped with the research, at best.

Question: what's the process like? How/when do you submit to journals and what's the best strategy? Anything else you can do to make the article seem more publication-worthy?