Why Law Students Should Publish

Academic publishing is one of the most challenging yet rewarding things a law student can do. It takes a lot of effort, devotion, technical know-how, and pure tenacity to push through rejections and keep going ahead. This step-by-step tutorial will illuminate the whole process of law students publishing research papers while still in law school.

REASONS AND BENEFITS OF PUBLISHING RESEARCH IN LAW SCHOOL

There are a variety of reasons why an essay should be published while in law school. As students, we are always required to do research and produce several projects, as well as at least one thesis/monograph at the post-graduate level. Your academic work may be published with a little effort; you might be shocked to learn how little more effort to your current work is required to have a piece published in a journal. All you have to do now is choose a journal that is suited for your job.

In addition, law students may be eligible for additional perks and cost reductions throughout the filing process. While some journals allow students access, most will not publish non-student research until the non-student becomes an expert in the topic. As a result, taking a risk on publishing in law school is a little bit simpler. Furthermore, several platforms and publications have a cost problem; most legal schools/universities have memberships to such platforms, which assist students save a significant amount of money.

A publication looks great on your cv, and it's particularly important if you want to work in academia or as a teacher. A publication also helps you achieve quick reputation, which will lead employers, graduate school admissions committees, and scholarship committees to believe you can perform research and write effectively.

HOW TO PUBLISH RESEARCH: STEP BY STEP

STEP ONE

The first step in the process of publishing is the selection of a topic. This may sound very easy, but there is an additional step that must be done, which is called a ‘preemption check’. It means you have to ensure that your topic has not been written about previously in other journals or platforms. This does not mean that you cannot write about the same topic, but what you have to keep in mind is, you have to make your piece different and unique in terms of objective, tone, and substance. Searching research databases for similar topics, reviewing different articles and of course, Google can help you to complete the preemption check.

STEP TWO

The second stage is to write your article in accordance with the research technique, style, and references specified by the journal/region. Read the journal's submission guidelines or author instructions thoroughly. Editors often define space, format, file type (Word or PDF), footnotes or endnotes, and so on. (Footnotes are required in OSCOLA for all legal journals, although some cross-disciplinary journals use a social science-style approach.) There are lots of OSCOLA generators out there.

Additionally, the abstract of your work will be the first thing that the majority of journal editors will notice when they evaluate it. Your abstract is your first opportunity to describe why the subject you've selected is intriguing and significant, as well as how your work contributes to the area. Ascertain that it is well-written and concise.

STEP THREE

The final phase, of course, is surrender and submit your research to your chosen journal. You may manually submit your paper to several legal journals and law reviews. Please review and choose from the list of Law Journals and Reviews (many of them allow submissions from students).

CITY LAW JOURNAL

The City Law Journal (CLJ) accepts submissions of papers on a broad variety of legal issues for peer review and publication in the CLJ. Along with contemporary developments, the journal's coverage includes jurisprudence and legal history. Articles should have a word count of between 2,500 and 15,000 words. They seek submissions of thoughts and forecasts about the legal profession's future, as well as present advancements in the area. This journal features a variety of material types, including original articles, case studies, brief reports, and discussions. Check their Submissions page.

KING'S STUDENT LAW REVIEW

The KSLR welcomes contributions from law students at all levels, undergraduate and postgraduate, from any institution. It is a peer-reviewed journal. Articles should be between 4000 and 6000 words in length and may address any aspect of local, European, or international law. Visit their Submissions website for further information on the topics of law covered by the journal and submission criteria.

THE CAMBRIDGE LAW REVIEW

The Cambridge Law Review is an independent academic journal published by students at the University of Cambridge. Its mission is to offer a venue for debate of current and cutting-edge legal topics. Each year, the journal publishes two issues, each of which contains between 10-15 articles published by legal academics, practitioners, or students from a variety of countries. On their website, you may learn more about their past. If you are interested in contributing, please see the criteria for submissions.

THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATE LAW JOURNAL

The OUULJ is published annually (in April) and accepts submissions from current undergraduate students at any institution. These might be case studies or whole essays ranging in length from 3000 to 6000 words. For more information, please visit the Journal submissions page.

FINAL STEP

The last step is, of course, receiving the email confirming your article's acceptance.  Generally, publications offer you a very short period of time to react and confirm acceptance of your manuscript for publication in that journal. After you accept their offer, you must sign a contract with the journal (which covers copyright and other problems), and the editing process will begin. Your work is then added to the sub-cite queue, where it will be reviewed and edited by multiple sub-citers. Even with an excellent paper, editing is a lengthy process. There are precedents that indicate that if your work began with 50 citations, it will end with about 300 when the editors complete the editing process.

CONCLUSION

Do you want to make an impression as you join the training contract, pupillage or legal employment market? Getting an essay published while still in law school is one of the greatest and simplest methods to be recognised by future supervisors and employers. The advantages of publication are many, since a well-written piece indicates your ability to evaluate complicated legal topics, your commitment to your chosen career, and your initiative.

What are you waiting for? Despite the multitude of publishing possibilities available, students continue to believe that publication is something that only "professional" or "established" lawyers can accomplish. This is not correct. While publishing an essay is never "simple," it is also not as overwhelming as it may seem. To help demystify this process, this article and the series that follows will provide information and recommendations on how successful law students might break into the publishing industry.