ILJ Submissions Guidelines

General Information

The Harvard International Law Journal seeks to publish innovative, original scholarship that makes a significant contribution to the fields of international, comparative or foreign affairs law. The ILJ welcomes articles from professors, practitioners, and students of private or public international law, as well as other related disciplines. The ILJ also invites recent development and book review submissions from Harvard Law School students.

For information on submitting articles to the ILJ Online, the ILJ's web-based journal, please click here.

For information on submissions written by ILJ staff members, please click here.

Timing

We accept submissions on a rolling basis. Nonetheless, to be considered for the Winter issue, articles should be submitted by the end of August; to be considered for the Summer issue, it is best to submit articles by early December.

Requirements

Submissions must not exceed 35,000 words, including footnotes. All manuscripts should be submitted in English with both text and footnotes typed and double-spaced. Footnotes must conform with The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (18th ed.), and authors should be prepared to supply any cited sources upon request. All manuscripts submitted become the property of the ILJ and will not be returned to the author.

In addition to the manuscript, authors must include an abstract of not more than 250 words, as well as a cover letter and resume or CV. Authors also must ensure that their submissions include a direct e-mail address and phone number at which they can be reached throughout the review period.

Submitting Manuscripts

The ILJ strongly prefers electronic submissions through the ExpressO online submission system at http://www.law.bepress.com/expresso (please click on the "via ExpressO" button below).

Electronic submissions may also be e-mailed (with “Manuscript Submission: TITLE OF ARTICLE” in the subject heading). All electronic documents must be in Microsoft Word (preferred) or WordPerfect format.

Submit Articles Online

If you are unable to submit electronically, we will accept mailed manuscripts that include an electronic copy on disk or CD. The ILJ cannot guarantee review of any hard-copy submissions received between May 1 and September 1.

Please send any hard-copy submissions to:

Harvard International Law Journal
c/o Managing Editor
Publications Center
Harvard Law School
Cambridge, MA 02138

The ILJ greatly appreciates all submissions. We will attempt to notify authors of acceptance or rejection as quickly as possible.

Expedited Reviews

In limited cases, we can expedite the review of a submitted article if the author is facing strict response deadlines by other journals that have already accepted the article. To request an expedited review, please e-mail the Managing Editor. (Please include “Request for Expedited Review: TITLE OF ARTICLE” in the subject heading.)

Please provide the following information in your correspondence:

1) Author name and contact information (phone and email)

2) Article title

3) Journals that have accepted the article

4) Deadlines those journals have given the author

5) The latest possible date that the author can be given a decision

The ILJ will try to accommodate authors' requests, but may require authors to request extensions to ensure that the manuscripts receive full and appropriate consideration.

The Selection Process

A Submissions Committee composed of both J.D. and LL.M./S.J.D. candidates reviews articles once they are received. The ILJ Executive Board makes final decisions regarding publication. The ILJ faculty advisers at Harvard Law School typically are consulted on the evaluation of articles. Once an article has been selected, the Editors-in-Chief will contact the author with a contract and further information on the publication process. The ILJ editorial process is a rigorous one, and authors should expect to work closely with Journal staff on substantial substantive and technical revisions prior to the article’s final publication.