The Faculty Lounge: Submitting Essays, not Articles

March 30, 2009

Submitting Essays, not Articles

What is the difference between an Article and an Essay? The distinction is fine. Both have solid arguments, researched premises, and most importantly, footnotes. Each are posted on Lexis and Westlaw, and come out in printed form. However, they often have different editors. So what continues to drive this distinction? Length.

Harvard Law Review surveyed 800 faculty in 2004 to assess their opinions on legal scholarship. Ninety percent of the participants expressed that articles in law reviews were simply too long. As a result, eleven journals signed a joint statement to announce an ideal article length of 40-70 pages.

A number of these journals have instituted submission guidelines for essays: scholarly pieces from 10,000-25,000 words. This is separate from the very short electronic publications or newer publications that supplement larger journals, such as Yale Pocket Parts or the PENNnumbra. Rather, essays are published in the main section of print law reviews, and the only difference from articles is the length.

UVA's definition: The Law Review typically treats any submission of 15,000 or fewer words (including footnotes) as an Essay, but this is only a general rule of thumb. Length is not necessarily the defining characteristic of an Essay. Essays often are "thought pieces" that advance something approximating an idea rather than an argument, or they involve more offbeat topics than Articles. Responses to previous articles are treated as Essays, as well. The Law Review's annual Ola B. Smith Lecture also is published as an Essay.

I have started a list of law journals that accept Essay submissions. This post may also benefit from reader opinions on Essays. Do they merit the same attention as Articles? Would they "count" the same as an Article for promotion and tenure? This dialogue focuses on essays only. Thanks.

Law reviews that specifically accept and separately acknowledge Essay submissions: (Please add to the list in the comments section)

Columbia Law Review

UC Davis Law Review

Yale Law Journal

Michigan Law Review

NYU Law Review

Virginia Law Review

Northwestern Law Review

Posted by Kevin Maillard at 07:33 AM in Law Reviews | Permalink

Comments

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I have wondered in the past whether essays get the same academic respect as articles, especially for entry-level job candidates. I have some ideas for interesting essays but have concentrated my attention on article ideas for now, thinking that I can always do essays later. Is this a good strategy?

Posted by: lawprof wannabe | March 30, 2009 at 08:04 AM

I've started writing in more of an essay format, and I wish that the legal academy would start taking essays more seriously. Take away the background and fluff from a lot of articles and you end up with an essay. That said, for hiring and tenure, I think that articles are the way to go. Aim for 40 or more pages at least.

Posted by: Ben Barros | March 30, 2009 at 10:15 AM

I'm a big fan of essays: They usually try to make one point clearly and directly, rather than the more cumbersome efforts of articles that try to present the very last word on topic X. Of course, the key word is "usually": Some journals publish essays that are surprisingly long.

In terms of evaluating candidates for the entry level market, I don't have a big sense of whether essays are considered very different from articles. My advice for candidates would be to write using the format that will lead you to make the most interesting and insightful scholarly points, preferably as often as possible. Put another way, I wouldn't hold back on essays. But I wouldn't write them exclusively, either.

Posted by: Orin Kerr | March 30, 2009 at 06:34 PM