As a bipartisan journal, JOL is open to submissions from any political perspective. Our only requirement is that the article or note relate to our legislative focus. We invite submissions on a wide range of topics, including law, policy, politics, and history, as long as the subject matter will be of interest to policymakers. Due to the high volume of submissions that we receive, we are not always able to notify authors whose pieces are not selected for publication. If you have any questions, feel free to email us at hlsjol@mail.law.harvard.edu.
Print Edition
The Harvard Journal on Legislation considers scholarly submissions for publication through Scholastica. The Journal will not consider submissions made by mail or email. Footnotes should comply with the most recent version of the The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation.
Student Notes (Print Edition)
We regularly solicit original submissions of 10,000-15,000 words (including footnotes) from students for our print edition, which has a winter and a summer issue. Submissions from students from all law schools are welcome. Selections are made in July for the Winter Issue and in December for the Summer Issue.
You can submit by email to hlsjol@mail.law.harvard.edu with the subject line <Last name, First name, JOL Student Note>. We will consider that submission for the next available publication cycle. We encourage re-submission if your article is not selected that cycle.
Online Edition (JOL Online)
We are always seeking original submissions for the Harvard Journal on Legislation Online, the online supplement to the Journal. Online pieces mirror the academic style of print articles and are typically 5,000 to 15,000 words (including footnotes), but there is no hard requirement on either end. For examples of past online content, see JOL Online.
We invite submissions on a wide range of topics, including law, policy, politics, and history, as long as the subject matter will be of interest to policymakers. Our focus is on American law. If you would like us to consider a piece for publication or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at hlsjol@mail.law.harvard.edu.
You can submit your pieces by email to hlsjol@mail.law.harvard.edu with the subject line <LastName, FirstName JOL Online Submission>. Please include with your submission a current resume or CV; a cover letter is optional. We will reach out if your piece is selected for publication. Consideration for online publication is on a rolling basis.
Quorum Call
Quorum Call is a new blog from the Journal on Legislation, designed for scholars and practitioners to share short, timely updates about current topics in the legislative arena, including congressional power, legislative process, statutory interpretation, administrative law, and state and local legislatures. Blog submissions should be approximately 500–1,000 words.
To submit a draft blog post, please send it via email in .docx form to hlsjol@mail.law.harvard.edu. We will reach out if your piece is selected for publication. Consideration for online publication is on a rolling basis.