The Journal of International Law and Politics takes student scholarship very seriously and encourages all of its editors to publish their written work. In addition to reserving a certain number of spots in each issue for student notes, JILP has a Notes Program that supports interested staff editors in their efforts to write and publish innovative arguments on international law. The program begins in the fall semester of an editor’s 2L year, when the Senior Notes Editors work with 2Ls to:
- Identify and refine their topic of interest
- Make contact with a professor to guide the research process
- Form a peer group of other 2Ls, 3Ls and LLMs who have relevant expertise
- Get substantive feedback on their topic, research progress, and outline
In the spring semester, the Senior Note Editors arrange a Note Committee for each editor participating in the Notes Program, to review and give substantive feedback on the editor’s rough draft. The Senior Notes Editors will continue working with the editor until his or her work is of a quality where it is eligible for consideration at JILP and other journals. Once a note is published in JILP, the author will be invited to present their argument at the journal’s issue release party. Notes that are published in JILP are also eligible to win the JILP Student Note Competition, which is a cash prize for the journal’s best student note.
Although the Notes Program is the most direct route to publishing, the journal is committed to supporting all of its editors in getting their work published, even if they have not participated in the program. The Senior Notes Editors hold Publishing Meetings once each semester to assist editors to:
- Identify substantive next steps to turning their written work into publishable articles
- Find a peer group that can provide substantive feedback
- Identify international law journals who are willing to publish student work
- Understand the process and calendar for submitting articles for publication
The JILP Board strives to foster an academically engaged atmosphere and strongly supports any of its editors who with to contribute to the field of international law through publication.