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Stanford Law Review is the student-edited law journal of Stanford Law School. Its own website describes it as operated entirely by Stanford Law School students, independent of faculty and administration supervision. This page explains what it publishes, how it is organized, and the submission rules it states for print Articles, Notes and Online essays, as read from the journal’s own pages on 2026-11-08.
It is written for legal scholars and prospective authors who need to know which channel to use and which formal requirements apply before they submit.
What the Stanford Law Review is
The Stanford Law Review is a general-interest legal scholarship journal. According to its About page, it was organized in 1948 with Warren Christopher as its first President, and it opened with Volume 1. It publishes one print volume per year, made up of six issues, one each month from January to June. At the time of reading, the site listed Volume 78, Issue 6 (June 2026) as the latest print issue.
The journal also runs the Stanford Law Review Online, founded in 2011, which the journal describes as publishing short, accessible and timely pieces of legal scholarship. The Online section is separate from the print series.
Who runs it and what it covers
- Editors: Stanford Law School students, working independently of faculty and administration supervision (journal’s About page).
- Print series: six issues per volume, January through June.
- Online series: shorter pieces of legal scholarship, published separately from print.
- Submission types: Articles/Essays, Notes and Online essays, each with its own submissions page.
Unlike a conventional specialist journal, a student-edited law review is not run through the usual reviewer model; for the general concept, see the dictionary entry on peer review. The journal’s pages do not state an ISSN or an acceptance rate, so this page does not give either.
How to submit: channels and rules
The journal’s Submissions page splits the process by manuscript type. Use this as a checklist, and confirm the current window on the journal’s page before you submit.
- Choose the type. Articles and Essays for print, Notes, and Online essays each have a separate page in the journal’s Submissions section.
- Use the right channel. Print Articles and Essays go exclusively through Scholastica. The journal states that email submissions and ExpressO are not accepted, and paper submissions are not reviewed. Notes and Online essays are submitted through the journal’s website.
- Check the length. The limit is 30,000 words including footnotes; the journal prefers 20,000 or fewer. A brief abstract is not counted.
- Format citations in Bluebook style. The journal specifies the Bluebook, 22nd edition (2025).
- Anonymize the manuscript. Put identifying information only in the Scholastica form fields, not in the manuscript file.
- Complete the AI-use disclosure form. The journal requires it whether or not AI was used. See the entry on the generative AI disclosure statement for the general concept.
- Disclose conflicts and funding, confirm originality and, for empirical work, archive the datasets, as the Article submissions page requires.
- Find the portal window. The page’s wording on when the portal reopens for a volume is dated, so read the live Submissions page for the current window.
Exclusivity and offers
The journal strongly recommends exclusive submission, asking authors to wait at least ten days after the portal opens before submitting elsewhere. It commits to giving authors at least seven days to decide on any publication offer.
Fee waivers and fallback
Requests for a Scholastica fee waiver go to Scholastica support, per the journal’s page. If a portal problem prevents submission, the page directs authors to email an anonymized manuscript to the articles address it lists.
Strengths and limits
| Aspect | What the journal’s pages state |
|---|---|
| Channel clarity | One portal (Scholastica) for print Articles; separate site routes for Notes and Online essays |
| Length allowance | 30,000 words including footnotes, 20,000 or fewer preferred |
| Anonymity | Anonymized manuscript; identity only in form fields |
| Time to respond to an offer | At least seven days for authors |
| Not stated on the pages | ISSN, acceptance rate, cover-letter rules and expedite policy |
The practical constraint for authors is timing: print submissions are tied to the journal’s portal windows, and Notes and Online essays follow their own pages.
Alternatives and related journals
| Journal or resource | Where to read more on CASRAI |
|---|---|
| Yale Law Journal | Yale Law Journal: submissions, ISSN and word limits |
| University of Chicago Law Review | University of Chicago Law Review: what it is, submissions and archive |
| Harvard Law Review | Harvard Law Review dictionary entry |
| Legal research databases used to find cited authority | Westlaw vs Lexis |
FAQ
Is the Stanford Law Review run by students or faculty?
By students. The journal states it is operated entirely by Stanford Law School students, independent of faculty and administration supervision.
Can I submit an Article by email or ExpressO?
No. For print Articles and Essays the journal says Scholastica is the exclusive channel; email and ExpressO are not accepted, and paper is not reviewed. The only email route it names is a fallback for anonymized manuscripts when a portal problem prevents submission.
What is the word limit?
30,000 words including footnotes, with 20,000 or fewer preferred. A brief abstract is not counted.
How many issues does it publish a year?
One print volume of six issues, one each month from January to June, plus separate Online content.
Which citation style does it require?
The Bluebook, 22nd edition (2025), per the Article submissions page read on 2026-11-08.
Sources
- Stanford Law Review: About (read 2026-11-08)
- Stanford Law Review: Submissions (read 2026-11-08)
- Stanford Law Review: Article Submissions (read 2026-11-08)
