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The University of Chicago Law Review (UCLR) is the student-run legal journal affiliated with the University of Chicago Law School. This guide is for legal scholars deciding where to submit, and for readers who need to find a UCLR article. It is not about the Chicago Manual of Style or the University of Chicago Legal Forum, which are separate publications. Facts below were read from the journal’s own pages on 2026-11-08.
What the University of Chicago Law Review is
The Law Review’s own About page says it was first published in 1933 and describes itself as a forum for the ideas of leading professors, judges and practitioners, as well as a place where students are trained. The same page notes that faculty held the editorship during the war and that the journal then returned to the students. Like the Harvard Law Review and the Yale Law Journal, it is a student-edited review rather than a peer-reviewed journal in the sciences sense.
Who runs it and what it covers
The journal is affiliated with the University of Chicago Law School and edited by students; a masthead page on the journal site lists the current editorial board. Print content falls into three sections: Articles, Essays and Comments. A separate online edition, UCLR Online, publishes Posts and Essays, and the site also hosts symposium pages. The archive lists eight numbered issues for each year from 2022 to 2025 (for example, volume 92, issues 1 to 8); at the time of reading, 2026 showed issues 93.1 to 93.7.
How to find and use it
Where the content lives
| Place | What you find there |
|---|---|
| lawreview.uchicago.edu | Current issue, About, masthead, submissions pages, ordering and contact pages, the online edition and symposium pages |
| Chicago Unbound (chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/uclrev) | The archive, from Vol. 1 Iss. 1 onward, with per-article PDF downloads, a search box (this journal, the repository, or all repositories), Advanced Search, email notices and RSS. The journal’s ISSN is listed as 0041-9494. The repository runs on Elsevier’s Digital Commons platform. |
Finding an article
- Open the journal site and follow the archive link to Chicago Unbound.
- Browse by volume and issue, or use the search box and choose the scope: this journal, the repository, or all repositories.
- Use Advanced Search to narrow the query.
- Open the article record and use the PDF download.
- Subscribe through Email Notices or RSS to follow new issues.
The archive pages state no open-access policy, so check the terms on each article record before reusing a PDF. Law review citations follow their own conventions; see our guide to law review footnotes.
Submitting an article, essay or book review
As read on 2026-11-08, the journal’s submissions page gives this process:
- Cycles: two review cycles a year, in late winter or early spring and in late summer. The page then said the journal was closed for Volume 94 submissions and planned to review again in February 2027 for Volume 95.
- Channel: submit through Scholastica. Authors without an account can email [email protected].
- Length: the journal strongly encourages articles under 30,000 words including footnotes, and essays under 20,000 words including footnotes.
- Book reviews: proposals for book reviews are accepted.
- Expedited review: request through Scholastica (or by email); the journal says it attempts to honor all requests. Authors are asked to flag exclusive or limited submissions.
- Online edition: UCLR Online has its own submissions page, separate from the print journal.
Windows change, so confirm the current status on the submissions page before preparing a manuscript. For other journals’ routes, see the Texas Law Review and Virginia Law Review profiles.
Strengths and limits
- Strength: a full digital archive with PDFs and search in one repository, plus a single submission channel and published length guidance.
- Strength: a stated mission of publishing professors, judges and practitioners alongside student work.
- Limit: submissions are open only in defined windows, so timing matters.
- Limit: the journal’s pages give no acceptance rate, turnaround time or open-access terms.
Alternatives on this site
| Journal profile | Link |
|---|---|
| Yale Law Journal | Yale Law Journal guide |
| Texas Law Review | Texas Law Review guide |
| Virginia Law Review | Virginia Law Review guide |
| Harvard Law Review | Harvard Law Review term |
FAQ
Is the University of Chicago Law Review student-run?
Yes. Its About page says the journal returned to the students after the war, and the journal is affiliated with the University of Chicago Law School.
When can I submit to the University of Chicago Law Review?
The journal reviews in two cycles a year, late winter or early spring and late summer. On 2026-11-08 the page said submissions for Volume 94 were closed, with the next review planned for February 2027 (Volume 95).
How long can a submission be?
The journal strongly encourages articles under 30,000 words and essays under 20,000 words, both including footnotes.
Where can I read past issues?
In the archive on Chicago Unbound, which holds issues from Volume 1 with PDF downloads.
Is this the same as the Chicago Manual of Style?
No. The Manual of Style is a separate University of Chicago Press publication; this page covers the law journal only.
Sources
- University of Chicago Law Review, home, About and Submissions pages (lawreview.uchicago.edu), read 2026-11-08.
- Chicago Unbound, University of Chicago Law Review archive (chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/uclrev), read 2026-11-08.
