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The Yale Law Journal is a law journal published from Yale Law School (ISSN 0044-0094 print, 1939-8611 web), issuing eight issues each academic year, October to June. This page is for authors deciding whether and how to submit, and for readers who need to cite it or tell it apart from other Yale-affiliated journals. Facts below come from the Journal’s own Submissions and Subscriptions pages and the ISSN Portal, read 2026-11-08.
What the Yale Law Journal is
The Journal’s site (yalelawjournal.org) hosts the current issue (Volume 136, Number 1, October 2026), a Print Archive, a masthead for each volume, Forum essays, topical collections and a newsletter. The ISSN Portal lists Yale Law School as the issuing body for ISSN 0044-0094; library records name the Yale Law Journal Company as publisher. For what an ISSN identifies and what it does not, see the dictionary entry.
Who runs it and what it covers
The site organises content by legal subject (for example Constitutional Law and Legal History) and by type: Articles, Essays, Book Reviews, Forum pieces, Comments and Notes. It states no impact factor and no open-access policy on the pages read; take indexing and metric figures from the Journal Citation Reports and Scopus directly rather than from third-party summaries.
Submission basics
Submissions go through the Journal’s online system, linked from its Submissions page; first-time users choose “Not a member?” on the login page. As of the 2026-11-08 reading, Volume 136 submissions are closed and Volume 137 opens in early 2027. Word limits include footnotes, and the Journal says exceeding them weighs against acceptance.
| Piece type | Limit stated by the Journal |
|---|---|
| Articles | Under 25,000 words (about 50 pages) |
| Essays | Under 15,000 words (about 30 pages) |
| Book Reviews and Forum pieces | Under 10,000 words (about 20 pages) |
| Comments | 4,000 to 8,000 words |
| Notes | “Substantial length”; no number given |
- Citations: The Bluebook plus the Journal’s own requirements, with a Volume 136 Style Guide. See Bluebook case citation and law review footnotes.
- Empirical work: subject to the Journal’s Data-Retention Policy and Dataverse Instructions.
- Current Yale students: Yale JD students (including during the Volume 136 window) are not reviewed for Articles or Essays and are encouraged to submit Notes, Comments and Forum pieces. Yale JD, MSL and LLM students follow separate Student Submission Guidelines.
- Selection: Notes and Comments are chosen by anonymized review, and Development Editors who worked with an author are recused. The pages read do not describe the review process for Articles or Essays.
- Offers: since April 19, 2011 the Journal and peer journals have committed to give authors at least seven days to decide on an offer.
The Submissions page does not address simultaneous submission or expedited review, so ask the Journal directly before relying on either. For how a journal’s first screening step works in general, see desk rejection.
Subscriptions
The Journal lists a domestic Volume 136 subscription at $55.00 prepaid (a price tied to that volume; check the page for the current figure). Subscriptions auto-renew, back-starting is not offered, and orders are placed online or by mail to P.O. Box 208215, New Haven, CT 06520-8215.
Strengths and limits of this profile
The Journal’s pages give clear piece-type word limits and timing, which many journal profiles lack. They do not state an impact factor, indexing list, article processing charge or peer-review model, so none is given here. Do not assume a science journal’s review model applies; see NISO peer review terminology for the vocabulary used to describe such models.
Other Yale and peer law journals
| Publication | Relationship to the Yale Law Journal |
|---|---|
| Yale Journal on Regulation (yalejreg.com) | Separate journal with its own site |
| Yale Law & Policy Review (yalelawandpolicy.org) | Separate journal with its own site |
| Yale Undergraduate Law Journal (yaleundergraduatelawjournal.com) | Separate journal with its own site |
| Harvard Law Review | A different journal; see the Harvard Law Review entry |
Each has its own submission rules; the Yale Law Journal limits above do not apply to them.
FAQ
How often does the Yale Law Journal publish?
Eight issues each academic year, October through June, with no December issue (Subscriptions page, read 2026-11-08).
When can I submit?
Volume 136 submissions are closed; Volume 137 opens in early 2027 per the Submissions page read 2026-11-08.
What is the Yale Law Journal’s ISSN?
0044-0094 (print) and 1939-8611 (web), per the ISSN Portal.
Does the Yale Law Journal have an impact factor?
Its pages do not state one. Check the Journal Citation Reports or Scopus directly.
Sources
- Yale Law Journal, Submissions: yalelawjournal.org/submissions (read 2026-11-08)
- Yale Law Journal, Subscriptions: yalelawjournal.org/subscriptions (read 2026-11-08)
- Yale Law Journal, home page: yalelawjournal.org (read 2026-11-08)
- ISSN Portal: portal.issn.org/resource/ISSN/0044-0094
