Submissions & Membership

There are two ways to write for the IBLJ. First, University of Illinois College of Law students may complete the write-on competition, which occurs every fall semester, beginning mid-September. Prospective writers may also publish their work with the IBLJ as an outside writer through independent note or article submissions, subject to the discretion of the Editorial Board.

Write-On Competition

All law students at the University of Illinois College of Law are allowed to participate in the write-on competition and are encouraged to do so. Typically, the editorial board will advertise the competition in early September. Students who wish to write-on must attend the informational meeting in mid-September. After, those students who sign up will receive the write-on prompt by email. Participants will research and write on the topic, turning in a mock note in October. After completing the write-on competition and following the form guidelines of the prompt, writers will be graded anonymously based on content, style, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and citations. The IBLJ will accept between 4 and 10 writers and may adjust that figure based on entries and the quality of submissions. Writers must complete at least one 2,000-word Note by the end of the Spring semester.

Independent Note or Article Submissions

The alternative route to publishing with the IBLJ is to contact one of the editors or send an email to law-iblj@illinois.edu inquiring as to the possibility of submitting an article or note. The subject line of your email must include “Submission,” or it will not be read. All notes and articles with a legal and business focus will be considered. Submissions accepted this way will be published in the IBLJ’s upcoming volume. Anyone, including students, faculty, and practitioners, can submit a note or article for publication, regardless of affiliation with the University of Illinois. Articles must be at least 2,000 words and conform to The Bluebook: A Uniformed System of Citation (21st ed.). Be advised that the best way to ensure your article is properly submitted is to confirm receipt with the Editor-in-Chief and email the subject line “Submission” to law-iblj@illinois.edu.

Editing Policy

Our editors will use varying degrees of editing based on the piece’s specific needs. Our preference is to minimally edit authors’ work, but foreign language pieces and pieces with poor syntax and grammar will be heavily edited to ensure easy reading for readers.