This page sets out the policy of EJIL:Talk! with regard to (1) submissions of posts for publication on the blog and (2) comments on published posts. Anyone interested in submitting posts or comments should read this guidance carefully.

Submitting posts for publication

The blog accepts unsolicited submissions. Submissions will only be published if they: (a) are written in English of good quality, are clear, direct, to the point and well structured; (b) comply with our word limit and style guidelines below; and (c) are civil and respectful in tone throughout. Posts should make genuinely original, novel contributions to scholarship, and should not replicate content that has already been published on EJIL:Talk! or elsewhere; relevant prior posts should be linked to. Excellence is a necessary condition for publication, but it is not always a sufficient condition. The need for a balance of topics, the fact that something similar has already been commissioned, and other similar considerations may also influence the decision to publish a piece. We will only very exceptionally publish pieces by undergraduate or LLM students; submissions by PhD students are very welcome.

To submit a post for consideration, please email the editors at ejiltalk {at} gmail(.)com . We normally take a few days to review submissions; a decision to publish may be made subject to revisions. Publication itself can also take a few days, depending on how busy the blog is. We try our best to prioritize posts which are time-sensitive. Because of the number of incoming submissions the editors are normally not able to provide feedback to authors if their submissions get rejected after review.

As a general policy EJIL:Talk! only accepts posts that haven’t been published elsewhere. Authors may ask the editors for permission to cross-post to another blog, if the circumstances so warrant. In all such cases acknowledgment of the original publication on EJIL:Talk! should be given.

Style guidelines for post submissions

1. Contributor bio and photograph: If this is your first time contributing to EJIL:Talk!, or it has been some time since you last contributed, we will create or update your contributor profile. Please submit in the same Word document as your post a brief bio, including if applicable a hyperlink to your university or professional web page and details of any Twitter profile you may have. Please also attach a color photo of yourself to your email. You may additionally send any other photographs that are relevant to the content of your post.

2. Length and headings: The general limit for the length of a post is 1500 words. We know that some topics need a longer treatment, but shorter posts are more likely to be read. Longer posts will be published only exceptionally, if the topic so warrants in the judgment of the editors.

3. Fonts, spacing, and paragraph format: Any font is fine. Please submit your post single spaced with a single line return between paragraphs and no indentation. Use headings at your discretion (e.g., every four paragraphs) to break up long posts. Do not use more than one level of headings. Headings should be in bold.

4. Footnotes: Please do not include any footnotes. If you are submitting an already-written piece containing footnotes, decide whether to move the footnote text into the main body of the piece or delete it.

5. Citations: Please put any citations/references in parentheses immediately after the propositions or quotations that they support. We do not accept footnote citations. Cite only when necessary.

6. Hyperlinks: Insert embedded hyperlinks to relevant supporting materials and legal texts, including statutes, treaties, and cases, and to relevant previous EJIL:Talk! posts. Always consider what would be useful to the reader. In Word, hyperlinks can be easily embedded by selecting text, right-clicking, and choosing the hyperlink option in the contextual menu.

Guidelines for comments and moderation policy

1. To become a commenter on the blog, we require that your first post on the site be moderated. This simply means that your first comment will not be posted instantly; rather, it will be reviewed by the  editors after which, if approved, you will be able to post all subsequent comments directly to the blog. To do so, click on the ‘Comments’ link at the bottom of any post viewed from our main page. On the next screen, please enter your desired username and an email address through which you may be contacted. Finally, enter your commentary in the appropriate field and click the “post” button after the entry has been completed. If your first post is accepted, you will be able to directly post all subsequent comments by using the same username and email address which you provided in your first entry.

2. We ask that all posts be written civilly and with an eye toward substance.

We welcome robust and critical analysis and comment — including the slaughtering of Holy Cows. We welcome both the harsh and the whimsical. But it has always been the policy of EJIL that we endeavor to maintain a tone that does not offend good taste and that in interpersonal exchanges — in our debates in EJIL and in comments on EJIL Talk — disagreements are expressed in a non disagreeable manner.

Hopefully, this will exclude profanity, personal insults, and tangential commentary laced with invective. If not, we reserve the right to delete posts, edit them for civility or ban commenters outright. Any comments questioning moderation decisions will also be deleted; if you feel a comment was moderated without justification, please email the editors.

3. Please do not use this blog to further alternative agendas.

4.  Anonymous comments have at times violated our ‘sobriety’ policy and have had to be removed. On rare occasions anonymity may be justified, such as a submission from a jurisdiction which does not respect freedom of expression. An author who seeks to publish a post or comment anonymously should contact the the Editors of EJIL: Talk! by email. The Editors will give due consideration to any request for anonymity.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email