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eScholarship
Open Access Publications from the University of California

Submission Guidelines

What We Publish

JLPE publishes original articles, essays, and book reviews.

  • Original articles offer insights based on the author's original research.
  • Essays reflect on the author's personal experience, or discuss a small number of secondary works with the primary goal of evaluation.
    • Commentary on scholarship published at any time that warrants re-examination in light of the law and political economy movement. Here we are interested in identifying works (whether books or articles) that in the author's estimation should be part of the law and political economy "canon," especially work that may have been under-appreciated or marginalized when first published.
  • Book reviews examine a piece of recently published scholarship (publication date within the last two years).

Article manuscripts should be no longer than approximately 20,000 words, including abstract, notes, and references. Essays should be no longer than 12,000 words. Book reviews should be no longer than 800 words.

Any submitted manuscript that does not conform to these limits may be returned to the author for editing.


Style and Formatting of Manuscripts


JLPE will review manuscripts submitted in any generally accepted citation style (including the “Bluebook” law review style), as long as the manuscript includes footnotes or endnotes and a list of references.

Authors are responsible for revising accepted manuscripts to conform to the journal style sheet. In order to speed up this process, we encourage authors to submit articles in conformance with the style sheet when possible.

For general style issues not addressed in our style sheet, please use The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, “author-date system” (online: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html)

For general issues of spelling, punctuation and usage not covered by the Chicago Manual of Style, please consult The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (online: https://www.merriam-webster.com/)


Peer-Review Guidelines

JLPE is a double-blind, peer-reviewed journal. Authors are expected to revise tentatively approved articles in a timely manner after receiving review comments. If a revision is not received within three months, the submitting author will be asked for a status report. Any article manuscript not revised within six months of receiving review comments will be withdrawn from consideration.

JLPE will not consider any manuscript concurrently submitted for publication elsewhere.

Submission of a manuscript commits the author to publish the manuscript in JLPE if accepted for publication by the Editors.

Upon receipt, the Managing Editor will review the manuscript for fit within the journal mission. Manuscripts not within the scope of the journal will be returned. Manuscripts initially approved will be reviewed anonymously by two or three outside experts. Double-blind peer review means that manuscripts are rendered anonymous prior to review, and that referees are not identified to authors. Peer reviewers are selected by the Managing Editor in consultation with members of the journal staff and/or advisory board.

Peer Reviewers will make recommendations regarding the manuscript's suitability for publication and asked to choose one of four responses: (1) published as is, (2) published with minor modifications, (3) published with major modifications, or (4) rejected. After the journal staff has reviewed the blind reviewer recommendations, the Managing Editor will contact the author and transmit both the disposition and, if the manuscript has been accepted, a letter providing commentary and guidance on the suggested revisions. The journal staff reserve the right to make final decisions on the disposition of a manuscript when the peer review process has been completed.

Book reviews do not undergo double-blind peer review. Book review manuscripts are edited by the Journal staff.