The Washington International Law Journal welcomes submissions of blog articles through our electronic submission system. The Blog aims to publish short-form content from a variety of points of view, and employs an editorial process distinct from our print journal submissions.
If you are a student, scholar or practitioner interested in publishing on the Washington International Law Journal’sBlog, please contact us via blogsubmissions@wilj.org and include either a full draft or a substantive description of your proposed post.
Topical Requirements
Blog submissions must be both international and legal in nature. While posts may draw on historical, international relations, economic, humanitarian, and political developments for context, the legal issue must remain central.
For purposes of the Blog’s publication standards, a matter is deemed “sufficiently international” when it conforms to the following definition:
Blog submissions are sufficiently international when they:
- Concern matters entirely situated outside the territory of the United States; or
- Concern the laws, acts, or territory of another sovereign state, territory, foreign body; or
- Involve the conduct, priorities, actions, or policies of the United States, and the resulting effects, responses, or engagements with at least one other sovereign state, territory, foreign body, or the citizens or subjects thereof; or
- Concern international legal developments that apply to sovereign states broadly, in a manner that gives rise to cross-border legal, political, or factual implications.
Length
We strongly prefer submissions that fall between 1000-1500 words (including all text, citations, image descriptions and appendices).
Our editorial process is designed to condense blogs to 1500 words maximum.
Submissions exceeding 1500 words may be accepted at the editors’ discretion if the additional length is justified and can be refined during the editing process. However, submissions exceeding 1,750 words will not be considered for publication.
Style Guidelines
The Blog is designed to be educational, accessible, and engaging. Submissions should aim to explain international or comparative legal issues through a clear analysis intended for a broad audience. We encourage authors to avoid legalese where possible, and to write with clarity, conciseness, and accessibility in mind.
If applicable, you can choose to include graphs, images, or diagrams if and where they enhance clarity or strengthen the analysis of a blog post.
Authors may choose a variety of approaches (argumentative, descriptive, analytical, etc.) but in all cases, the tone should remain professional and the style approachable. Posts should strike a balance between academic rigor and readability.
We ask that blog posts begin with a clear introduction that sets out the topic and main ideas, and conclude with a concise ending that wraps up the discussion. Beyond this, we leave the structure and development of the post to you: whether you build it around an argument, a descriptive narrative, or a layered analysis depends on your objective and chosen style.
Citation Instructions
Blog posts should not use formal Bluebook-style citations. Instead, sources must be attributed through hyperlinks. To insert a hyperlink, select an appropriate phrase in the text and use “command + k” (Mac), “ctrl + k” (Windows), or right-click and select Insert Link, then add the relevant URL.
Always hyperlink directly to the source whenever possible. Below are guidelines for different types of sources:
1. Law Review Articles, Law Blogs, and Academic Sources
- Whenever possible, link directly to the article on the journal’s website. Many law reviews now provide full access.
- If no open-access link is available, use HeinOnline or JSTOR as alternatives.
- Always confirm whether a journal provides its own access before relying on third-party databases.
2. Court Cases
- Acceptable links include Justia, Cornell’s Legal Information Institute, Oyez, Google Scholar, or Library of Congress PDFs, provided they include the full text of the case.
- Westlaw or Lexis links may be used if necessary, but publicly accessible sources are strongly preferred.
3. Newspapers, Magazines, and Websites
- Link directly to the online version of the article. Paywalled sources (e.g., The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic) are permissible, though note that not all readers may have access.
- For websites, we encourage authors to include a perma.cc link in addition to the original URL. This ensures the reference remains accessible even if the page changes or is taken down.
- When citing government or international organizations, consider linking to their official press releases or speeches in addition to journalistic coverage.
4. Print Sources (Books and All Other Non-Digital Materials
- Whenever possible, rely on online sources. If citing a print-only source is unavoidable, provide sufficient information for readers to identify it without a formal citation.
- As a rule of thumb, include the author, title, publication (for periodicals), and year of publication when relevant. Exclude technical bibliographic details such as volume, issue, or publisher.
- Do not link to Google Books or Amazon pages.
Source Attribution Policy
Authors may not reuse, borrow, or paraphrase material from previously published works (including their own prior work) without either
(1) Proper attribution; or
(2) clearly stating at the outset that the blog is an adaptation, summary, or explanation of the author’s previously published work.
If your article falls under #2, please ensure you communicate this in your initial email to our editorial team along with the original work attached.
- Direct quotations: If you use a nontrivial amount of exact language, quotation marks are required.
- Paraphrasing: When paraphrasing, a hyperlink to the source is sufficient for attribution.
- Self-citation: These rules apply equally when referencing your own prior published work.
When citing:
- It is unnecessary to repeat the same link in every sentence if it is clear that the material is still from the same source.
- If there is any risk of reader confusion, a new link should be provided.
Authors must always make clear where the borrowed or paraphrased material ends and where their own analysis begins.
Deadline Policies
Non-Student Submissions
WILJ accepts non-student submissions on a rolling basis with no enforced deadlines.
You may submit your finished blog at any time, and we will return it with suggested edits as promptly as possible. Our aim is to return all drafts to authors within 1–2 weeks, but timing may vary depending on the time of the school year.
If you would like to request expedited review, please indicate this in the subject line of your email using the format: “Expedited Review Request – [Title of Submission]”.
If you would like us to publish your blog article as an anonymous submission, do indicate as such.
Student Submissions
We maintain a 6-week editorial process for students, which can be opted into at the beginning of an academic quarter. An example timeline is provided below:
| Name: | Blog Topic Chosen Date: | First Draft Submitted to Editors Due Date: | Editor Revisions Due Date: | Final Draft Due Date: |
Questions?
Email blog editors at winlj@ew.edu