Stanford Law & Policy Review

The Stanford Law & Policy Review (SLPR) is one of the most prominent policy journals in the nation and informs public discourse by publishing articles that analyze the intersection of the U.S. legal system with local, state, and federal policy. SLPR is ideologically neutral and solicits articles from authors who represent a diversity of political viewpoints.

Submissions Timeline

Each year, SLPR publishes one volume containing two issues. The Articles Committee reviews submissions on a rolling basis until each issue is filled. We typically begin our summer submission cycle review in August for articles to be published in Issue 1. We typically begin our winter submission cycle review in January for articles to be published in Issue 2. Submissions are usually closed by late September and late February, respectively.

Submissions Requirements

Materials. Please include your manuscript, a short abstract, and a resume or CV for each author with your submission. A cover letter is not required. To the extent you choose to submit a cover letter, please provide an explanation of the articles contribution to the literature and explain its policy relevance.

Citations. The text and citations of the submission should conform to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (22nd ed. 2025).

Length. Articles should be between 15,000 and 25,000 words including notes and citations. Manuscripts over 25,000 words are strongly discouraged.

Author Eligibility. We accept article submissions from academics, legal scholars, practitioners, and policymakers. Current J.D. and LL.M. students are not eligible to submit pieces as articles. Undergraduate work is not accepted.

Contents. SLPR seeks to publish articles with novel ideas, rigorous analysis, and impactful solutions across a wide range of topics related to U.S. domestic policy. Past articles have covered legal and policy issues related to administrative law, antitrust, civil rights, child welfare, criminal reform, disability law, education, elections, environmental policy, financial regulation, healthcare, housing, immigration, innovation and technology policy, labor rights, national security, privacy, and tax policy, among others.

We look favorably on articles that provide a thorough treatment of policy issues in addition to legal analysis. Articles that focus on legal theory or doctrine should be sure to provide a clear analysis of the policy implications and/or proposals for reform.

Given our U.S. domestic policy focus, we do not often publish articles focused primarily or exclusively on international or comparative issues.

Questions. Any further questions about the articles submission process can be directed to the Lead Articles Editor, Stephanie Brown (sbrown42@stanford.edu).

Expedite Requests

Please submit expedite requests to SLPR via Scholastica. SLPR will do its best to honor all requests for expedited review during its review cycle.

SLPR Notes

Please note that we currently only accept student note submissions from Stanford Law School students and recent graduates. For details about the submissions process for these pieces, please contact the Lead Notes Editor, Meghan Gilmore (mgilmore@stanford.edu).