Submissions

We strongly prefer articles under 30,000 words (including footnotes). We will consider manuscripts over 30,000 words, but length will be a factor that weighs against acceptance.

We also encourage the submission of Essays of approximately 10,000-15,000 words (including footnotes). However, we do not typically publish Book Reviews. Citations must appear in footnotes, not endnotes, and should conform to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (21st ed. 2020).

We typically extend offers of publication on the phone and give authors 24 hours to decide whether or not to accept such an offer.

Electronic Submissions

With the exception of exclusive submissions, all Articles and Essays must be submitted through Scholastica. Submissions should be in Microsoft Word format and include a short abstract and the author’s CV. We no longer accept paper submissions.

Exclusive Submissions

Starting February 1, 2023, we will once again welcome manuscripts that are submitted exclusively to the University of Pennsylvania Law Review for at least seven days before submission to other journals. Authors may send exclusive submissions to submissions@pennlawreview.com. The subject line should read, “Exclusive Submission,” and the body of the e-mail should clearly indicate the submission is exclusive and the date you expect to send the manuscript to other journals.

Expedited Review

Authors who have received an offer of publication from another law review or journal may request an expedited review through Scholastica. While expedited review provides your submission with no competitive advantage, we make every effort to review expedited material in a timely manner. Given the high volume of submissions, we are not able to confirm receipt of an expedite request. Additionally, please be aware that publication offers following expedited review expire one hour after the offer is extended.

Author Policy

The University of Pennsylvania Law Review welcomes submissions authored or co-authored by scholars, practitioners, judges, and graduate students (Ph.D. or equivalent), including those co-authored by current J.D. students.

J.D. students may submit their work to the University of Pennsylvania Law Review Online for consideration.

CLOSED

The University of Pennsylvania Law Review Online is closed for submissions as of September 13, 2023.

Submissions should include a word count at the top of the manuscript, an abstract, and the author’s CV. Given our heavy annual publication load, it is the policy of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review Online to give significant consideration to submissions containing zip files of all cited sources.

Essays

CLOSED

Essays should be submitted to the University of Pennsylvania Law Review Online at editor@pennlawreview.com. We prefer essays that do not exceed 4,500 words within the main text and 2,000 words within the footnotes.

Responses

CLOSED

Online responses to Articles should be submitted to the University of Pennsylvania Law Review Online at editor@pennlawreview.com. We prefer Responses that do not exceed 4,500 words within the main text, and 2,000 words within the footnotes.

Debates

CLOSED

Interested debaters should submit a list of debate participants and a topic to the University of Pennsylvania Law Review Online at editor@pennlawreview.com. Debates are comprised of an opening statement, a rebuttal, and closing statements by each side. The length of each submission is expected to be one to two times the length of an average opinion/editorial newspaper article (i.e., 1,000-2,000 words), and without footnotes.

Online Exclusives

The University of Pennsylvania Law Review Online, formerly known as PENNumbra, is pleased to host debates between respected scholars on current controversies, responses to scholarly articles published by the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, short essays, and case notes written by current editors of the Law Review. Submissions must conform to the University of Pennsylvania Law Review Online submission criteria.

Citation format for responses to law review articles:

Michael C. Macchiarola, Response, Tilting at Insider Trading Windmills, 163 U. Pa. L. Rev. Online 61 (2014), http://www.pennlawreview.com/online/163-U-Pa-L-Rev-Online-61.pdf.

General citation format for debates:

Eric J. Segall, Jonathan H. Adler, Debate, King v. Burwell and the Validity of Federal Tax Subsidies Under the Affordable Care Act, 163 U. Pa. L. Rev. Online 215 (2015), http://www.pennlawreview.com/ online/163-U-Pa-L-Rev-Online-215.pdf.

Citation format for case notes:

Bianca Nunes, Case Note, The Future of Government Mandated Health Warnings After R.J. Reynolds and American Meat Institute, 163 U. Pa. L. Rev. Online 177 (2014), http://www.pennlawreview.com/ online/163-U-Pa-L-Rev-Online-177.pdf.

Citation format for essays:

Michael S. Knoll & Ruth Mason, Comptroller v. Wynne: Internal Consistency, a National Marketplace, and Limits on State Sovereignty to Tax, 163 U. Pa. L. Rev. Online 267 (2015), http://www.pennlawreview.com/online/163-U-Pa-L-Rev-Online-267.pdf.