Submission Requirements

SWJLE mission is to elevate legal scholarship that thoughtfully examines issues impacting marginalized communities and to advance dialogue centered around equity, access, and justice. The Journal is dedicated to issues that affect Black communities and people of color, generally.

SWJLE is accepting all relevant submissions for Volume I to include articles, student comments and notes, and essays. For additional information, please contact swblsa.eic@nblsa.org.

Manuscript Format and Guidelines

  • SWJLE conducts a double-blind review of all submissions. Please ensure any works provided have removed all identifying information.

  • Style guide used by the journal, like APA Style, 7th edition

  • Submissions need not exceed forty (40) pages, however, we will consider articles beyond that limit.

  • Times New Roman font, size 12, and single spaced, justified formatting with 1-inch margins, .docx only

  • Format footnotes in 10 point size

Additional Required Files Please provide a current resume and cover letter with your submission. At the beginning of your paper, please also include:

Author's Name Title and Affiliation Title of Paper Abstract

Editoral Process Our review process includes (a) an initial assessment conducted by the Submissions and Articles Editors to ensure the article aligns with the SWJLE mission, (b) another review by the Managing Editor, (c) a note to the author within fourteen (14) days of submission indicating whether the article will be considered for publication, (d) a SWJLE Board vote on whether to extend an offer for publication, (e) SWJLE EIC issues final approval or denial via email to the author within thirty (30) days of initial receipt.

Expedited Review We will do our best to review tour piece by your expedite request deadline. As a smaller and newer Journal, we can not guarantee we will meet all expedite requests.

Offer of Publication After a manuscript has gone through each phase to include the initial assessment, the Managing Editor review and the SWJLE Board vote, an email will be sent with the status from the EIC.

SWJLE EIC will contact the author by email with an offer of publication. Once you have accepted an offer for publication from SWJLE, you must withdraw all other submissions

Withdrawing Your Submission If you accept an offer of publication from anbother Journal, please use Scholastica to withdraw your submission to SWJLE within 24 hours. We would kindly ask that you email the SWJLE EIC as well.