How to Write a Student Note for a Law Review

Being selected as a member of your school's law journal is a prestigious academic achievement. In addition to editing and fact-checking articles and notes for upcoming issues, you must research and write your own "student Note," an academic paper in which you take a position on a legal issue or offer a new interpretation to existing law. Your Note must not only be well researched, it must be well written if you want it to be published.

Instructions

1. Create an outline. Your outline should contain all of the sections required in a student Note and several subsections you create. This outline will serve as the skeleton of your paper and will keep your writing focused and organized. The first section is the Introduction. This section should entice the reader to read your Note and explain why the issue is relevant. The second section, History, should discuss the historical background of the law and how the issue was addressed in the past. The Analysis section is the meat of the Note and should be divided into subsections you create. These subsections should be in logical order and be written out in full sentences. This is where you provide your own, original perspective on the issue, which should smoothly lead into the Resolution section. The Resolution section is usually shorter than the Analysis section and proposes a way to remedy the issue. The Conclusion ties all the previous sections together and should be no longer than one page.

2. Write your first draft in sections and skip citations. Treat each section of your Note as separate papers because each section has its own specific purpose. If you notice that you need to research a section or subsection more extensively, make a note of it and continue working on other sections. Also, since most law students are not yet acclimated to Bluebook citation rules, it is best that you do not spend time adding proper citations as you write the first draft. Dedicate all of your time to writing. Instead of plugging in citations, use placeholders, such as a party name in brackets, where you would insert case names and insert your endnotes using the same placeholder.

3. Edit and revise at least three drafts. The purpose of your first draft is to get all of your ideas on paper. The quality of the writing and organization are not important. The point is to keep your fingers typing and your brain thinking. This first draft will also expose areas that need more research. The second draft should have tighter organization, better writing quality, and stronger arguments. Consult law professors for their input and suggestions to be added into your third draft. The third draft should be nearly publishable---it should be free of errors, well organized, well researched, and concise.

4. Insert proper Bluebook citations in your final draft. Go back to all the placeholders you used for inserting case names and insert proper Bluebook citations. Start at the beginning of the Note and work your way to the end. Although this is tedious and time consuming, it will ensure that you follow the correct citation rules, especially for successive citations.

5. Edit for wordiness, typos, and grammatical errors. The draft you submit should require little or no editing for publication. This includes error-free citations. Your Note editors will appreciate a student Note that is free of errors and they may give greater consideration to selecting your Note for publication based on your attention to detail. Careless typos not only distract editors as they review your note, they detract from your note's credibility.

Tips & Warnings

• Establish your own work progress goals in between deadline dates and create a timeline that dictates how many pages you will write each week. This will help you dedicate more time to editing and will eliminate time crunches. To increase the likelihood of having your Note selected for publication, review student notes that your law review has published in recent years.

• Do not plagiarize or summarize the works of others without properly citing them. A citation should follow almost every sentence you write. Be sure that your first endnote gives credit to all who have helped you draft your student note, especially professors.

Resources

• Writing Tips from Western New England College School of Law