Our Statement of Purpose and Editorial Policy
The University of Colorado Environmental Law Journal welcomes the submission of unsolicited manuscripts. The University of Colorado Environmental Law Journal uses Scholastica, an electronic submission service, which can be reached at https://scholasticahq.com. If you are not affiliated with a university, you may submit your article through Scholastica directly. The University of Colorado Environmental Law Journal does not accept direct submissions by mail or e-mail. Manuscripts should be double-spaced and no longer than seventy pages. Citations should conform to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (21st ed. 2020). For general inquiries for the Colorado Environmental Law Journal, please contact envtl.law.review@colorado.edu.
Articles Submission Information
The Colorado Environmental Law Journal welcomes the unsolicited submission of articles and provides the following guidance regarding submissions.
- The article must be accompanied by the author’s CV or resume. The author must have completed an advanced graduate degree, but a JD is not required. In exceptional cases, and for exceptionally relevant or excellent articles, the Journal may accept articles written by graduate students, including law students, at other universities.
- Most accepted articles are between 30 and 75 double-spaced manuscript pages in 12-point type. Papers longer than 125 pages will generally not be considered. Longer articles may be edited to meet publication requirements.
- The article must address one of the following fields: natural resources, energy, or environmental law and policy.
- Papers submitted for publication should use citation conventions from The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, Twentieth Edition (2015), available from The Harvard Law Review Association; Gannet House; 1511 Massachusetts Avenue; Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, or at most law school bookstores and libraries. If you are unable to obtain this manual or are unfamiliar with legal citation format, please provide complete citation information in your footnotes. Please note that authors who cite to sources or references which are difficult or impossible to obtain will be expected to provide the Journal with a copy of the cited source by mail or fax after acceptance for publication and within a reasonable time after the Journal has requested it.
Articles Selection and Editing Process
To be accepted for publication, all papers must meet both the substantive and stylistic criteria of the Journal. Simply stated, papers must involve an examination of natural resources, energy, or environmental issues and be rigorously footnoted. In addition, we usually select one exceptional article that addresses environmental issues with international implications for each issue.
The preliminary review process takes about two weeks. Where appropriate, papers may be reviewed by experts in the relevant field to aid the Journal’s selection decision and subsequent editing processes. You will be notified of the Journal’s decision upon completion of the review. In most cases of acceptance, we will make an offer of publication by electronic mail and then provide an electronic letter and copy of our standard author’s contract. Articles or other materials from authors may be unconditionally accepted for publication prior to undergoing any editorial modifications. Materials may also be conditionally accepted with the understanding that the author will undertake major modifications prior to publication. Articles Editors will work with authors to refine the written product with the overall objective to enhance the effectiveness of written communication.
The Journal reserves the right to revoke acceptance of any paper which, upon closer examination, is not acceptable to the Journal in form or substance, or which contains information or citations which cannot be verified.
Accepted papers will be edited for substance, grammar, and verification of citations. The author retains control of any substantive changes, while the Journal staff controls grammatical and stylistic changes.
Authors of published papers receive two copies of the Journal issue containing their work and fifteen bound reprints of their paper. Additional reprints are available upon request at the author’s expense.
For more information about the article submission process or for answers to specific questions, please contact the Lead Articles Editor via e-mail at elr.articles@colorado.edu.