Submission Requirements

Where to Submit

Authors interested in publishing with the CLR are asked to submit their manuscripts via Scholastica. The CLR‘s Scholastica webpage can be found here
In the event that an author is experiencing financial hardship and is unable to submit a manuscript through Scholastica, the CLR will consider accepting manuscripts submitted by email (clr@charlestonlaw.edu). Any submission made through email must meet all the requirements elsewhere outlined on this webpage.

What to Submit

Citations and Style

The CLR relies on the 21st edition of The Bluebook for citations and the 17th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style for style guidelines.
Authors are responsible for making a good-faith effort to ensure that their citations are in accordance with the rules of The Bluebook. No manuscript will be considered in which such an effort has not been made.
All citations should be included in footnotes, not in endnotes.

Review Process

- Authors will be notified via Scholastica if their manuscript has been accepted for publication in the CLR. After receiving notification, authors will generally have a two-week period in which to decide whether to accept the CLR‘s publication offer. If an author needs additional time in which to make a decision, the CLR will consider requests for an extension, provided those requests are submitted through Scholastica.
- Once an author accept the CLR‘s publication offer, the Editor-in-Chief will email the author an author agreement to be signed, dated, and returned. In a letter attached to the agreement, the CLR will also provide a date by which the author should submit a final copy of his or her manuscript.
- After the CLR receives the final copy of an author’s manuscript, the review process will be completed in three stages.

First Stage

- The first stage of editing will focus on substantive suggestions. These suggestions will be incorporable at the author’s discretion.
- During this phase of the editing process, the CLR will not address Bluebook issues or issues of grammar, punctuation, and style. Nonetheless, authors are expected to have made best efforts to ensure their citations conform to Bluebook rules.
- After the first stage of editing has been completed, authors will receive back a copy of their manuscript and will be provided with a deadline by which to review and respond to all substantive comments.

Second Stage

- Once the CLR receives an author’s responses to the first stage of editing, the author’s manuscript will be considered “locked.” In other words, the CLR will not thereafter consider additional substantive changes unless the Editor-in-Chief advises such changes or deems necessary any changes suggested by the author.
- With substantive matters having been addressed, the CLR will begin bringing a manuscript into compliance with The Bluebook, The Chicago Manual of Style, and CLR in-house rules.
- During this stage of the editing process, each manuscript will receive three “passes” by CLR staff and editors.

- After all passes have been completed, authors will receive yet another copy of their manuscript and will be given a deadline by which to review and respond to the latest round of comments.
- Authors will have latitude in making purely stylistic decisions. However, unless authors identify a specific citation, grammar, or punctuation suggestion that does not conform to The Bluebook, The Chicago Manual of Style, or in-house CLR rules, the CLR will treat all its suggestions as having been accepted.

Third Stage

- In the third and final stage of review, an author’s manuscript will receive a final pass by the Editor-in-Chief and the Associate Editors-in-Chief.
- Once the final review has been completed, authors will receive one last copy of their manuscript and will be given a deadline by which to respond to suggested changes.