Submissions

We are currently accepting submissions for Volume 54 (2022–2023) of the Columbia Human Rights Law Review (HRLR), our journal print publication. We are also accepting submissions for HRLR Online, our online component. Please see below for more details on each publication. Both publications require similar submission formatting, as outlined below.

The Columbia Human Rights Law Review

The Columbia Human Rights Law Review calls for submissions to be published in Volume 54 of the Review. HRLR welcomes the submission of unsolicited manuscripts of proposed articles for possible publication. Accepted contributions generally deal directly with, or are otherwise relevant to, current ideas in international human rights and domestic civil rights law, including pieces from interdisciplinary perspectives. We seek pieces with balanced legal analysis, or pieces that justify a position and advocate it cogently. We welcome works by scholars, practitioners, and others with knowledge of the human rights field.

Submissions are welcome from practitioners, law professors, recent graduates, and interested scholars in other disciplines. BIPOC authors, LGBTQI2S+ authors, disabled authors, authors from low-income backgrounds, and all authors from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in human rights legal scholarship are especially encouraged to submit pieces. 

We are particularly interested in the following types of submissions:

  • Submissions from practitioners in the fields of international and domestic human rights and civil rights.
  • Submissions with empirical analysis whose findings can be independently verified. 

Submissions details are as follows:

  • Submit only one, double spaced copy of your manuscript. We greatly prefer if submissions appear in Microsoft Word format.
  • Submissions via Scholastica, ExpressO, or email are acceptable. Please send a copy of your manuscript, CV, and contact information (address, phone number, and email address). If you seek to submit via email, please send the above information to columbia.hrlr.submissions@gmail.com.
  • Submitted articles should range from 10,000 to 30,000 words and be double-spaced in a 12-point font with 1″ margins.
  • Text and citations should conform to A Uniform System of Citation (21st ed. 2020) (“The Bluebook”). Footnotes are strongly preferred over endnotes.
  • We encourage the use of gender-neutral language.
  • If you have an expedited deadline, please let us know as soon as possible via email or Scholastica notification. We will do our best to honor all expedite requests and to provide a prompt publication decision. 

Please address questions regarding submissions to Executive Articles Editor Meenu Mathews at columbia.hrlr.submissions@gmail.com.

HRLR Online Call for Submissions

The Columbia Human Rights Law Review calls for submissions to be published on our online platform, HRLR Online. HRLR Online highlights different perspectives on the broader topics discussed in our upcoming print issues. For the upcoming publication year, we are primarily interested in submissions on the intersection of human rights and the following topics: civil rights movements, the rise in racism towards minority groups, the global refugee crisis, the Russia-Ukraine war, criminal legal systems, environmental justice, land and resource rights, digital privacy, labor and employment rights, health policies, and persecution of religious minorities. We also remain interested in more general submissions.

Submissions are welcome from practitioners, law professors, law students, organizers, and interested scholars in other disciplines. BIPOC authors, LGBTQI2S+ authors, disabled authors, authors from low-income backgrounds, formerly-incarcerated authors, international authors, first-time authors, and all authors from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in human rights legal scholarship are especially encouraged to submit pieces. 

HRLR Online focuses on emerging issues and typically publishes pieces that are shorter in length (between 15 and 25 pages). To submit, please email a copy of your resume and piece to Columbia Human Rights Law Review Submissions at columbia.HRLROnline.submissions@gmail.com with the subject line “HRLR Online Submission.”  

Submissions details are as follows:

  • Submit only one, double spaced copy of your manuscript. We greatly prefer if submissions appear in Microsoft Word format.
  • Submitted articles should range from 15 – 25 pages and be double-spaced in a 12-point font with 1″ margins.
  • Text and citations should conform to A Uniform System of Citation (21st ed. 2020) (“The Bluebook”). Footnotes are strongly preferred over endnotes.
  • We encourage the use of gender-neutral language.
  • Submissions should include author resume and contact information (address, phone number, and email address). 

Please direct all submissions and any questions to HRLR Online Submissions Executive Online Editor, Erin Kurvers, at columbia.HRLROnline.submissions@gmail.com.