Writing for Journals

1. Writing for Journals AEP Workshop for 1Ls March 2012

2. What journal editors look for: • Critical analysis and depth • Organized, clear writing • Careful editing

3. To improve your submission • Have a clear thesis. • Organize, explain, and support that thesis. • Save time for polishing.

4. To improve your submission • Have a clear thesis. • Decide what you think about the case. • Does it expand, limit, or change the previous law? How? • Is it a good decision or a bad one? Why? • Does it suggest a future direction for this area of law? • Does it require correction or change?

5. To improve your submission • Have a clear thesis. • Decide what you think about the case. • State your thesis clearly in one sentence. • This case makes it virtually impossible to establish standing. • Because this claim is no longer viable, victims will have to sue under tort law theories instead. • To make recovery possible at all, courts will have to change the standard to “predominant cause” rather than “sole cause.”

6. To improve your submission • Have a clear thesis. • Decide what you think about the case. • State your thesis clearly in one sentence. • Keep that sentence in front of you as you write. • Write it on an index card, and tape it to your computer. • Look at it before you write a section. • Compare all your content to that thesis to make sure the content is relevant.

7. To improve your submission • Have a clear thesis. • Decide what you think about the case. • State your thesis clearly in one sentence. • Keep that thesis in front of you as you write. • Modify the thesis as you write. • Replace extreme statements with supportable ones.

8. To improve your submission • Have a clear thesis. • Decide what you think about the case. • State your thesis clearly in one sentence. • Keep that thesis in front of you as you write. • Modify the thesis as you write. • Replace extreme statements with more supportable ones. • Narrow or broaden the statement as needed.

9. To improve your submission • Have a clear thesis. • Decide what you think about the case. • State your thesis clearly in one sentence. • Keep that thesis in front of you as you write. • Modify the thesis as you write. • Replace extreme statements with more supportable ones. • Narrow or broaden the statement as needed. • Change your mind, if necessary.

10. To improve your submission • Have a clear thesis. • Organize, explain, and support that thesis. • Introduction • Background • Analysis • Conclusion

11. To improve your submission • Have a clear thesis • Organize, explain, and support that thesis. • Assume an unfamiliar reader. • Explain and support your thesis. • Include information that answers your reader’s questions about the thesis. • Address counter-arguments.

12. To improve your submission • Have a clear thesis. • Organize, explain, and support that thesis. • Assume an unfamiliar reader. • Explain and support your thesis. • Make your organization obvious. • Roadmaps • Thesis sentences • Transitions

13. To improve your submission • Have a clear thesis. • Organize, explain, and support that thesis. • Save time for polishing. • Edit out surplus words. • Read slowly and carefully for errors and style. • Use the Redbook or the Texas Manual on Style

14. To improve your submission • Have a clear thesis. • Organize, explain, and support that thesis. • Save time for polishing. • Edit out surplus words. • Read slowly and carefully for errors and style. • Save more time for citation than you think you need.

15. To improve your submission • Have a clear thesis. • Decide what you think about the case. • State your thesis clearly in one sentence. • Keep that thesis in front of you as you write. • Modify the thesis as you write. • Organize, explain, and support that thesis. • Assume an unfamiliar reader. • Explain and support your thesis. • Make your organization obvious. • Save time for polishing. • Edit out surplus words. • Read slowly and carefully for errors and style. • Save more time for citation than you think you need.