UKZN STUDENT LAW REVIEW
DEVELOPING WRITING, DEVELOPING LAW
HOW TO PUBLISH WITH THE UKZNSLR
IF THERE'S A LEGAL TOPIC THAT YOU'VE ENCOUNTERED, AND YOU WANT TO VOICE AN OPINION ON IT, THIS IS YOUR PLATFORM. HERE'S HOW:
WHY SHOULD YOU WRITE?
For a full discussion on this topic and to read the Dean's thoughts, click here.
In summary:
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CV bragging rights
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A lawyer's most important tool is writing - enhance your skills
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Hone your critical thinking skills
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Learn how to think out-of-the-box and beyond FIRAC
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Enjoy the opportunity to engage with a topic of your own choosing
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Develop your research skills
1. CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
The Editorial Committee will issue a Call for Abstracts which will be well-publicised online and on campus. At this point, prospective authors will need to compose a one-page synopsis of the articles they intend to write. The Committee will then review the submitted abstracts and approve those which show promise.
2. WRITE THE ARTICLE
After the author's abstract has been approved, the author is free to write the full article. The process will be structured so as to give authors a holiday in which to write.
Our first edition required the house style of the SLJ, but we have since decided to create our own house style, more suited to students. Details of this new house style will be available soon.
3. EDITING PROCESS
Each article undergoes a stringent editing process, which is beneficial in two ways: firstly, it guarantees a high standard, and secondly, it works as a training mechanism for the author, who is guided by the feedback that comes through from the process.
The article is first edited by a student editor, who will basically perform a spelling and grammar check. If the student editor finds that the article is lacking in some areas, the student will alert the author, who will make the necessary changes and resubmit.
The article will then be reviewed by a Master's student whose area of expertise falls within the field dealt with by the article. Once again, the Master's student will suggest changes and the student will act accordingly.
The article will then reach a similarly specialised lecturer from the Faculty who will review it in the same way.
After the student has made the necessary changes, the article must be approved by the Editor-in-Chief and the Managing Editor (currently Ms Lee Stone). After that, it will be reviewed by an editor of the Law School (currently Mr David Barraclough).
4. YOUR ARTICLE IS PUBLISHED
Your article will then be published by the UKZN Student Law Review.
Initiallly, our publication will only be made available online as a soft copy, but we hope to eventually secure funds in order to print hard copies and distribute them.