Announcing the Northwestern Colloquy

[Last updated on June 24, 2008]

This introduction provides an outline of the Colloquy, an exciting feature of the Northwestern University Law Review that has been operating since November 1st, 2006. The Northwestern Colloquy is one of the first online scholarly publications operated by a major law review. It features legal commentary written in a form that is a hybrid between a print article and a blog post. This format allows scholars to publish their thoughts within weeks of an emerging legal development while maintaining the quality of scholarship expected of a print journal. The subject matter can be anything within the field of legal inquiry, whether a short exposition of a new idea, an analysis of an emerging legal topic, an ongoing debate regarding a legal issue, or a short response to an already published piece of scholarship. As with our print journal, readers can rely upon the Law Review to ensure that citations in these pieces support the assertions made in the essays.

 

For those who wish to publish pieces that straddle the border between the depth and rigor of an article and the speed and brevity of a blog post or an op-ed, the Colloquy publishes short essays, generally no more than 5,000 words, inclusive of footnotes. These essays will be published on the web, and some will also be selected for publication in a print volume of the Law Review. Publishing on the web drastically shortens the amount of time that lapses between the conception of an idea and the possibility of its publication in a major law review from more than a year to less than three months.

 

We also allow readers to comment on Colloquy pieces in a moderated forum. This feature allows an interactive way in which to attract and publish ideas, as well as a meeting place for far-flung scholars to interact and refine their work.

 

If you have questions about the Colloquy, or wish to submit a piece to be considered for publication on the Colloquy, please e-mail the Senior Colloquy Editor. Alternatively, please feel free to ask questions or offer suggestions in the comments.