Submissions to SMU Law Review Forum

The SMU Law Review Forum accepts both unsolicited manuscripts and responses to previously published pieces in any of the SMU Law Review Association's journals. The Association's journals include the SMU Law Review Forum as well as the SMU Law Review, the Journal of Air Law and Commerce, and the SMU Annual Texas Survey. 

To increase both the efficiency and effectiveness of the review process, the SMU Law Review Forum accepts electronic submissions through Scholastica and email (response pieces by email only). Submissions delivered by mail will not be considered.

Authors

SMU Law Review Forum welcomes article submissions from judges, professors, practitioners, and law clerks, but does not accept submissions from current law students. The journal publishes on a rolling basis.

Format

Times 11 or larger font is required for all submissions. Submissions must contain footnote, not endnote, citations that conform to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation or, when appropriate, The Greenbook: Texas Rules of Style. 

Submissions must be less than 16,000 words (except in extraordinary circumstances). The average accepted paper is 5,000 to 8,000 words, but varies by submission type. Please consider submitting longer works to the SMU Law Review or the Journal of Air Law and Commerce.

What to Include

  1. A resume or curriculum vitae for the author
  2. The Artificial Intelligence Disclosure Form, found here
  3. An abstract on a separate page
  4. A copy of the manuscript

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure Policy

Effective for all submissions received after April 2026, SMU Law Review Forum will require authors to disclose any use of artificial intelligence tools in the preparation of their work.
Authors who use AI at any stage of their submission should include a brief statement describing that use. This statement may address:

• The role AI played in conducting research, if any;
• The role AI played in writing or editing the manuscript, if any; and
• The specific AI tools or platforms that were employed.

However, regardless of what tools an author employs, ultimate responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the work rests entirely with the author. This includes the obligation to verify all cited sources. Unverifiable, fabricated, or AI-hallucinated citations undermine the scholarly value of a submission and will be treated as a serious deficiency under the Publication's attribution standards. Any submission containing sources that cannot be confirmed may be rejected from publication.

Expedited Review

Due to the short-form nature of the articles published, review of most submissions will occur within one week.

Questions

Questions regarding submissions policies should be directed to the Forum Executive Editor at smulraforum@smu.edu.