Submissions

SUBMISSIONS

Interested in publishing with the USF Maritime Law Journal? Send us a copy of your article submission according to the guidelines listed below and we would be pleased to consider your article for publication.

Article submissions may be submitted via email to: usfmlj.eae@gmail.com
or by mail:
University of San Francisco School of Law
USF Maritime Law Journal
2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117

Questions:
Phone: (415) 422-2766
Fax: (415) 422-6433

PUBLICATION GUIDELINES

• Style: Please submit papers by email attachment to usfmlj.eae@gmail.com, formatted in .doc or .docx in Times, Times New Roman, or Courier Fonts.
• Release: Each author must sign a release that transfers copyrights to the Journal, permits reproduction on Lexis and Westlaw, and guarantees the Journal exclusive use of the article.
• Author Information: Each author should submit the following with the paper:
  (1) Full legal name,
  (2) Previously published articles,
  (3) Full firm name,
  (4) Law school or other graduate school from which he or she graduated,
  (5) Business phone,
  (6) Business address,
  (7) Professional Affiliations, and
  (8) email address.

SUBSTANTIVE GUIDELINES

Writing Quality

• Article Summary: Please provide an accurate “road map” to your article, including a concise introduction. Does the article tell the reader where you are headed? Does it discuss what your conclusion will be?
• Headings: Please provide accurate and descriptive headings and subheadings. Do your headings, subheadings, and paragraphs make your article easy to follow?
• Title: Does the title of the article accurately describe the contents?
• Flow: Please ensure paragraphs flow well into each other by using transitional sentences, subheadings, or new paragraphs.
• Verb Usage: Please use active verbs instead of passive verbs. Use of active verbs make the article read more clearly.
• Footnotes: Please footnote each sentence or idea and provide a source for that footnote. The only sentences that should not have a footnote are opinions of the author.

Technical Guidelines

• Citations:Please cite all sources in footnotes, not endnotes. Full length and abbreviated case names may be used in the text, but should be italicized.Footnote references should be cited according to the Harvard Blue Book, Current Edition. All sources, including American Maritime Cases (“AMC”), should be fully cited. If an AMC case cite is available, please provide the AMC cite after the official reporter when full citing the case.All pinpoint cites should be to the official reporter; there is no need to pinpoint cite to AMC.

  Whe citing a Supreme Court case, always cite to U.S. when possible. Otherwise, cite to S. Ct. Please do not cite to both.

• Footnote Accuracy:Please check every footnote to ensure substantive and technical accuracy.Any statement of fact or law should have a footnote. Opinions of the author(s) do not need to be cited.When citing cases, please cite to the actual reporter. You should rely on the hard-bound resources, not electronic databases.When citing statutes, always cite U.S.C., the official reporter.

  When quoting, please check every word of each quote against a hard copy of the source. Please put 50+ word quotes in block quotation format.

  Please provide pinpoint cites to cases except when citing only to a case name in the text (i.e., where there is no statement of fact or holding). When in doubt, please pincite.

  Please use the correct signal per Blue Book Rule 1.2. Appropriate signals are: see: (with pin cite) see also: (with pin cite) see, e.g.,: (with pin cite) and parenthetical information see generally: (with parenthetical information).

  When citing sources, please verify that dates, years, editions, etc. are correct and that author’s name and title of article are accurate and the parties’ names are correct and abbreviated properly.

• Shepardization: Individually shepardize every case for relevant subsequent and prior history. If the source has been overruled or superseded by statute, please note this in a parenthetical. This is of prime importance because your article should be a source of good and accurate law. For example, 34 F.2d 2839 (5th Cir. 1991), cert. denied, 504 U.S. 899 (1992).
• Plagiarism: Please avoid plagiarizing! It is preferable to paraphrase unless the words have special meaning, such as a term of art, a commonly quoted phrase or test, or a particularly important passage. When in doubt, quote the language directly.
• Sources: Check all newspaper articles, court documents, and other sources. Please provide the Journal with copies of newspaper articles, court documents, and other resources that are not readily available.

We look forward to receiving your article! Remember that we’re here to help with the technical aspects of the paper, so just focus on collecting your sources and writing a great article.