Submissions

What we are looking for

An argument, developed at length, that a well-read non-specialist can follow. We are more interested in a claim worth defending than in a survey of what others have said, and pieces that draw on more than one discipline are especially welcome — that is the point of the Review.

Length

Essays run from 1,000 words to 10,000. Below a thousand words there is rarely room to make a case and answer the obvious objection to it, which is the minimum an argument owes its reader. Ten thousand is room enough for a full treatment; if your subject genuinely needs more, write and tell us why before you begin.

Referencing

Every quotation, statistic, and claim that is not your own should be traceable to its source. We are not doctrinaire about which style you use — OSCOLA, Chicago, Harvard and APA are all welcome — but please use one consistently throughout.

References belong in footnotes rather than in the body, so the argument reads cleanly. Where a source is available online, include the link. Where you are drawing on a work rather than quoting it, say so plainly in the note; a reader should always be able to tell what you have read from what you have concluded.

Original work

We publish only original work, submitted to us alone. If a piece has appeared elsewhere — including a personal blog, a preprint server, or a university repository — tell us where and when. That is very often fine, but it has to be our decision rather than a discovery.

Plagiarism ends consideration. Passing off another writer’s words, structure, or unattributed ideas as your own is not a matter we negotiate over: the submission is declined and we will not read further work. This is not suspicion of anyone in particular. A review has nothing to offer its readers except the reliability of what appears in it, and that reliability is only worth something if it holds without exception.

The same standard applies to text produced by an AI system. Using one to think with, to check an argument, or to tidy your prose is your own business. Presenting its output as your writing, or letting it invent citations you have not read, is not. Verify every reference you cite.

How to submit

Send a pitch of a few hundred words using the form below. If you have a completed draft, attach the file or link to it. We read everything and aim to reply within a week.

Terms

Contributors retain copyright in their work and grant the Review a licence to publish it. Accepted essays are edited for clarity and house style; nothing that changes your argument is published without your agreement. We do not currently pay for contributions, which is stated here rather than left to be discovered.