General Submissions

The Georgetown Immigration Law Journal (GILJ) publishes scholarly articles and student notes that contribute to the advancement of the theory and practice of domestic and international immigration law. The journal welcomes submissions from scholars, practitioners, and doctoral degree candidates in various disciplines.

GILJ publishes articles on a broad range of subjects related to the legal aspects of immigration, both domestically and internationally. The journal will consider articles related to domestic immigration and/or international migration on subjects including but not limited to: US or comparative immigration law and policy, forced migration, refugee law, internal displacement, and nationality law. As GILJ is dedicated to publishing work falling under a broad conception of immigration law, articles might also touch upon related legal fields such as administrative law, constitutional law, criminal law, international law, human rights, and labor law.

Submission Criteria and Review

Submissions should adhere to the following technical criteria: Microsoft Word format; double-spaced text (twelve-point Times New Roman font); single-spaced footnotes (ten-point Times New Roman font); one-inch margins all around; and Bluebook (latest edition) citation format. It is the strong preference of the journal to publish articles between 10,000 and 25,000 words in length, including footnotes. The journal will not publish articles exceeding 35,000 words.

In addition to the manuscript, authors are asked to provide (1) an abstract (250 words or less), (2) a personal diversity statement (250 words or less), as well as (3) a current resume or CV, which includes a list of current publications if applicable. Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the year by Article Selection Editors and the Editor in Chief of the GILJ. The review process can take several weeks as we make every effort to carefully consider articles that meet our selection criteria. We appreciate your patience during exam periods and the summer months when the review process is likely to be protracted.

The journal strongly prefers electronic submissions through Scholastica or email. Submissions should be made to:

Article Selection Editor
Georgetown Immigration Law Journal
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Email: lawgilj@georgetown.edu

Guidelines for Diversity Statements:

We ask authors to submit a short personal diversity statement in an effort to amplify diverse perspectives and scholarship in our publications. In your statement, we invite you to explicitly identify and discuss how your identity, background, culture, life experiences, and perspectives have: (1) shaped your values and (2) shaped your interest in the legal profession and legal ideology. We also invite you to share, when applicable, any adversity that you have overcome, including but not limited to discrimination (both overt and covert), micro-aggressions, linguistic barriers, or a personal or family history of educational or socioeconomic disadvantage at any point in your life. Please remember there is no one way to write your diversity statement, and we welcome you to share what feels authentic, comfortable, and safe to you.

Online Submissions

(Im)migrant narratives are often excluded from legal academia and discourse. That is why GILJ is launching a new initiative to amplify personal narratives and imagination of (im)migrant futures from community members, students, and lawyers through online publication.

There is no “right” topic. We want to hear your narrative, personal perspectives, or imagination for (im)migrant futures—ranging from your personal experiences to family experiences to client experiences—whatever and however you want to share with us. We ask that your narratives engage with immigration scholarship in some capacity. For example, advocating for a policy/program/practice, sharing concerns regarding implications of recent court opinions or immigration practices, writing about what our immigration system could and should look like, situating immigrant justice within liberation movements, highlighting important historical moments, and so on.

Any immigration policy or conversation that does not center community is harmful and useless. We hope you agree and share your stories with us to dream together about justice and collective liberation. Please submit stories at lawgilj@georgetown.edu.

We are accepting stories on a rolling basis and aim to publish as many stories as possible in a blog post format on our website. Accordingly, we expect your story to follow these technical requirements:

1. At least 750 words but no more than 5,000 words;
2. Times New Roman, 12 pt font
3. Citations (where relevant) linked as URLs.

Expedited Review

GILJ will make every effort to respond to requests to expedite the review of an article that has been formally accepted for publication by another journal. Please include the following information in your request for an expedited review:

1. Author name, phone number, and email address;
2. Article title;
3. Journal(s) that have accepted the article;
4. Deadlines those journals have given the author; and
5. The latest possible date that the author can be given a decision.

Selection

Authors will be notified via email if their article is selected and will be required to complete publication and licensing agreements. Authors should expect to work closely with journal staff on both substantive and technical revisions prior to publication.