Writer's Guide for Article Submissions
U.S. Army Capt. Julia Flores, assigned to the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Mustangs Observer Coach Trainer team, talks with soldiers at Hohenfels Training Area. Flores, who previously was a lawyer in the private sector, joined the Army in 2016. She now provides legal feedback and advice to soldiers training at JMRC to improve fellow JAG officers impact and efficiency of their war fighting functions. (U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Tomarius Roberts)
Submission Process
The Army Lawyer accepts submissions from both military and civilian authors. Only fully drafted articles can be considered for publication. The Army Lawyer does not re-publish articles that have already been published in another publication. In determining whether to publish a work, the editorial board considers the work in light of TAL’s purpose and evaluates the work’s relevance, quality, research, and style.
The Army Lawyer may make necessary revisions or deletions without prior permission of the author. An author is responsible for the accuracy of the author’s work, including citations and endnotes.
To submit an article for publication consideration, please email it in Word Document format to the TAL inbox at usarmy.charlottesville.hqda-tjaglcs.mbx.the-army-lawyer-mailbox@army.mil.
Article submissions should be formatted with 12-point Times New Roman font and double-spaced paragraphs.
For all text outside of footnotes, TAL follows the order of authorities for style application recommended in Department of Defense Manual 51104.14, Manual for Written Material: Correspondence Management: 1) U.S. Government Publishing Office Style Manual; 2) Chicago Manual of Style; 3) Army Regulations 25-50 and 220-5; and 4) Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.
Citations should comply with the latest edition of The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation and The Military Citation Guide and appear in 10-point Times New Roman font. More information on citation requirements for some TAL departments can be found below.
At the end of each submission, a brief author blurb should appear that includes the author’s current assignment and location. For example:
LTC Zeller is the Chair of the Administrative and Civil Law Department at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Types of Articles and Length Guidelines
While there are no strict minimum or maximum length requirements, here are some guidelines:
Practice Note
- Purpose: Provide how-to guides and practice pointers for the field on topics relevant to Judge Advocate Legal Services personnel.
- Typical length: 2,400-3,600 words
- Citation: Required for every factual assertion, regardless of whether the assertion is quoted.
Feature
- Purpose: Provide a deeper dive into an issue faced by Judge Advocate Legal Services personnel.
- Typical length: 3,900-7,500 words
- Citation: Required for every factual assertion, regardless of whether the assertion is quoted.
Once a work is selected for publication, TAL will request the author to provide the work’s source materials. After receiving the work’s source materials, TAL can proceed with editing and slating the work for publication.
Image Submission Guidelines
The Army Lawyer is eager to publish images that highlight and celebrate the work of Judge Advocate Legal Services members across the field throughout the publication. To submit an image to the editorial board for publication consideration, please include the following in an email to the TAL inbox at usarmy.charlottesville.hqda-tjaglcs.mbx.the-army-lawyer-mailbox@army.mil:
- A high-resolution version in an image format (JPEG, JPG, PNG, TIFF, RAW)
- A description of the image content/draft caption including, if possible, names/ranks/positions of the individual(s) featured
- The name/rank/position of the individual who took the photo for the image credit
Cover and Full-Page Image Requirements
Cover and full-page images must have a vertical (portrait) orientation and be high-resolution (at least 2550 x 3300 pixels with 300 dpi). Images taken on modern smartphones can meet these requirements.
- Tip: if using a smartphone, ensure the camera settings are optimized for high-quality photos. For example, in newer iPhone models, open Settings→Camera→Formats: enable “Apple ProRAW” (also ensure “most compatible” is selected).
Citation of TAL Articles
Articles may be cited as: [Author's name], [Article Title in Italics], Army Law., no. [issue number], [year], at [first page article appears on], [pincite if any].
Copyright Information
Unless expressly noted in an article, all articles are works of the U.S. Government in which no copyright subsists. Where copyright is indicated in an article, all further rights are reserved to the article's author. No compensation can be paid for articles.