Harvard Law Review Template
Get your Harvard Law Review paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
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How to Use the Harvard Law Review Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 13 August, 2026
Submitting to Harvard Law Review goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Harvard Law Review guide for authors before peer review, so formatting, structure, and required statements should be right on the first draft rather than repaired during upload. This template sets that structure up for you.
What is the Harvard Law Review Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Harvard Law Review. It covers front matter, the abstract the journal expects, a body organized to the journal's article types, and a reference list in the journal's required style. Confirm current scope and article types on the Harvard Law Review journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a Harvard Law Rev submission:
Prepare the title, authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs. Write the abstract to the journal's rule and word limit, organize the body to the article type, and apply the required reference style from the first citation. Complete every declaration (ethics, competing interests, funding, data availability) the Harvard Law Review guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
What separates a clean submission from one that gets kicked back:
The common failure modes are formatting or reference style that does not match the guide for authors, missing required statements, and an incomplete portal checklist. Clear all three against the Harvard Law Review guide for authors before you submit.
What does this Harvard Law Review Template include?
The shell mirrors what editorial staff check first: article-type fit, the abstract rules, required declarations, and the journal's reference style. For more detail see the author resources. When your draft is ready, upload it through the journal's submission system.
Steps to Use This Template with SciSpace Agent
- Click Start Writing on this page. The SciSpace Agent prompt screen opens with the template loaded.
- Use the loaded template, or upload a version your group already uses for Harvard Law Rev.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the Harvard Law Review guide for authors.
- Run the prompt. The agent drafts into the correct structure and reference style.
- Use View Outputs to verify required statements and formatting are present.
- Export and submit through the journal's submission system.
Harvard Law Review Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | Harvard Law Rev requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Not specified in the official author guidelines |
| Main text | Word limits by article type: Articles (Print) - 25,000 words (length exceeding 30,000 words will weigh against selection, rarely unconditionally accept submissions over 37,500 words); Book Reviews (Print) - proposals need not be more than a few pages; Essays (Print/Forum) - 12,000-17,500 words; Responses (Forum) - 8,000 words (typically solicited but proposals welcome); Commentaries (Forum) - 6,000 words (typically solicited but proposals welcome); Blog posts - typically 750-1,500 words. All word counts include text, footnotes, and appendices |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Not specified in the official author guidelines |
| References | Bluebook citation style (22nd edition). The guide states: 'Please use footnotes that conform to the 22nd edition of the Bluebook.' Blog posts use hyperlinks instead of footnotes |
| Peer review | Anonymous review (single-blind). The selection process states: 'each piece is reviewed anonymously, at least three editors review every submission, and many pieces go through substantially more stages of review, including an Articles Committee vote, preemption check, faculty peer review, and full-body vote.' Authors are required to anonymize their submissions by confining name, affiliation, biographical information, and acknowledgments to a separate cover page |
| Submission | harvardlawreview.org/homepage/submissions/submit-now/ |
Quick Tips for Using the Harvard Law Review Template
Read the Harvard Law Review guide for authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after results are stable. Set the reference style before adding citations. Keep a cover letter that states your contribution and fit to Harvard Law Review in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent Harvard Law Rev papers to calibrate depth and figure style. Make the novelty clear in the first two pages. Deposit data and code when the policy on the Harvard Law Review journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Before You Submit: Final Check
Do one focused pass against the Harvard Law Review guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.
