HomeGuidelines For Authors
The VBA Journal is published twice a year, on March 1 and Sept. 1.
Article submissions
Member submissions are encouraged.
Submissions generally fit into two categories:
- Specific legal topics or issues, or about the actual practice of law
- Articles and features about VBA programs, projects, events and activities
Other articles, such as columns, legislative updates or profiles, appear on a seasonal or space-available basis.
The VBA Journal reserves the right to edit articles to fit the space and to VBA publications style.
Word count
Substantive issues: 1,000-1,200 words maximum, excluding endnotes
Query, submission process
Subjects should be of general interest to attorneys in diverse practice areas.
Query Executive Director Paul Fletcher (pfletcher@vba.org or 804-644-0041, ext. 111) well in advance of submission with a summary of the topic and approach and word count request. Articles should not have been published elsewhere.
Articles should be submitted as Word documents attached to email. Please single space between sentences.
All contributing authors must complete and sign a Publication Agreement.
When you're writing
Contributors should emphasize practical points in a concise, journalistic style. Make your article readable. Avoid the writing style of law reviews or academic journals.
Disclosure of use of artificial intelligence
Because artificial intelligence is an increasingly common research and drafting tool, but also one that is prone to error and requires careful oversight, any author who prepares a VBA Journal submission using artificial intelligence must expressly disclose that use in an endnote included in the submission.
Endnotes
Citations should appear at the end of the article instead of the bottom of each page.
Biographical information, headshot
The author should include a brief biographical statement, including his/her job title, employer, education (degrees and institutions), special accomplishments or honors, and any significant involvement with The Virginia Bar Association. Please do NOT include this item as a footnote/endnote. Include 300 dpi, high-resolution photo of authors. Bio and photo requests also appear in the Publication Agreement.
Photographs and illustrations
Discuss potential visuals with editor at query.
Send accompanying, publishable photos or illustrations as high-resolution JPG files. Provide artist/photographer names and permissions, if applicable.
Identify all people in photos.
Submitted visuals will not be returned unless arrangements are made ahead of time.
Publications
