1. Length
Unless otherwise provided in the confirmation letter, writers should write as much as they need to make their points, but should also try to keep their articles under 2,800 words. This allows for about four magazine pages. On the other hand, shorter articles -- 750 words to 1,500 words -- are also welcome, and can be very effective. If you are uncertain about the length your piece should be, do not hesitate to contact the Editor, Lianne Pinchuk or Section Director, Jennifer Michel, for more details.
2. Audience
The ABA Section of Dispute Resolution's membership constitutes our primary audience, and includes people from across the ADR spectrum, including practicing lawyers, judges, law professors, and law students. The lawyers who are part of our audience represent parties in ADR proceedings, serve as ADR neutrals themselves, or are just interested in keeping up with the field. Most law student readers intend to practice as lawyers. We strongly encourage you to write your article in a way that is relevant to these readers, and to write at a level that recognizes that they may be more sophisticated than most about ADR, but still do not share your expertise about your topic. One way to do this is to frequently ask yourself the following questions:
- Why should lawyers care about reading my article?
- How can they use it to inform their representation and counseling of clients or their contributions to rulemaking or policymaking bodies?
- Will my article help lawyers see how their perspectives fit into a larger issue or policy debate?
3. Magazine distribution
The magazine is distributed in digital version to all members of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, approximately 10,000 recipients. The magazine is also distributed in print to all lawyer and affiliated professional members with addresses in the United States, approximately 4000 recipients. . International members may opt-in to receive a print copy of the magazine. The digital version of an issue is available soon after the issue is printed. The ABA editorial staff use social media postings and other electronic outlets to increase the reach of each issue. The magazine is available to non-members as a subscription service.