The goal of the ABA Health Law Section’s online journal, The Health Lawyer, is to provide high–quality, topical articles for lawyers practicing in health law. These guidelines are informational only and are not binding. All submissions will be given equal consideration based on quality and content. Submitting an article does not guarantee that it will be published. All articles need to be in compliance with the Health Law Section’s Editorial Policy.
Subject Matter
Articles need to be original, not previously published work covering topics in health law that have broad appeal to the majority of membership. Examples would include articles that analyze current trends, legislation, or regulations, or that explain or analyze a subject area.
The Section encourages the expression of a variety of viewpoints on undecided or contested issues and seeks to publish thoughtful analysis when presented in a civil and courteous manner. Articles may take a position on a legal or other issue but only if the opposing view(s) is also presented fully, objectively, and fairly. No pure opinion/editorial or “advertorial” articles will be considered for publication. The Section will not publish any content or material that is defamatory or violates the law, nor that is partisan political advocacy for or against any political candidate or party. However, fair criticism, analysis, and comment consistent within the Section’s Editorial Policy will be considered for publication.
Length, Format and Style
Articles typically are 2,500 to 5,000 words (10–20 pages), double-spaced and conform to AP Style. Shorter or longer articles may be selected. Citations and URLs should be provided as endnotes, not in the body of the article. The endnotes should use Arabic numerals. Pages should be numbered. Articles should be in third person. While secondary sources are acceptable, original sources should be used/included whenever possible.
Citations
While The Health Lawyer is not as formal as a law journal and does not require extensive references, articles should include citation to authority to the extent generally required in briefs and memoranda. Legal Bluebook citation format should be used, and specific page references are required.