Course coordinator
Professor Anthony Cassimatis
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Law School
Editing of law journals, research and writing of case notes, reviews and essays for a journal and preparation of the journal for publication.
LAWS5181 Law Journals provides an opportunity for a committee of five students to be involved, under academic supervision and guidance, as researchers, writers and editors, in the publication of the Australian International Law Journal (AILJ). The student editors also have the opportunity to have case notes and book reviews published in the AILJ.
The AILJ is published by the Australian Branch of the International Law Association (ILA). The AILJ offers established and developing scholars the opportunity to publish high quality refereed scholarship on topics of public and private international law. The ILA is a global organisation which plays a pre-eminent role in the progressive development of international law. From a modest beginning in 1983 as Australian International Law News, the AILJ has become a peer-reviewed law journal of international standing. It has been edited by distinguished international legal academics and practitioners based predominantly in Sydney. In 2018, the editorship of the AILJ moved to the TC Beirne School of Law, under the banner of the Centre of Public, International and Comparative Law. The AILJ is now edited by an academic Editor in Chief and an editorial committee of five LLB students. In US law schools, the editorship of law journals has, for decades, been conducted exclusively by outstanding law students. There has been a similar trend among leading law schools in Australia, with the Sydney Law Review, the Melbourne University Law Review and the Melbourne Journal of International Law all now having student editorial committees.
The AILJ will normally be published as a single issue per year. The course LAWS5181 will be offered second semester each year. Unlike studies in other LLB courses, the project work required for editing the AILJ is sporadic. Most work will be undertaken in the semester of enrolment, but some editing may have to be undertaken during the end of year break. There is no formal class contact. The workload, however, will be roughly equivalent to that required for any other 2 unit course.
Course requirements
Assumed background
Students must have successfully completed the course LAWS5154/LAWS3705 Public International Law (or an equivalent course).ﾠ Having also successfully completed the course LAWS5153 Private International Law will also be of benefit.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
Successful completion of 32 units of LAWS courses and permission from Head of School
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
LAWS5166 or 7166 or 7181 or 7381
Restrictions
Restricted to students enrolled in the LLB(Hons)(64), LLB(Hons)(48), LLB, LLB (Graduate Entry), LLB(Hons) duals and LLB dual programs
Course contact
Timetable
Additional timetable information
As noted above, there is no formal class contact.ﾠ There will be ad hoc meetings (sometimes involving Zoom andﾠorganised as required) between the Editor in Chief and members of the AILJ Editorial Committee.
Aims and outcomes
The five students making up the AILJ Editorial Committee, under the supervision and guidance of the Editor in Chief, will manage, contribute to, edit and ﾠproduce ﾠat least one annual issue of the AILJ.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Manage the process of publishing an issue of a scholarly academic journal under the peer review process in academic publishing; edit academic articles, reviews and notes; and manage the practical aspects of timely, effective publication of the journal.
LO2.
Recognise and reflect upon, and respond to, ethical issues that arise in the process of editing an academic journal including conflicts of interest and intellectual property issues.
LO3.
Learn and work with autonomy, accountability and professionalism.
LO4.
Reflect on and assess work of others, and make use of feedback as appropriate, to support personal and professional development.
LO5.
Collaborate effectively with the Editor in Chief and the other members of the student editorial committee to manage the process of publishing the AILJ.
LO6.
Communicate in ways that are effective, appropriate and persuasive with submitting authors, reviewers, the Editor in Chief and other members of the student editorial committee.
LO7.
Undertake, use and synthesise international legal research.
LO8.
Analyse and discuss the broad contours of international legal research relevant to the journal.
LO9.
Perceive the diversity of what is generally classified as international legal research, including its underlying philosophies and approaches; and identify where your own personal legal views and approaches are placed relative to the relevant body of research; and express an informed and well-reasoned personal legal perspective or position relative to a discrete area of international legal research published in the journal.
LO10.
Identify trends in international legal research, including what factors may influence those trends.
LO11.
Write in a style suitable for a university international law journal publication.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation |
Book review or Case note
|
pass or fail |
15/11/2024 2:00 pm |
| Participation/ Student contribution |
Fulfillment of editorial responsibilities
|
pass or fail |
25/10/2024 2:00 pm |
Assessment details
Book review or Case note
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- pass or fail
- Due date
15/11/2024 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L04, L07, L08, L09, L10
Task description
Each student editor shall be required to:
(a) Write and submit for publication in the AILJ a note on a recent judicial or arbitral decision involving issues of public or private international law that has implications beyond the decision in the case itself; or
(b) Write and submit for publication in the AILJ a review of a recently published international legal book.
The case or book must be approved by the Editor in Chief before the note or review is written. Each case note or book review written by a student should be 1500-2000 words.
The case note or book review will count towards the pass/fail grade for LAWS5181 Law Journals. These are also to be submitted for possible publication in the AILJ. The decision as to publication rests with the Editor in Chief and publication is not guaranteed. However, to improve the likelihood that the work will be published in the AILJ, student editors are encouraged to submit drafts of the notes or reviews to the Editor in Chief for comment and advice on how to improve the work.
Submission guidelines
Via email to the Editor in Chief.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Extension to Assessment Due Date
An extension for an assessment item due within the teaching period in which the course is offered will generally be limited to one week in the first instance. In exceptional circumstances, approved extensions may be granted for more than one week but will not exceed four weeks in total. Where a student is incapacitated for a period exceeding four weeks of the teaching period, they should be advised to apply for removal of course.
A student may apply for an extension to assessment due date if they are unable to meet an assessment deadline due to extenuating circumstances. Please refer to the Applying for an extension page on my.UQ for further details on acceptable reasons for an extension and for instructions on how to apply. Additional information on extensions can be found within the Assessment Procedure .
Spoken or written notification of difficulties with assessment deadlines to a course coordinator or the School does not constitute an authorised extension.
Applications to be submitted before the due date: Applications for extension (whether they be medical or exceptional circumstances) shall be made by the due date and time for the assessment. Requests for extensions received after the assessment item submission due date and time, must include evidence of the reason for the late request, and will require the decision maker listed in the Student Grievance Resolution Procedure to accept the request for consideration.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Penalties for Late Submission
The following penalties apply to late submission of an assessment item, assuming that an extension has not been approved, and that late submission is academically possible (e.g., it does not delay feedback to a cohort, or interfere with course delivery).
First 7 periods of 24 hours (or part thereof) - 10% per 24 hours of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item. For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks.
More than 7 periods of 24 hours - 100%.
Fulfillment of editorial responsibilities
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Participation/ Student contribution
- Weight
- pass or fail
- Due date
25/10/2024 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07, L08, L09, L10, L11
Task description
General Editing Responsibilities
These are threefold, involving reports, editing and final proofing.
- Reports - Each student editor shall be required to write a report of approximately 500 words on a maximum of three (3) articles submitted for publication in the AILJ, depending on the number of submissions in the relevant year.
- Editing - Each student editor shall be responsible for the editing of a maximum of three (3) articles accepted for publication by the Editor in Chief, depending again on the number accepted in the relevant year. The editing involves the formatting of the article, proof-reading, checking all quotations and references for accuracy, and advising where necessary regarding changes to substance or style.
- Final proofing - For each article that a student editor has edited, he or she shall also be required to check the final proofs provided by the printer of the AILJ for accuracy, and to advise where corrections are necessary.
Individual Editing Responsibilities
Student editors are responsible for the administration of the review process of papers submitted for publication as articles. This responsibility includes liaising with the Editor in Chief in relation to the selection of referees, providing the Editor in Chief with student editors’ reports, requesting assessment of articles from referees, and reminding referees to provide reports when there is delay. Student editors are also responsible for the final formatting of all articles accepted for publication, to have them ready for transmission to the printer of the AILJ by a specified date in November (as determined by the Editor in Chief – a date after November may be specified where delays occur in the editorial process), and to check proofs produced by the printer for accuracy (including through the distribution of proofs to authors for final checking), and to advise where corrections are necessary.
Student editors are also responsible for the final formatting of all book reviews accepted for publication, to have them ready for transmission to the printer of the AILJ by a specified date in November (as determined by the Editor in Chief – a date after November may be specified where delays occur in the editorial process), and to check proofs produced by the printer for accuracy (including through the distribution of proofs to authors for final checking), and to advise where corrections are necessary.
Student editors also responsible for the final formatting of all case notes accepted for publication, to have the case notes ready for transmission to the printer of the AILJ by a specified date in November (as determined by the Editor in Chief – a date after November may be specified where delays occur in the editorial process), and to check proofs produced by the printer for accuracy (including through the distribution of proofs to authors for final checking), and to advise where corrections are necessary.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Pass/Fails | Description |
|---|---|
| P |
Course grade description: Pass grades will be awarded based on performance in three areas: (a) Editing of articles, book reviews and case notes; (b) Quality of the final submitted version of case note or book review; and (c) Quality of reports. LAWS5181 Law Journals will be graded on a Pass ('P') or Fail ('F') basis. It will be necessary to obtain a 'P' for each and every area of assessment before a 'P' will be awarded in the course as a whole. |
| F |
Course grade description: Fail grades will be awarded if a student fails to fulfill any of the required editorial responsibilities or fails to submit an approved case note or book review of a publishable standard. Supplementary assessment will not be available for this course. |
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is not available for this course.
This course is Fully Exempt for Supplementary Assessment
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Articles and case notes published in previous volumes of the AILJ <https://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdb/au/journals/AUIntLawJl/ >
The current edition of the Australian Guide to Legal Citation.
The Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law <https://search.library.uq.edu.au/permalink/f/18av8c1/61UQ_ALMA51165396080003131 >
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks |
Team Based Learning |
Meetings The student editors will be members of the AILJ Editorial Committee. The Editor in Chief and the members of the AILJ Editorial Committee will ordinarily meet in week 1 of second semester (in all likelihood using Zoom). Subsequent meetings will be held as and when required. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
Team Based Learning |
Research, writing and editing The primary responsibility of members of the AILJ Editorial Committee is to work under the direction and guidance of the Editor in Chief. This will largely entail responsibilities in three broad categories: (i) research and writing; (ii) general editing responsibilities; and (iii) individual editing responsibilities. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07, L08, L09, L10, L11 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
School guidelines
Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course: