The Sling Submission and Writing Guidelines

Introduction

The Sling welcomes completed submissions from writers interested in antitrust, consumer protection, corporate power, labor, political economy, economic regulation, economics, and other related subjects.

The Sling publishes work that is well-supported, accessible to a general audience (with some leeway to account for an expert’s unique point of view), and is either timely or topically insightful.

Submissions always take the form of an op-ed, but we are willing to accommodate other formats such as explanatory pieces, legal analysis, case commentary, policy arguments, book or research commentary, or other forms of serious public-facing analysis that are within the aforementioned subjects.

Express or implied opinions asserted by individual contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Sling, the Utah Project, the University of Utah, its Department of Economics, its College of Law, or the members of the Editorial Board or their employers or clients.

Who Can Submit?

Submissions are open to everyone, including academics, enforcers, law students, practitioners, and advocates.

Authors should accurately disclose their current role, institutional affiliation, or other relevant background in their submission and brief biography.

Originality

The Sling requires that submitted articles be original and should not have been previously published substantially in the same form.

Prior discussion of the underlying idea does not normally disqualify a submission. For example, an author may have previously discussed the topic in a class paper, presentation, social media post, blog post, or other forum. Thus, so long as the submitted article is itself an original work and has not already appeared substantially in the same form elsewhere, it can be published in The Sling.

Simultaneous Submissions

We prefer single submissions, but authors may submit their work elsewhere while it is under consideration.

If a piece is accepted elsewhere before The Sling has completed its review, please notify the editorial board promptly.

Length and Formatting

Submissions should generally be no more than 2,500 words.

Exceptions may be made when the strength or complexity of the argument warrants additional length.

Sources and Hyperlinks

Citations should appear as hyperlinks rather than footnotes.

In general, authors should provide sources for:

• factual assertions that are not common knowledge;
• quotes;
• quantitative claims;
• claims concerning litigation, judicial decisions, investigations; and
• descriptions or summations of academic, legal, economic, or policy research.

Author Responsibility

Authors are responsible for the originality, accuracy, sourcing, and authorship of everything they submit.

How to Submit

Submit a completed article using the following form: https://www.thesling.org/submissions/ 

The submission form requires:

• Your name;
• Your title/position;
• Your email;
• A brief author biography;
• A .docx or .odf version of the completed article;
• An acknowledgment of applicable rights, permissions, and the review process.

The Sling currently accepts only completed submissions.

Editorial Review and Timeline

The editorial board strives to provide an initial publication decision and, if accepted, suggested comments and edits within one week of receiving a submission.

Editing Process and Publication

Accepted submissions will receive comments and suggestions from editorial board members. Editing will typically address the strength and clarity of the arguments, organization, sourcing, and style.

Authors will have an opportunity to review edits before publication.

Published pieces will be promoted through The Sling’s social media channels.