Current Intelligence articles: making things easy for authors

Don't let failure to use the
template spoil your chance
of publication

One of the most successful feature of the Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice (JIPLP) has been its Current Intelligence section, in which notes on recent cases, legislation and other events are encapsulated in a succinct yet analytical format. Each month a small number of Current Intelligence pieces are posted on this weblog, and they are much appreciated by the journal's growing readership.

Authors have however sometimes struggled to conform to the template which all Current Intelligence contributions -- without exception -- must adopt if they are to be accepted for publication.  All our authors, being professionally or academically trained, are likely to be quite familiar with the concept.  So what then is the problem?

It is possible that some authors may have composed case notes without any specific journal in mind, then decide to submit them to JIPLP.  Others may have already offered them to other journals, only to have them rejected, and then take a chance that JIPLP will be able to publish them.  Others again may have thought it a good idea to recycle materials that were originally published in advice or circulars to clients or in their newsletters.  In all these cases -- even if the item is well written and carefully thought out -- time spent having to re-frame a submission which has been rejected for failure to conform to the Current Intelligence template is valuable time lost.

To this end, I have prepared a short note for the assistance of all authors, together with a Word template which may be downloaded and used, here.  Please don't think of this template as a straitjacket for authors, but rather as a way of meeting the expectations of readers.  If you want more freedom in your writing, JIPLP is always willing to entertain your submission as an article rather than as a Current Intelligence note.