Student editors are critical to publication's success
The Deakin Law Review (DLR) is a refereed journal, which is published twice a year. Issues contain scholarly articles, essays, comments, case notes and book reviews. The DLR is edited by Associate Professor Elizabeth Adeney and Associate Professor Dan Meagher.
The Review aims to publish relevant, thought-provoking and quality legal scholarship on a broad range of issues. The DLR issues are not only published in traditional print version, but in order to ensure the articles are widely available, they are also published on the Deakin Law Review website and in online databases such as EBSCO, Austlii and Hein Online.
At the beginning of each year the editors approach a small number of high-achieving students to perform the important role of student editors. The work of the student editors is critical to maintaining the strong editorial standards of the Review and they are credited with 10 days of professional experience if they are involved in the publication of the two yearly issues.
Being a student editor for the Deakin Law Review felt dauting at first...
In 2009-2010 Abbey Colbert was a student editor for the Deakin Law Review (DLR). Abbey shares what it was like to be a student editor.
When I was first invited to be involved it was something I had never considered before but I was extremely flattered to be asked. Initially it was daunting to think that I could play such an important role in the Deakin law community, but I knew would provide me with valuable experience, not only for my degree, but for my future, so I agreed.
My task for each article involves checking every reference and source listed within the article. This requires ensuring not only that the reference complies with the Australian Guide to Legal Citation but also that it exists and is relevant. It can therefore be a tedious and time-consuming task, however the skills that I have developed whilst working through each article are invaluable.
In my time as a student editor I have developed a number of skills. First, I have a greater understanding of the Australian Guide to Legal Citation and its requirements. This has helped me with my own research and writing. I know feel confident that I can correctly reference my work.
The experience has also opened me up to new areas of the law that I had not considered before I worked on the DLR. For example, I edited an article dealing with food law, an area of the law I had never even considered before.
Many of the articles that I've edited have also had an international focus so I have been introduced to a number of different international legal sources and have developed the skills needed to both research and reference these sources.
Working as a student editor has also made me appreciate and understand the importance of correctly referencing sources. After spending long periods of time searching for sources that seem impossible to find, the significance of correctly referencing sources becomes all the more apparent.
Being a student editor on the DLR is by no means an easy task; it can be time-consuming and at times frustrating when it is difficult find the correct reference. Despite this, when I get to the end of editing an article I feel such a sense of achievement- especially knowing I have been able to make a real contribution to the Deakin University legal community.
I can honestly say that I have enjoyed my role as a student editor on the DLR and that I have learnt a lot from the experience. It is something that I would recommend to anyone who wants to contribute at Deakin, while improving their own legal skills.
