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Student Journals: Journal Course Credit

Course Credit for Journal Work

Journal members (with the exception of 1Ls) are able to enroll for academic course credit for journal work.

EICs are sent information from the Registrar which includes the course control number (CCN) to disseminate to journal members so they can enroll via CalCentral.  The Fall 2024 deadline for enrollment in CalCentral is end of day Friday, January 31st.  After that date, you will need to enroll via an Add/Drop petition. 

ADD/DROP PETITION Docusign-enabled form can be found here. 

Please note that faculty advisor to sign off on your late add form is Jessica Whytock <jwhytock@berkeley.edu>

 

One unit of credit is awarded for 56 hours of editorial work.  There is a one unit per semester cap. Students may receive credit for a maximum of two semesters for a total of two units earned towards graduation.  

If you are unable to complete the 56 hours of editorial work within the semester you're enrolled, you have the option of taking an Incomplete (IP).  You would then continue tracking your hours, and upon completing the needed hours in the semester following, can petition to have the IP changed to credit (CR) using the NP/IP Replacement Grade Form.  PLEASE NOTE:  you should not enroll for the semester in which you're completing the hours. 

NP/IP REPLACEMENT FORM Docusign-enabled form found here.

 

Please note that faculty advisor to sign off on your NP/IP form is Jessica Whytock <jwhytock@berkeley.edu>

Qualifying Course Credit Hours

Editorial work is defined as: 

  • Formal training, including Editor, Librarian and Faculty led training related to the assessment, editing and revision, and publication of law review articles;

  • Source collection; source verification; cite-checking; bluebooking;

  • Reviewing submitted articles;

  • Reading books for potential review in the journal;

  • Editing; inputting executive edits; formatting and proofreading;

  • Writing and editing new material for the journal’s ancillary, online legal news publication (e.g., the CLR’s “The Circuit”);

  • Attending general meetings; attending Board meetings.

There is some latitude to include non-publication activities, such as office management; organizing, participating in or attending formal programs, conferences, symposia and talks that are put on by the individual journal or by a related Center (e.g. BTLJ & BCLT; ELQ & CLEE); development (outreach) and fundraising.

 

Credit hours cannot be awarded for:

  • Writing a note or comment for publication in the journal (if done for credit, such projects must be overseen directly by a member of the faculty as a 299);

  • Attending talks that are not organized by the specific journal or related Center;

  • Planning or attending any activities that are primarily social in nature such as parties, happy hours;

  • Ordering or picking up food or supplies for journal events; or

  • Office cleaning and maintenance.

 

Students enrolled will receive access to a course credit tracker online spreadsheet to record:
  1. Date work is performed  (only hours performed during the semester will be counted!)
  2. Nature of the work performed (in detail)
  3. Person who assigned the work
  4. Number of hours worked

Credit will only be assigned if the recognized work has been completed and verified by the EIC, and submitted to the faculty member at the end of the semester.

Any questions about whether an activity qualifies for credit hours, please raise them PRIOR TO the work being done with the Journal Administrator.