Journal of Empirical Legal Studies

Scope

The Journal of Empirical Legal Studies (JELS) is a peer-edited, peer-refereed, interdisciplinary journal that publishes high-quality, empirically-oriented articles of interest to scholars in a diverse range of law and law-related fields, including civil justice, corporate law, criminal justice, domestic relations, economics, finance, health care, political science, psychology, public policy, securities regulation, and sociology. Both experimental and nonexperimental data analysis are welcome, as are law-related empirical studies from around the world. Launched in 2004, JELS is devoted to the dissemination of empirical studies of the legal system. The Journal's editors and editorial advisory boards comprise renowned international scholars from diverse disciplines, including law, statistics, economics, psychology, industrial relations, and dispute resolution. Recognizing that many legal and policy debates hinge on assumptions about the operation of the legal system, the Journal seeks to encourage and promote the careful, dispassionate testing of these assumptions. The editorial policy of the Journal is open to empirical work from any disciplinary or ideological approach to the study of law. Empirical analysis of the legal system has a long, if spotty, tradition in the academy. Many legal realists of the 1930s made their mark with empirical studies. A growing number of contemporary scholars recognize the value of empirical analysis in understanding the legal system and its role in society. JELS provides an outlet for publication of high quality empirical work, supporting and encouraging this growing field of study.