Real-world experiences with open access publishing

For anyone interested in open access law reviews, Gregory S. McNeal's experience with Northwestern Law Review is worth reading. Prof. McNeal (Dickinson School of Law, Penn State) needed to push an article out into the public before the topic was moot and found that e-publishing was the best way to go. It seems like was able to get timely publication without sacrificing peer review, with reader comments added on as bonus.

• Thoughts on Innovation in Law Review Publishing (Part 1 of 2) (specific experience with Nw.U.L.Review)
  "What really struck me about going through this process was how much sense it makes, and how innovative it is... the editors' comments were extremely helpful, and their preference for links to on-line sources (which they include in the Footnotes of the on-line version) will mean that other scholars can instantly trace the authorities I relied upon and integrate them into their forthcoming scholarship."
• Thoughts on Innovation in Law Review Publishing (Part 2 of 2)
  (recommendations for schools and their journals)
  "What law reviews should instead do is accept articles throughout the year based on editorial availability (e.g. available workers).  The law reviews should establish their own guidelines for when they will accept submissions (not driven by a system wide calendar).  In fact, I believe it is in a law review’s best interest to accept submissions year round because it may allow them to publish articles by notable scholars whom they otherwise may not be able to publish if limiting themselves to a regimated calendar dominated by expedite requests."
• The article: Beyond Guantánamo, Obstacles and Options

- Gene Koo