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Organization Information
Write On Competition
 


2008 Write-On Competition


Sample Memo

Dates

  • The write-on will be available at 9am on May 15, 2008.
  • The write-on will be due at 9am on May 19, 2008.
  • No EXCEPTIONS to these dates and times will be made.

Who Should Participate?

  • All rising 2Ls and 3Ls are eligible to participate.
  • Anyone interested in SMU Law Review, International Law Review or Science and Technology Law Review Journal should participate.
  • Offers from all three law reviews will be made on the same day soon after grades and class percentiles are released to them (tentatively July 14).

Pick-up and Drop-off

Honor Code Rules

  • Entrants are strictly prohibited from seeking or receiving any outside assistance with the write-on competition. This includes but is not limited to:
    • Current law journal members
    • Faculty members
    • Other write-on entrants
    • Attorneys
    • Other law students
    • Work you have done in the past
    • Memo: sources not included in the closed memo
    • Citations: anything other than the Blue Book and Green Book.
  • You will be required to sign an honor pledge stating that you neither gave nor received any assistance in the write-on competition.
  • Entrants who do not sign the pledge will be disqualified from the competition.
  • Entrants who do receive outside assistance in any form will be disqualified from the competition.

Structure

  • Three parts:
    • (1) Article editing
      • You will be given about 6 pages of excerpts from real articles. You will edit both the text and the citations.
      • You CANNOT use the "track changes" feature in Word to edit on your computer. You CAN hand write changes on the paper using red pen and then scan the completed version into your computer.
      • Alternatively, you can make your edits directly to the Word document by making the necessary changes in red font and highlighting the entire edited word, phrase, or punctuation mark.  See below for an example.
        • Example of proper electronic edit:
          • Sentence in article: "I like the colur red."
          • Edited sentence: "I like the color red."
        • If you add something that should be there (such as a comma), then use the above red font/highlight combination to denote the addition. If you delete something that shouldn’t be there (such as a comma), then simply highlight the space where the deleted item originally existed.
        • Please use the underline/underscore function to show where you have deleted something (such as a comma or space) or where you have added a space rather than the highlight function.
        • Please don’t stress over how you are formatting this red font/highlight combination. Above all, make sure your edits are accurate, clear, and well-marked. We had a huge problem with the “track changes” feature last year, so we are trying out a new system and will be reasonable.
    • (2) Citation list
      • You will write a full citation for each source included in the closed memo, regardless of whether or not you plan on using the source in your memo.
    • (3) Closed memo
      • You will write a 6 page memo using only the sources included in the packet.
      • You do not need to use all of the sources provided.
      • Format: 8.5 x 11 inch paper, 1 inch margins, double spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font.
      • Footnotes must be used and should be single spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font.

Information Sheet

  • There will be an information sheet for personal information in the packet.
  • DO NOT include your name on anything other than the personal information sheet.
  • Do not include your SMU ID number; the law review will assign you a unique number.
  • You must include a valid telephone number in order to receive/accept offers from the three journals.

 Questions