Academic journal to publish student’s paper

Photo by Bernard Clark

Lauren Wihak, Law '08, has written a paper that is being published in the upcoming issue of the Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice.

How does a student's paper get published?  And what does it take to make a term paper worthy of an academic journal?  Lauren Wihak, Law '08, knows the answers to these questions very well - one of her papers is being published in the upcoming issue of the Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice, an academic journal usually featuring the work of law professors.

Wihak's paper, titled "Quiet Contributions: Re-examining the Benefits of a Restorative Approach to Sentencing in the Aboriginal Context," began as a term paper for a 2006 course she had decided to use as a writing sample for a clerkship.  After she handed it in, the feedback from her instructor, Professor Malcolm Thorburn, made her realize that it could go a lot farther.

"The paper was partly based on a term paper for my course in criminal law theory and partly on a term paper for Professor Manson's course in sentencing," Thorburn said.  "When she put the two together, she gave me a draft to read over the summer. It seemed to me then that it was more ambitious than your average term paper."

Wihak spent the summer revising and improving the essay with the help and support of Thorburn, and the paper was presented at an October 2007 conference in Criminal Law at the University of Toronto.  The paper then underwent another round of revisions, and a week after the conference was submitted to the Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice, a peer-reviewed academic journal.

The journal accepted her paper for publication, and the paper went to peer reviewers - legal academics who read the paper and provide feedback - who recommended some other changes.  Once those revisions were made, the paper was ready for publication.

"I was particularly fortunate to have the unconditional and constant support of my professor, Malcolm Thorburn," said Wihak.  "[He] taught me about how much work it takes to get an article to the point where it is more than just a course paper, and helped me to understand the rigor of academic scholarship.  He continually pushed me to make my arguments tighter and stronger."

"It is a very good thing that Lauren has published a paper as a student," Thorburn said.  "Professors spend a majority of their time researching and writing papers, so getting started as soon as possible is extremely helpful to her as she applies to graduate schools and then for faculty positions.  Students sometimes misunderstand what it takes to be a law professor.  Although it is crucial to have absolutely top marks in law school, that is not enough.  It is also necessary to show a talent for research and writing.  Lauren has made great strides in that direction already."