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Research Log
Find a way to take notes on items relevant to a possible paper topic that interests you. This could be a notepad, a word processing document, or a project on a web-based research tool like Zotero. The key is to be sure that you will be able to find any resource that you think might be useful again later when you Develop a Paper.
Once you've settled on a way to preserve your research you can begin—perhaps with some of the techniques and resources discussed in this guide.
Circuit Splits
Split authority on a legal issue can be a great place to find a topic for you paper, but as with all topics be sure to check with your professor. Some splits may be resolved before you finish your paper (either by a higher court or a legislature that changes a statute), or they may be a settled difference that a higher court is unlikely to rule on for now.
Search in Bloomberg, Lexis, or Westlaw
- Bloomberg Law This link opens in a new window
Type "circuit splits reported" in the Go Bar, and then select the circuit splits link in the drop-down list that's from U.S. Law Week.
Use a keyword search to find judicial opinions that discuss circuit splits
(Circuit /2 split) or (split /2 authorit!)
- Lexis This link opens in a new window
After entering the keyword search above, then sort by date top right. The default option should already have it narrowed to judicial opinions. - Westlaw This link opens in a new window
After entering the keyword search above, then limit to judicial opinions and sort by date.
Consider limiting your jurisdiction to federal.
Add a phrase or keyword related to your topic to the search with AND. Here is an example:
((Circuit /2 split) or (split /2 authorit!)) and “national security”
News
Newspapers
While the latest ideas are not published as quickly as in blogs, newspapers can contain articles that are more thoroughly researched. They aren't written primarily for folks working in the legal field, but they can show when current law-related news becomes a part of public discourse.
Westlaw & Lexis News Databases
From the home screens of either platform click the "News" link to access news databases. Note that while appearing to have very similar content Lexis tends to contain access to the full-text of many news sources further back than Westlaw.
News Faster
- Top NewsModeled after news services with headlines, links to stories seem to populate within minutes of release (though not all stories are accessible). See the beginnings of lead paragraphs under these subjects: legal, business, government, markets, and technology.
Legal News
- Jurist Legal News
This link opens in a new window
From students and faculty at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Strives to cover legal news it finds important irrespective of mass-market appeal. It links to legal authority from the text of an article to make them accessible to users.
- Bloomberg Law This link opens in a new windowAccess the list of all Bloomberg Reports to find one on a topic of interest on Bloomberg Law. Access the full list from the "Browse All Content" menu in the upper-left corner, then select "News," and then "BNA Law Reports." (Or use the link earlier in the paragraph as long as you sign in first.)
- Law360 (Lexis) This link opens in a new window
Legal articles by topic. Coverage includes litigation, legislation, and corporate deals across dozens of practice areas, industries, and jurisdictions. If you have trouble accessing this resource while on campus, go to http://law360.com.
Guide on News Sources
Law Blogs
See what’s being discussed right now, and (even if you decide not to create a formal research log) take notes on the stories and concepts that interest you. Blogs on legal topics can be a great way to find out about current legal issues that could lead to paper topic. Here is the SCOTUS Blog along with some directories that might assist you in finding other authoritative blogs.
- SCOTUS Blog
- This link opens in a new window
Timely updates on cases before SCOTUS and issues that affect he court. About SCOTUS Blog - Blawg Directory (ABA Journal)
- This link opens in a new window
A list of blogs related to legal topics (blawgs) from the ABA Journal. Each December since 2012 they select the 100 best blawgs for that year's Hall of Fame. - Justia Blawg Search
Search Justicia's directory of blogs covering legal issues be keyword or its lists of blogs by category.
Go to the Books
Strategies from the first two books were used to create this guide. Get more strategies to find and develop a paper topic from these books. Click on this link to browse all titles in the library relating to academic writing.
Scholarly Writing for Law Students by Call Number: KF 250 .F34 2011This book teaches law students how to write scholarly papers. It discusses techniques for finding and developing a paper topic.You don't need to read this all the way through—just use the table of contents to identify your place in the research and writing process, and go to that chapter for some concise advice on exactly what to do next. Earlier editions of this book are available on the 4th floor for a longer check-out.
Buy your copy.
Academic Legal Writing by Call Number: KF 250 .V6 2010This book is ideal for the paper topics that are tougher to research with the foundational techniques in Fajans and Falk's book. It includes more techniques to find and develop a paper topic, and it explains them more carefully. This is for students whose topic is a bit less standard as well as for those interested in the process of researching a legal topic for a paper and those who want examples. Supporting documents are available on http://volokh.com/writing. Earlier editions of this book are available on the 4th floor for a longer check-out.
Read Table of Contents & Excerpt.
Scholarly Writing by Call Number: KF 250. C528 2012Clark and Murray guide the reader through different ways of finding and developing a paper topic. They include chapters that differentiate phases of the writing process: writing the initial draft, revising that draft, responding to feedback, and finally preparing the paper for submission. A final chapter discusses publishing the paper.
Legal Reasoning, Research, and Writing for International Graduate Students by Call Number: KF 240 .N43 2012The book begins with law school survival skills and then compares civil law with common law law and its judicial precedent. A comparative law perspective is used throughout to help explain features of the United States legal system. It introduces the four sources of law in the United States: Constitution, Legislative Branch, Executive Branch, Judicial Branch. From there it covers legal research and legal writing along with explaining more skills in law school that tend to challenge LL.M. students who are not native speakers of English.