Scholarly Writing students, this short article describes 13 steps to researching and writing a good academic article or note. The author writes clearly, succinctly, and with humor. I highly recommend it. Of note, he emphasizes talking to others about your topic, getting help from librarians, using the library catalog, and dividing your time as follows: 60% research, 30% writing, 10% editing.
Archive for the ‘Research’ Category
13 Steps of Successful Academic Legal Research
Wednesday, September 14th, 2011Do you Ctrl+F?
Monday, August 22nd, 2011According to an article in The Atlantic, 90% of web users don’t use Ctrl/Command+F to help find specific words in a Word document or on webpages.
The article cites a study conducted by Dan Russell, a search behavior expert at Google. Russell discovered this inefficient search behavior based on sampling ”thousands” of people. Most people skimmed through long documents trying to find the one thing they were looking for rather than using Ctrl+F to save time.
Sounds like a short cut worth remembering!
Guides on Current Legal Topics
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011The Law Library of Congress offers a series of guides on Current Legal Topics, both domestic and international. These guides include commentary and recommended resources. Most recently, the library has added a guide on the pending charges against former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, available here.
Spading Guide
Friday, July 29th, 2011If you are working on a journal spading assignment, you might like the assistance of the Library’s Scholarly Writing & Spading Guide, which is linked from the Library’s homepage. The second half of the guide is designed to help you find materials for your spading assignment. Of course, don’t hesitate to ask a law librarian for help. Our contact information is here.
Scholarly Writing & Spading Guide
Tuesday, June 21st, 2011Are you working on a journal spading assignment this summer? Are you thinking ahead to your scholarly writing class this fall? If so, the Library has produced a Scholarly Writing & Spading Guide to help you find the materials you need for journal spading and to find a topic and write a note this fall. A link to the Guide will remain on the Library’s homepage.
Summertime Access to Loislaw
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011The law school has an agreement with Loislaw to provide students complimentary access to Loislaw online research, which includes searchable primary materials for all 50 states and federal jurisdictions. Unlike Lexis and Westlaw, Loislaw is offered on a year-round basis, and students are encouraged to use Loislaw for part-time and summer positions. Students also have free access for six months after graduation.
To obtain the GMUSL access code for Loislaw, please email Melanie Oberlin at moberlin@gmu.edu or drop-by the Reference Office. To obtain a copy of the Loislaw Subscriber Handbook, please drop by the Reference Office. For more information on Loislaw, click here.
University of Michigan Law Students Protest Commencement Speaker
Monday, May 9th, 2011University of Michigan Law School students staged a silent protest in response to Ohio Senator Rob Portman’s speech at graduation. Students objected to Senator Portman’s opposition to gay adoption and marriage. According to one report, close to 100 students quietly exited the commencement ceremony when Portman was introduced, and the majority of graduates wore rainbow buttons or ribbons.
Would you like to explore the legal issues related to sexual orientation? In addition to primary legal materials, some resources available to members of the GMUSL community include:
- Westlaw: Sexual orientation and the Law (SEXORIENT)
- Ebsco: LGBT Life with Full Text
- Library Catalog: Search related subject headings such as: Gay Rights, Same-sex marriage, or Gay couples–legal status
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Thursday, May 5th, 2011The historicial significance of Cinco de Mayo has been recognized in multiple resolutions by Congress. Here is one example, available online using Thomas. To learn more about the history of this holiday, please see today’s post from the Law Library of Congress In Custodia Legis Blog.
Law and the Death of Bin Laden
Wednesday, May 4th, 2011Attorney General Eric Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee today that killing Bin Laden was “justified as an act of national self-defense.” One more specific authorization cited by commentators is the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force (Pub. L. No. 107-40, 115 Stat. 224). This joint resolution (S.J. Res. 23), issued one week after the September 11 terrorist attacks, authorizes the President to “use all necessary and appropriate force against those . . . he determines planned, authorized, committed or aided” these attacks.
To explore this issue, please consult the library’s research guides on Homeland Security and International Law.
World Intellectual Property Day
Tuesday, April 26th, 2011Since 2000, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has designated April 26 as “World Intellectual Property Day.” The WIPO is an agency of the United Nations focused on “developing a balanced and accessible international intellectual property (IP) system.” It administers a number of international treaties focused on copyright and related rights. World Intellectual Property Day was established to increase public awareness and understanding of the significant role of IP in fostering “music, arts and entertainments” and ”all the products and technological innovations that help to shape our world.”
Resources on the WIPO website include an overview (including links to PDFs) of United States IP-related statutes and regulations, and WIPO-administered treaty membership. Please consult the law library’s Intellectual Property Research Guide to locate additional useful resources related to copyright, trademark, and patent law.