Where can I get an introduction to the sources and strategies of legal research?
Answer
Legal research is the search for authority that can be applied to a given set of facts and issues. The universe of potentially useful authority is vast, and good researchers have well-developed analytical skills in addition to an understanding of the techniques and efficiencies of doing legal research.
The Maryland Carey Law Thurgood Marshall Law Library Guide to Legal Research presents a succinct introduction to the tools and techniques, both print and online, with which the legal researcher must become familiar. Additionally, the strategy sections include information about how to select potentially relevant authorities, as well as discussions about which sources to consult and how they can best be used. This Guide has been developed for use in a variety of introductory and advanced research courses.
This Guide is organized into 12 chapters: Introduction to Legal Authorities and Legal Research, Electronic Research Techniques, Background Research Using Secondary Sources, Statutory and Constitutional Law Research, Legislative History Research, Administrative Law Research, Case Law Research, Researching a State Law Problem, Researching a Maryland Law Problem, Retrospective Maryland Statute Searching, Researching a Federal Law Problem, and Foreign and International Law Research.