Finding & Researching Your Paper Topic: Managing Research

As your research progresses, be sure to keep track of all the sources you have consulted in a research log.

Items you might want to record in a research log include:

• Author, title, edition, and publication year
• Library call number and location (avoid looking it up again in the library catalog)
• Web site address and date accessed
• Words and phrases in the table of contents, index, or text that deal with your research topic
• Citations to constitutional provisions, statutory and/or regulatory sections, cases, and other primary sources (when you notice the same sources cited repeatedly you know you are on the right track)
• Other secondary sources that you want to consult
• Database name or identifier from an online service
• Notes about information found in each source
• Date when you searched each source

Recording this information serves several purposes:

• Helps you avoid duplication and saves time
• Provides a list of words and phrases that are useful in searching other materials
• Facilitates construction of Bluebook or ALWD citations
• Speeds your return to a specific resource as your research progresses
• Allows someone who is familiar with the topic to confirm that you searched the relevant sources OR that you missed critical sources

Research Log (Sample Template)

Facts:

Jurisdiction:

Key terms:

Legal concepts:

Question:

Download research log templates:

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