Final answer:
The research process in law involves a systematic approach beginning with general reference works and progressively focusing on specialized materials to refine and communicate findings, while ensuring proper citation and respect for intellectual property.
Step-by-step explanation:
When undertaking legal research as a law student or professional, it's important to approach the task methodically. This research process begins with general steps to identify relevant materials, followed by more specific actions to refine and implement your findings. Here's how you can proceed:
- Consult general reference works to gain background knowledge and ascertain basic facts about the legal topic in question.
- Proceed to specialized reference works, which are indispensable for finding scholarly articles on nuanced legal topics.
- Perform a keyword search to locate the authoritative legal resources efficiently.
- Expand your research by consulting your college or university's library's online catalog to identify relevant books and databases that your institution provides access to.
- For a comprehensive understanding, it's necessary to review various scholarly articles, using academic databases to find high-quality sources related to your research.
- Analyze the information gathered, making analogies and reaching well-reasoned conclusions.
- Communicate these conclusions effectively to your intended audience, such as a client or supervisor.
- Refine the issues as necessary, which may involve a return to earlier steps for further research.
Throughout this process, you will want to keep track of the citation style and formatting requirements for your work, ensuring that you properly attribute all sources. This is a crucial part of the academic and legal writing process, upholding the principles of intellectual property.