Other Helpful Guides
Researching and Writing Substantial Papers
This guide is intended to provide students writing law journal comments and substantial research papers (SRPs) with information about relevant resources available through the D'Angelo Law Library and the other libraries of the University of Chicago. The University of Chicago Law School Student Handbook provides: "An SRP is...a careful, extensive treatment of a particular topic....SRPs are typically 20-30 pages in length, but revisions and opportunities to rework arguments and writing are more important than length." An SRP typically involves a substantial amount of independent research.
Picking a Topic
The hardest part of writing a substantial paper is often picking a topic. In addition to working with your professor, you may also want to consult some of the following current awareness sources to generate ideas for paper topics.
Another good way to generate topics is to analyze the way different jurisdictions have treated a particular issue using a tool like a fifty state survey.
For more thoughts on picking a topic, see:
If you need further assistance, do not hesitate to contact a reference librarian with any questions or to schedule a research consultation.
Current Awareness Sources
In addition to working with your professor, you may also want to consult some of the following current awareness sources to generate ideas for paper topics.
- United States Law Week This link opens in a new windowThis BNA publication reports on the activities of the Supreme Court, those lower court decisions expected have a broad and significant impact on the law, and other noteworthy legal news items. The "Circuit Splits" feature might be especially helpful in locating a topic.
- Law360Online legal news service with a focus on major litigation across more than 40 practice areas.
- Bloomberg Law (BLAW) This link opens in a new windowBloomberg Law gathers together a great of news sources, including Bloomberg BNA law reports and Bloomberg Businessweek.
- VitalLaw This link opens in a new window
- Lexis+ This link opens in a new windowThe Write a Publishable Note document provides advice on choosing a compelling topic (including monitoring the legal news) and how to check your topic for preemption.”
- Westlaw Topical HighlightsThe Topical Highlights databases provide summaries of recent decisions in particular areas of the law.
- Legal News PeriodicalsCheck the Library's Legal News page or the various newspapers available in Lexis+ and Westlaw:
- Lexis+: Use Legal News filter
- Westlaw: Search Legal Newspapers & Newsletters database
- Major NewspapersMajor newspapers (e.g. New York Times, Washington Post, etc.) - use ProQuest Global Newsstream to find full-text articles from most major newspapers
- BlogsBlogs in your area of the law.
Other Useful Resources
- Government AgenciesWebsites of government agencies (state and local, federal, or international) often have news of current developments in that area of law.
- Westlaw Precision This link opens in a new windowWestlaw has put together a Guide to Law Review Research, with advice on selecting a topic, developing a topic, checking citations, and related subjects.
- Lexis+ This link opens in a new windowThe Write a Publishable Note document provides advice on choosing a compelling topic (including monitoring the legal news) and how to check your topic for preemption.”
