Researching and Writing Law School Substantial Papers  

This guide is intended to provide students writing substantial papers with information about relevant resources available through the D'Angelo Law Library and the other libraries of the University of Chicago. 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.

You could also consult American Constitution Society ResearchLink, which collects legal research topics submitted by practitioners for law students to explore in faculty-supervised writing projects for academic credit.

For more thoughts on picking a topic, see Heather Meeker, "Selecting the Golden Topic: A Guide to Locating and Selecting Topics for Legal Research Papers," 1996 Utah L. Rev. 917 (1996) and Part II(C) of Eugene Volokh, Academic Legal Writing: Law Review Articles, Student Notes, and Seminar Papers. Foundation Press, (3rd ed. 2007).

If you need further assistance, do not hesitate to contact a reference librarian with any questions or to schedule a research consultation.

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.