Core
Legal Research, Legal Writing & Citation
Planning, finding, checking, synthesising and communicating legal research.
Syllabus outline
Unit-wise syllabus with every topic. Click any topic to get an explanation from the AI Explainer.
Unit 1 — Research Questions and Research Design
0 / 6 read- From a legal problem to a workable research question
- Primary and secondary legal research questions
- Doctrinal, comparative, socio-legal and empirical approaches: when each is useful
- Scope, jurisdiction, timeframe and search terms in a research plan
- Research hypothesis, objectives and limitations
- Responsible use of facts, assumptions and unresolved issues
Unit 2 — Finding Primary Legal Materials
0 / 6 read- Locating the applicable Constitution, Act, rules and subordinate legislation
- Tracking amendments, commencement and repeals
- Locating judgments by court, citation, party name and legal issue
- Checking whether a judgment remains good law
- Finding government notifications, committee reports and legislative materials
- Using official repositories and authenticated documents where available
Unit 3 — Finding and Evaluating Secondary Materials
0 / 6 read- Textbooks, commentaries, journal articles and law reports: functions and limits
- Catalogues, indexes and legal databases: search strategy
- Keyword searches, Boolean connectors and subject terms
- Evaluating authority, date, jurisdiction and editorial reliability
- Distinguishing a proposition supported by a primary source from commentary
- Keeping a research log and source trail
Unit 4 — Analysing and Synthesising Authorities
0 / 6 read- Extracting legal issues, holding and relevant reasoning from a case
- Extracting applicable provisions and conditions from a statute
- Comparing decisions that appear to conflict
- Synthesising multiple cases into one legal proposition
- Dealing with an authority that cuts against the proposed answer
- Distinguishing settled law, competing interpretations and an open question
Unit 5 — Legal Writing for Study and Research
0 / 7 read- Writing a concise legal proposition with supporting authority
- Organising a short legal memorandum: question, rule, analysis and conclusion
- Writing a case note or comment: summary, critique and significance
- Writing a statutory or policy note
- Structuring a research paper: title, abstract, argument and conclusion
- Clear legal language: accurate terms, short sentences and neutral tone
- Revising for logic, precision and unsupported claims
Unit 6 — Citation and Academic Integrity
0 / 8 read- Purpose of citation and distinction between citation and bibliography
- Citing Indian statutes, constitutional provisions and subordinate legislation
- Citing reported and unreported Indian judgments
- Citing books, journal articles, official reports and online materials
- Footnotes, pinpoints and cross-references in a chosen citation style
- Consistency across citation styles: use the style required by the university
- Quotation, paraphrase, plagiarism and attribution
- Transparent disclosure and verification of AI-assisted research
Unit 7 — Introductory Field and Empirical Research
0 / 5 readLegal Research, Legal Writing & Citation library
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Courses in Legal Research, Legal Writing & Citation
See all coursesFull courses for Legal Research, Legal Writing & Citation are in production. Start with the tutorials below, or explore related subjects in the library.
Tutorials
Memorial Drafting Essentials
FreeStructure, statement of facts, arguments advanced and prayer.
Adv. Kabir Sethi · 22 min · Advanced
Landmark cases
Click any case for an illustrated explanation from the AI Explainer.
State of Jharkhand v. Ambay Cements
(2005) 1 SCC 368
Mandatory language must be obeyed exactly as drafted.
Union of India v. Filip Tiago De Gama
(1990) 1 SCC 277
Plain meaning is the starting point of construction.
Salomon v. Salomon & Co.
[1897] AC 22
Precise drafting of corporate documents shapes liability.
Bare acts & references
Click any Act to have it explained provision by provision.
- General Clauses Act, 1897
- Indian Contract Act, 1872 (drafting of agreements)
- Registration Act, 1908
- Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (pleadings)
Where this subject leads
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