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Phasing instruction in information sources: skills

The table below, referred to in Teaching legal research, in the chapter on curriculum development, allocates legal research skills to phases in the delivery of a legal research skills course on different types of law course.

The six types of course are:

  • undergraduate non-law courses but with a law element (for example BA Business Studies, BA Social Work)
  • undergraduate law courses (LLB)
  • postgraduate vocational courses (Legal Practice Course and Bar Vocational Course)
  • postgraduate non-vocational courses where students already possess a law degree (some LLM courses, and all research degrees)
  • postgraduate non-vocational courses where students do not possess a law degree (for example, some LLM courses)
  • continuing professional development (CPD) courses
Table 4: Suggested phasing of instruction in legal research skills learning objectives within course curricula
non-law degree law degree PG voc PG non-voc (law first degree) PG non-voc (non-law first degree) CPD
Identify & analyse
objective of research 1 (academic) 1(academic) 1(practice) inferred 1(academic) inferred
facts and issues 1(academic) 1(academic) 1(practice) inferred 1(academic) inferred
relevant areas of law 2 2 1(practice) inferred 2 inferred
classify in legal terms 3 3 1(practice) inferred 2 inferred
develop keywords (3) 3 1(practice) inferred 2 inferred
Find information
structure of literature 1 1 inferred inferred 1 inferred
locate and use law library (1) 1 inferred (L) inferred (L) 1 inferred
use IT skills to locate, etc (1) 1 inferred (R) inferred (R) 1 1
select relevant information 2(academic) 2(academic) 1(practice) inferred inferred (R) inferred
use indexes within legal materials 2 2 1(practice) inferred inferred inferred
use citations, abbreviations etc 1 1 inferred (R) inferred (R) 1 inferred
check currency 3 3 inferred (R) inferred (R) 3 inferred
keep up to date 3 3 inferred (R) inferred (R) 3 inferred
Present results
organise logically (2)(academic) 2(academic) 2(practice) inferred 1(academic) inferred
employ layout techniques (2)(academic) 2(academic) 2(practice) inferred inferred inferred
employ style etc (2) 2 inferred (R) inferred (R) inferred (R) inferred
employ correct spelling etc (2) 2 inferred (R) inferred (R) inferred (R) inferred
summarise/paraphrase 2 2 inferred inferred 2 inferred
apply law to facts 2 2 inferred (R) inferred (R) 2 inferred
provide clear advice or conclusion (2)(academic) 2(academic) 2(practice) inferred inferred inferred
acknowledge materials cited (2) 2 inferred inferred inferred inferred
construct list of sources (2) 2 inferred (R) inferred (R) inferred (R) inferred
use IT to present results (2) 2 inferred (R) inferred (R) inferred (R) 1

Key

1 = phase number – phase 1 skills are those a student requires in order to successfully undertake basic legal research, the types of skill which might be included in the first two or three weeks of the teaching year; phase 2 skills may be termed intermediate, and follow after the student has successfully completed the IT skills course described in the previous section and when assignments or assessments in other parts of the law programme require students to search more widely; phase 3 skills should be taught later still in the course

(1) = phase number – some or all of instruction in skill may have taken place already outside law element in degree programme

* or *(practice) = focus of instruction

inferred = possession of skill by all students may be assumed unless student performance indicates the contrary

inferred (L) = possession of skill by all students may be assumed but instruction in local aspects will be required

inferred (R) = possession of skill may be assumed for some students but others will require refresher or even basic instruction

Last Modified: 30 June 2010