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
| 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
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