Resources for Writing Seminar Papers & Journal Notes: Getting Started

• Law School Toolbox, 2019. Podcast Episode 180. [podcast] How to Write a Great Seminar Paper or Journal Note. 
• Heather Meeker, Stalking the Golden Topic: A Guide to Locating and Selecting Topics for Legal Research Papers, 1996 UTAH L. REV. 917 (1996).
• Richard Delgado, How to Write a Law Review Article, 20 U.S.F. L. REV. 445 (1986).
• Eugene Volokh, “Finding What to Write About (The Claim)” in Academic Legal Writing: Law Articles, Students Notes, Seminar Papers, and Getting on Law Review, 4th ed. (2010). Available at Faust Law Library Level 1 Compact Shelving (KF250 .V6 2010).
• LexisNexis: Tutorial on Note Topic Selection
• Westlaw: Writing a Law Review Article

Selecting a Paper Topic Checklist

• This checklist provides a list of sources to consult when developing a paper topic.

Explore the suggested resources listed below to aid you in selecting a paper topic. Make sure the topic is interesting to you, and that you can add something new to the discussion. Preliminary research will help you determine if there is enough material available to allow you to write a paper of the length needed for class or your journal note.

If you need additional assistance, please contact the Reference Desk.

Circuit Splits

• Use United States Law Week available from Bloomberg Law

Casebooks

• Check for the notes/commentary portion following cases to see if the textbook authors identified a split in jurisdictions or other unsettled area of law that provides a problem you can focus on.

Bloomberg Law

• Look at Practice Centers
• Search the News category

Lexis

• Search the Legal News category
• Find emerging issues by selecting the sources tab then typing 'emerging issues' - select a source from the list

Westlaw

• Look through the Bulletins & Topical Highlights database
• Search the News category

Search other legal news sources:

• Law.com (on Bloomberg Law)
• Law360 (on Lexis+)
• ABA Journal (on HeinOnline, etc.)
• ACLU News & Multimedia
• ASIL International Law in Brief
• Jurist World Legal News
• Europa: European Union Newsroom
• UN News

Search general news sources for coverage of interesting or emerging legal issues

• Example: New York Times, Washington Post, etc.
• See the Marriott Library Newspaper database for access to major newspapers outside of our legal research databases

Read blogs in the topical area related to your paper

• Law Professors Blogs Network
• Justia BlawgSearch
• SCOTUSblog
• IntLawGrrls
• ASIL Insights
• Opinio Juris
• EJIL: Talk!

Other places to explore:

• Government websites
• Nonprofit websites
• Recent conference proceedings
• Twitter
• Reddit
• Etc.