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Research Guide for Law Co-curricular Organizations: Topic Selection

This guide presents resources primarily for Villanova University School of Law students participating in a Journal, Moot Court, Trial Team and the Sports Negotiations team.

How Do I Find a Topic?

  • Check those secondary sources!
  • If researching a Circuit Split--go through the headnotes of each case and figure out which ones are of interest.
  • If addressing a statutory issue:
    • Review the statute in an annotated code and look at the statute's outline
    • as well as the Notes of Decisions (Westlaw) and Casenotes (Lexis) for topical breakdown

Sources to Consult

1. Shepardize/Keycite to find who is citing this resource
2. Browse legal newsletters and commentary such as:
3. Review blog posts like those from:
4. Peruse legal newspaper articles like those found in:
5. Run a preemption check to make sure not covered elsewhere (see Preemption Check box on this page)
6. Consult with an expert! What issues are expected to be important in the next year, two, five? What are practitioners watching for? (See Experts box on this page)
7. Checkout:

Finding a Topic and General Advice

Consult a Research Guide on a Subject area of Interest

If your area of interest in not in the list below, try a google search using the terms "law library research guide ______" -- filling in your subject in the blank. You may also ask for assistance at the Reference Desk.

Browse Legal News

Circuit Splits

Searches of Case Law

  • Try running a search for split or conflict /s court or circuit or authority
  • Limit by date or subject to narrow down results

Other Options: Experts and CLE Handbooks

Talk to a law professor, your alumni advisor, or an attorney or judge you have worked with for topic ideas.

Preemption Check

Part of the topic selection process may be to determine whether any one else has already written on a particluar topic, in other words, is the topic pre-empted? This search involves multiple sources. There is more than one database to check. Westlaw and Lexis begin coverage of law reviews in the 1980s. To search for earlier articles, use HeinOnline or a legal periodical index. Furthermore, Westlaw and Lexis do not have articles that are "pending publication". The best sources for new articles, before they are published, is Google Scholar, SSRN, and BePress.

Subject Guide