Legal Research Process

1. It is okay to start your research with Google, but it should often not end there. Researchers can move between free and subscription sources. You might use free resources to get broad background information on your topic and then move to subscription resources for more targeted searching. Some good free resources include Cornell's Legal Information Institute, Google Scholar, and the National Conference of State Legislatures website. Our Research Guides can help you identify potentially relevant resources.

2. Use secondary sources such as treatises and practice guides to give you an overview of the topic that you are researching and to help you identify potentially relevant primary law. For example, a case cited in a legal encyclopedia from outside your jurisdiction can identify a useful headnote that might lead to relevant cases in your jurisdiction. Also remember that although secondary sources are always only persuasive authority, they can be cited, albeit very sparingly. For example, you might want to cite to both the Pennsylvania Legal Encyclopedia and a case cited therein if you believe the encyclopedia has a clear explanation of the point of law or to highlight other cases without citing all of them. We have a Research Guide that can help you to identify helpful treatises and practice materials.

3. Online resources are no more authoritative than the organization that produces them. In other words, official government agency websites hold more weight than, say, some guy's blog. 

4. You should always check, and cite, the underlying source to the extent that it is reasonably possible. For example, if you are working on an academic paper and you cite a newspaper article that cites to a study, you should try to obtain and review a copy of the underlying study and evaluate it yourself. Often it will make sense to cite both sources in your work. 

5. Ask questions. Both the Duquesne Kline Law Librarians and the librarians at the organization where you work may be valuable resources. Also consider using the phone and chat resources provided by Westlaw and Lexis+.

6.  Remember to use advanced search screens and help functions in online resources, especially if you are using resources that you do not use often.

7. Organize your research. How you organize your research is up to you. You can use a paper research log or rely on the electronic folder and history functions of electronic databases.

8. It often makes sense to write out a statement of the question or questions that you are researching and to come back to that written statement as you complete your research to evaluate whether you have properly addressed your question. Sometimes over the course of your research, the question may change. You just need to be aware of that and to evaluate whether the change is appropriate.

9. Forms and sample documents are great resources, but they must be used properly. Be sure that the form or sample document is proper for your jurisdiction and up to date. Also, keep in mind that simply running a Shepard's on an old brief and looking for red flags may not be sufficient to find all the relevant changes in the law.

10. Always check court rules, including the local rules and your judge's rules, if applicable.

11. Finally, always update your research!