Research Assignment 1: Dictionaries, Encyclopedias,
Periodicals, and Treatises
(due Feb. 18, 1999)
Dictionaries:
Look up "abuse of discretion" in a legal dictionary.
- What dictionary did you use? (Give the title, edition,
and year of publication.)
- What type of information did you find (e.g., definitions, legal rules,
examples, citations, etc.)?
Encyclopedias:
Use one of the national legal encyclopedias to learn more about abuse of
discretion. Start with the index at the end of the encyclopedia, then look for
one or more relevant entries within the main volumes of the encyclopedia.
- Which encyclopedia did you use?
American Jurisprudence 2d
Corpus Juris Secundum
- What is the title of the entry that you consulted?
(Give the title of the entire entry, such as "Criminal Law,"
rather than just a subject heading within the entry.)
- What type of information did you find (e.g., definitions, legal rules,
examples, citations, etc.)?
Periodicals:
Use a legal periodical index to locate an article written by one of
your professors, or by another professor at John Marshall. (The indexes
are located on the sixth and eighth floors in John Marshall's library.)
Choose an article that was published in an academic law review or a
bar journal,
rather than a legal
newspaper; if possible, choose an article that was published at least
two years ago.
- Which index did you use?
Current Law Index (LegalTrac)
Index to Legal Periodicals
print edition
CD-ROM edition
- Give a full citation for the article, including the
following information:
- the author's name;
- the title of the article;
- the name of the publication;
- the volume number and the first page number; and
- the year of publication.
- Try to find a citation to the same article using a different index.
How do the two indexes compare (completeness, ease of use, etc.)?