The American legal system is a broad contextual web of legal rules that shape and define each other. While many people think in terms of isolated rules, legal research assumes that law is a process through which rules are continually being interpreted by the branches of the legal system. When you start out doing legal research, you have to begin somewhere. But true legal research is more creative than just finding one or more rules.
All legal rules have dynamic histories and uncertain futures.
To understand fully any legal problem, you have to understand how specific rules were originally adopted, how they have changed, and whether they will remain in force. In our system, each branch interprets and modifies the legal authority of the others. Legal research may begin with finding statutes, but it cannot end without fuller institutional analysis. Keep in mind the difference between legal research and general research about legal issues. Ultimately, of course, you want to bring your own perspective to your research topic, or you want to challenge someone else's point of view.