Academic Legal Writing: Law Review Articles, Student Notes, Seminar Papers, and Getting on Law Review, Second Edition (University Casebook Series)
by Eugene Volokh
Category: Law

Designed to help law students write and publish articles, Academic Legal Writing provides detailed instructions for every aspect of the law school writing, research, and publication process. Topics covered include law review articles and student notes, seminar term papers, how to shift from research to writing, cite-checking others work, publishing, and publicizing written works. With supporting documents available on http://volokh.com/writing, the book helps law students and everyone else involved in academic legal writing: professors save time and effort communicating basic points to students; law schools satisfy the American Bar Associations second- and third-year writing requirements; and law reviews receive better notes from their staff.Summary of Contents" ChaptersI. Law Review Articles and Student Notes: The BasicsA. The Initial Step: Choosing a ClaimB. Organizing the ArticleC. Turning Practical Work into ArticlesD. Budgeting Your TimeE. Deciding What to Set AsideF. Choosing a TitleG. SummaryII. Seminar Term Papers: The BasicsA. Introduction: Comparing Seminar Term Papers and Academic ArticlesB. Figuring out What Your Instructor ExpectsC. Finding a TopicD. Budgeting Your TimeE. Turning the Paper into a Publishable ArticleIII. ResearchA. Identifying Sample Cases and IncidentsB. Understanding the LawC. Knowing When to Start WritingIV. WritingA. There Are No Lazy Readers-Only Busy ReadersB. Go Through Many DraftsC. If You See No Red Marks on a Paragraph, Go over It AgainD. If You Need to Reread Something to Understand It, Rewrite ItE. Read the Draft With "New Eyes"F. Finish the First Draft Quickly/Defeat Writer's Block by Skipping AroundG. React Effectively to Editing SuggestionsH. Use Subsection HeadingsI. Use a Table of ContentsJ. Note Down All Your IdeasK. Things to Look for: LogicL. Things to Look for: WritingM. ProofreadingN. Editing: Two ExercisesV. Using Evidence CorrectlyA. Read, Quote, and Cite the Original SourceB. Check the Studies on Which You RelyC. Compromise WiselyD. Be Careful with the Terms You UseE. Try to Avoid Foreseeable MisunderstandingsF. Understand Your SourceG. Handle Survey Evidence CorrectlyH. Be Explicit About Your AssumptionsI. Make Sure Your Comparisons Make SenseJ. A Source-Checking ExerciseK. SummaryVI. Cite-Checking Others' ArticlesA. Recommendations for Cite-CheckersB. Recommendations for Law Review EditorsVII. Publishing and PublicizingA. Consider Publishing Outside Your SchoolB. Working with Law Journal EditorsC. Publicizing the Article Before It's PublishedD. Publicizing the Published ArticleE. Planning the Next ArticleVIII. Entering Writing CompetitionsA. Why You Should Do ThisB. Competitions That Don't Offer PublicationC. Competitions That Guarantee PublicationD. Competitions That Offer a Chance for PublicationE. Competitions That Solicit Published PiecesF. Competitions That Solicit Unpublished PiecesIX. Getting On Law ReviewA. What Is a Law ReviewB. Why Be on a Law Review?C. Which Law Review?D. "Making Law Review"E. Writing On: BackgroundF. Writing On: A Timeline for After You StartG. Special Suggestions for Case NotesH. The Personal StatementX. Academic EthicsA. Avoiding PlagiarismB. Being CandidC. Being Fair and Polite to Your AdversariesD. Being Fair to the Law Review Editors Who Publish Your ArticleE. Preserving ConfidentialityF. Treating Sources FairlyG. Making Data Available" Conclusion" AppendixesI. Clumsy Words and PhrasesA. Needlessly Formal WordsB. CircumlocutionsC. RedundanciesII. Answers to ExercisesA. Editing ExerciseB. Understanding Your SourceC. USA Today Survey ReportD. Drunk Driving StudyE. Source-Checking ExerciseIII. Sample Cover LettersA. For Sending and Article to Law ReviewsB. For Sending a Reprint to Potential ReadersC. For Sending a Reprint to Potential Readers on Whose Work You Substantially Rely