Impeccable Research, A Concise Guide to Mastering Legal Research Skills

Mark K. Osbeck, University of Michigan Law School

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Table of Contents

The book has been updated a bit from the second edition to reflect more recent changes in electronic research technology. For example, the third edition of the book contains an additional section in Chapter 4 devoted to Brief-Analyzer tools (e.g., Westlaw’s Quick Check and Lexis’ Brief Analysis). And the parts of the book discussing free and lower-cost research (e.g., Chapter 8, section C) have been updated to reflect changes in the available resources.

The other principal differences between the second edition and this third edition are:

(1) Chapters 1-5 now contain short “takeaways” at the end of each chapter summarizing the main points for that chapter. The purpose of these takeaways is to reinforce the main points in order to facilitate student recall.

(2) Structurally, Parts II and III have switched places in the book. It seems to me that students should gain familiarity with the primary and secondary sources of law before turning their attention to refining their research skills.

(3) Finally, there are some additional, minor changes sprinkled throughout the book to clarify certain topics, and to ensure that the material is up to date.

Learn more about this series.