CHAPTER 17 the benefits are diluted if you look at
your sources which are out of date.
ORGANIZING RESEARCH PROJECTS &
PRESENTING RESULTS
1. Comments on the Research Process
1.1 Defining the Issue(s) and Focusing
Your Research
 When searching for mandatory
authority, define your issue fairly and
broadly. Your goal should be to find
every case in your jurisdiction that is
relevant to the issue.
 Use a broad definition to define
relevancy – analogize from your
facts to similar fact patterns.
 The issue may not be firmly decided
in your jurisdiction or the prevailing
trend among the jurisdictions may be
changing from the status quo in your
jurisdiction.
 Your research should include a
search for persuasive authority
 Find enough cases in other
jurisdictions to understand what the
trends are across the country, or to
urge that a particular reasoning be
adopted by your jurisdiction.
 Use a strict definition to determine
relevancy and look for cases more
nearly on point with your facts.
 Read cases from your jurisdiction
that do not favor your client’s side as
well as ones that favor your client’s
position.
 You cannot ignore the latter; you
must figure out a way to deal with
them, for example, by distinguishing
the facts.
1.2 Focusing Your Search for Secondary
Authorities.
 Make sure the secondary sources
you consult are as up to date as you
can find. Both the background
information and the citation finding
If searching for secondary sources
online:
 Avoid printing out lengthy documents
which may prove to be marginally
useful
 Try natural language searching first
if you are not familiar with the jargon
 Use appropriate date and title field /
segment restrictions to cut down on
the volume of the search results
 Remember that lengthy secondary
sources may be easier to browse in
print format
Remember that the most important use
of secondary sources is to speed up the
process of locating, and enhancing the
understanding of the primary source
materials which are the objective your
research effort.
1.3 Combining Print and Electronic
Research Techniques.
 Computerized legal research
services such as Lexis and Westlaw
are extremely valuable tools. The
number of legal sources available on
the Internet continues to grow at a
rapid rate and this is an area that will
bear watching as improvements in
the various search engines and
access occur.
 Even though the full text legal
systems have been available for so
many years, students, faculty and
attorneys still make heavy use of the
print sources. Some of this relates to
differing comfort levels in reading
lengthy documents online.
 As has been stressed from the
beginning, searching for primary
sources, either using print indexes or
searching in online case or statute
databases without a basic
understanding of the terminology
can waste valuable time.
 In general, unless one finds a
specific statutory cite in secondary
sources, it is often easier to locate
 statutes in print indexes than in
online databases.
 Whether print digests or full text
databases are more efficient for
locating case law varies from
problem to problem.
 If online research is available,
validating cases to make sure they
are still good law is almost always
more efficient online than in print.
 In addition to the tremendous
potential for waste, professors find
that students who print large
volumes of material often are
overwhelmed. Spending a few
minutes online identifying the
relevant documents as opposed to
printing randomly is well worth it.
Both systems allow printing of
selected pages of documents and
this is often more efficient than
printing entire sources.
1.4 The 15 Minute Rule.
 Do not spend more than about 15
minutes in an index or database in
which you are not finding anything.
Go on to another source and if you
need to come back to the first
source later when you have a better
sense of what you may be looking
for or different research vocabulary
to work with. Keep an accurate
research log and be flexible.
2. Strategies For Organizing Research
Projects
 Carefully read or review the facts
upon which your problem is based
before you begin. Make sure you
can articulate some version of the
issue(s) at the outset, although your
version of the issue(s) may evolve
as the research progresses.
 Create a research plan and record it,
possibly in checklist format. This
plan may change or evolve as you
work, but it can still provide guidance
and a checklist for complete
research. List both the tools you
intend to use and the index terms/
searches you will initially use to
search them.
 Your research plan should begin by
building on what you already know
about the problem or the sources of
which you may already be aware.
 When approaching a research tool,
spend a few minutes examining its
structure so that you can use it most
efficiently.
 Develop a system for recording your
research process and product. You
can make your original research
plan the blueprint, for your research
log. For each tool you consult, be
careful to record:
o The date you consulted it
o Whether you looked at
pocket parts or supplements
and their respective dates
o What subject headings or
searches you used, and
o What you found. If you found
nothing, record that, so that
you will know that you
consulted the tool.
 Do not be frustrated if you find yourself
returning to tools already consulted
earlier in the process.
 Read the sources you locate as you go
along.
 Be certain that you record all the
information you will need to properly cite
the primary sources you are using.
 Validate cases early in the process.
Once you have determined that a case
is relevant and/or important, use citation
tools to verify its precedential status.
 If your research involves multiple issues
at some point you will need to organize
your research log accordingly.
3. Tips for Developing Research
Organization Skills
3.1 Carefully read or review the facts upon
which your problem is based before you
begin.
3.2 Formulate issue(s) and research
vocabulary before starting to look at
sources.
3.3 Develop and record a research plan.
3.4 Your research plan should begin by
building upon what you already know
about the problem.
3.5 When approaching a research tool,
spend a few minutes examining its
content and structure so that you can use
it most efficiently and so you know it is
appropriate for your needs.
3.6 Develop a system for recording your
research process and product.
3.7 Carefully record all information pertinent
to your research. Include dates checked
and index/search terms used. Also
include information essential for correct
citation form.
3.8 Read the sources as you go along.
3.9 Validate cases (using citation tools) early
in the process.
3.10 Begin plugging authorities into your
topic outline as you go along.
4. Presenting Research Results to a
Supervisor
The most basic of all lawyer’s
communication to a supervisor is the oral
report: a description of what you have found
through research, investigation or analysis.
Distilling the essence of your research and
analysis in an oral report –
The goal is a thorough, complete and timely
response to the problem. What your
supervisor will evaluate you on is your ability
to express the best answer to the issues
presented to you, based upon accurate
research and the client you represent, in an
organized, clear and concise manner.
4.1 Questions to ask yourself before
presenting your results to a supervisor:
4.1.1 Have I responded to the problem
presented to me?
4.1.2 Have I used good professional
judgement and logic in reaching
an answer?
4.1.3 Have I been thorough in my
research?
4.1.4 Have I completed the project
within the time allotted to me or
prior to the end of the allotted
time, have I communicated with
my supervisor for an extension of
the deadline to allow me to be
thorough or to revise the project?
4.1.5 Have I plotted out the structure of
my presentation?
 Typically, you are reporting to busy people
who want refined conclusions, not rough
facts and not a recital of your hunt in
chronological order.
 Be prepared to be interrupted with
questions. You will have to give this
presentation as a dialogue: some of those
questions will be directed to the issue you
are presenting at that moment, and others
may be related to matters you intend to
cover later in the discussion.
 Finally, never forget that the way in which
you communicate orally to a supervisor, a
judge or a client, conveys not only your
knowledge and intellectual capacity, but also
empathy and trustworthiness.
CHAPTER 18
LEGAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Legal Bibliography
1.1 Bibliography.
Bibliography (from Greek: bibliographia;
lit. book writing) in its most general
sense is the study and description of
books. It can be divided into
enumerative or systematic bibliography,
which results in an overview of
publications in a particular category, and
analytical or critical bibliography, which
studies the production of books.
 1.2 Legal Bibliography.
Is the science that deals with the
description of law books and other legal
materials.
1.3 Kinds of Bibliography. According to
Belanger (2003), the two main sorts of
bibliography are:
1.3.1 Enumerative Bibliography: the
listing of books according to
some system or reference plan,
for example by author, by
subject, or by date. The
implication is that the listings will
be short, usually providing only
the author’s name, the book’s
title, and date and place of
publication. It attempts to record
and list, rather than to describe
minutely.
1.3.2 Analytical Bibliography: the
study of books as physical
objects; the details of their
production, the effects of the
method of manufacture on the
text.
1.4 Enumerative Bibliography. A
bibliography is a list, either indicative or
comprehensive, of works and can
contain no more than source in any
given singular bibliography: author,
subject, period published, mentioned in,
or relevant to, a particular work.
1.5 Analytical Bibliography. The critical
study of bibliography is subdivided into
descriptive, historical, and textual
bibliography.
Descriptive Bibliography is the close
examination of a book as a physical object,
recording its size, format, binding, and so
on, while Historical Bibliography takes a
broader view of printing and publishing.
Textual Bibliography is another name for
textual criticism.
2. Annotated Bibliography
2.1 Annotated Bibliography. Is a
bibliography that gives a summary of the
research that has been done. It is still an
alphabetical list of research sources. It also
provides a brief summary or annotation. It is
a list of citations to books, articles and
documents. Each citation is followed by a
brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive
and evaluative paragraph, the annotation.
2.2 Parts of Annotated Bibliography.
Annotations may consist of all or part of the
following list of items, depending on the
purpose of the bibliography:
a. Describe the content (focus) of the
item
b. Describe the usefulness of the item
c. Discuss any limitations that the item
may have e.g. grade level,
timeliness etc.;
d. Describe what audience the item is
intended for;
e. Evaluate the methods (research)
used in the item
f. Evaluate the reliability of the item
g. Discuss the author’s background
h. Discuss any conclusions the
author(s) may have made
i. Describe your reaction to the item
2.3 Purpose of an Annotated
Bibliography. Depending on the assignment the
annotated bibliography may serve a number of
purposes. Including but not limited to
a. review of the literature on a particular
subject;
b. illustrate the quality of research that you
have done
c. provide examples of the types of sources
available
d. describe other items on a topic that may be
of interest to the reader
e. explore the subject for the further research
2.4 Annotations vs. Abstracts
Abstracts - are the purely descriptive
summaries often found at the beginning of
scholarly journal articles or in periodical
indexes.
Annotations - are descriptive and critical;
they expose the author’s point of view,
clarity and appropriateness of expression
and authority.
2.5 The Process of Annotation
Creating an annotated bibliography calls for
the application of a variety of intellectual
skills: concise exposition, succinct analysis,
and informed library research.
- First, locate and record citations to
books, periodicals and documents that
 may contain useful information and
ideas on your topic.
- Briefly examine and review the actual
items. Then choose those works that
provide a variety of perspectives on your
topic.
- Cite the book, article, or document using
the appropriate style.
- Write a concise annotation that
summarizes the central theme and
scope of the book or article.
- Include one or more sentences that
a. Evaluate the authority or background
of the author
b. Comment on the intended audience
c. Compare or contrast this work with
another you have cited
d. Explain how this work illuminates
your bibliography topic.

2.6 Sample Annotated Bibliography

sample annotated bibliography entry for a
journal article. The following examples uses
the American Psychological Association
(APA) format for the journal citation. NOTE:
APA requires double spacing within citations 3. Philippine Legal Bibliography
Milagros Santos-Ong, the Director of Library
Services for the Supreme Court of the Philippines,
is the author of “Philippine Legal Materials”,
published in May 2006 and it can be accessed in
the website of Hauser Global Law School Program
www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Philippines1.htm.
The publication contains vast information about
Philippine Legal Materials.

Another publication that is very interesting is the

book of Fortunato Gupit and Daniel Martinez
entitled “A Guide to Philippine Legal Materials”.
This book is a text on Philippine legal bibliography,
Philippine legal history, Philippine legal system,
legal philosophy and methods of legal research.