The Ruth Lilly Library is located in the McKinney School of Law and its webpage is available via the law school's website. Drop by the library any time for access to several reference librarians, including your instructor. We are happy to assist you whenever possible. The library is home to numerous study aids, which are located on the first floor of the library. The circulation desk staff are always available to guide you to resources and librarians. We look forward to seeing you in the library throughout your law school career!

This course is intended to provide law students with the basic research skills necessary to successfully practice law. Students will learn to develop research strategies and use a wide range of resources. Students will learn how to find, choose, and cite to appropriate authority, how to evaluate legal resources, and the general legal research process.

This course helps students achieve the following educational objectives from the law school's mission statement: 

• Build a base of legal knowledge and skills to succeed in the graduate’s chosen career path;
• Exercise sound professional judgment and fulfill ethical responsibilities;
• Exhibit competence in legal analysis, reasoning, research, and writing;
• Transition readily to law practice or other government, non-profit, or private sector employment; and
• Appreciate that excellence as a lawyer requires individual, life-long effort. 

Learning Outcomes

Successful students will be able to:

1. Identify research issues in a fact pattern. 
2. Formulate appropriate search terms and queries. 
3. Effectively navigate major legal research databases and other relevant sources.
4. Understand the nature and use of different legal information resources.
5. Evaluate and choose appropriate resources for the research task. 
6. Synthesize material from different sources in order to draw conclusions

Note: Specific learning objectives will be listed each week on that class's page. Pay close attention to what you takeaways you should have by the end of the week!

Course Expectations

This is a one-credit hour course spread over the two semesters of the 1L year. Commonly held expectations for a one-credit hour course include one hour of class time plus an additional three (3) hours of study/work time outside of class. We recommend that you start your assignments early so that if you have questions, there will be time to ask and get a response. If you wait until just before an assignment deadline, we may not be available to assist you.

Students are expected to:

• Attend and participate in all classes.
• Come to class prepared by having read assigned material beforehand.
• Complete all assignments on time and in compliance with the honor code.
• All work outside of class must be your own. Answers for assignments should not be shared. To do otherwise is a violation of the law school honor code and may result in disciplinary measures. 

​​Introduction to Basic Legal Citation is an online guide, updated in 2013, that references both the ALWD Citation Manual, 4th ed. (2010) and The Bluebook, 19th ed. (2010). If you follow this link, scroll down the page to where it says "eBook Downloads."