The following provides one model of how to approach the research and a review of citation. Note, the citation sources I have are several years old, and citation forms may have altered since that time.

1. Please explain in detail how you might go about researching a statutory provision for your state, (on the Internet and on WESTLAW) for “personal property exempt from seizure.”

To complete this research you must begin by creating a good search query. This means you need to consider the area of law where personal property would be seized. That normally involves debt or some kind of bankruptcy. Therefore, to conduct a search online or in Westlaw, the search terms would include the following: "personal property" AND seizure AND exempt AND debt OR creditor. That should be narrow enough to ignore other types of property sales, theft, and in other legal areas yet be broad enough to include as many statutory provisions as possible. In addition to this, it is important to narrow the search down to include only the name of the statutory code in the state - such as "Annotated Code of Maryland" for that state's statutes or "General Statutes of Connecticut" for Connecticut. That will help ensure that only the statutes in the state of interest will appear.

2. Please explain in detail how you might go about searching for case law for your state, (on the Internet and WESTLAW) regarding “constructive eviction.”

In this case the approach would differ based on whether the Internet or Westlaw is being used. On the Internet the search terms would include the following: state name (in quotes if it is a two word state name); the term "constructive eviction" in quotes; and the word court. If, however, the state, like California does, puts many of its court decisions online, then the search may be done by going to the state's online court cases search website. This often helps find court cases on the Internet. On Westlaw the search terms would be as follows: state name (in quotes if it is a two word state name) and the term "constructive eviction" in quotes. In Westlaw, you would also select the specific state and court cases in the search options list to ensure the search includes only court cases in that state.

3. Please explain which sources you may use to research administrative rules and regulations, and how you may be able to do so by accessing websites and WESTLAW.

Administrative rules and regulations are normally found in state or federal "Administrative Codes" so any research into administrative rules or regulations will begin with reading the administrative code that applies to the agency or department whose rules and regulations are being reviewed. In addition to this, research should also include cases decided by the administrative courts for that agency or department to see how the rules and regulations have been interpreted. To find those on Westlaw one can select cases in those courts and then type in the code number for the regulation or rule and on the internet all state and federal codes are available and one can look for cases by searching for: cases; the words decision or court; and the name of the administrative agency in quotation marks.

4. Please explain which sources you may use to research treaties and whether you may be able to do so by accessing websites and WESTLAW.

If the exact name of the treaty is known then that title, in quotes, can be put into an online search engine so that it can be found. In addition, the U.S. Department of State has a website where treaties can be looked up. Westlaw also has a special library, USTreaties for treaties where they can be looked up by subject, year, and other factors. Not all U.S. treaties, however, may be online as Westlaw and other online sources include only treaties after a certain period of time.

5. Please explain when research on the internet may and may not be appropriate.

Research on the Internet is appropriate where the quality and reliability of the resource can be trusted. There are many government sites and courts, for example, that print their cases, decisions, and statutes onto the Internet. However, not all cases or statutes online are available from reliable resources and the ability to know the difference is necessary if one is to research online.

6. Please correct the following citations and explain why they are wrong:

1. Jones v. Smith, 383 F.2d 482 (S.D.Tex. 1993)

The F.2d reporter is the reporter for federal courts of appeals, only district courts use a s, w, n, or e designation). The proper citation is Jones v. Smith, 383 F.2d 482, (5th Cir. 1993)

2. Franks v. Hamburgs, 288 U.S. 591 (1993), cert. denied, 979 F.2d 112 (1993)

Franks v. Hamburgs, 979 F.2d 112 (1993), cert. denied, 288 U.S. 591 (1993).

The federal appeals court information should be first, the cert. denied should be italicized. after it and followed by a comma, and the U.S. Supreme Court information should be last.

3. Friends v. Animal Shelter, 362 L.Ed.2d 499, 452 U.S. 611, n.r.e, 182 S.Ct. 399 (Ark. 1991)

Friends v. Animal Shelter, 452 U.S. 611, 182 S.Ct. 399, 362 L.Ed.2d 499 (1991).

The order of the citations above is incorrect. The U.S. reporter should be first, then the S. Ct. reporter, and last the L.Ed. reporter. There should not be any note about the state the case originated in.

4. 4 U.S.C. 241 (1999)

4 U.S.C. § 241

This is a citation to a statute in the federal Code and no year should be included and the § symbol should be included.

5. MacKree v. McNutt, 36 Am.Jur. 351 (1995)

36Am.Jur. § 351, MacKree v. McNutt (1995)

The order of the citation is wrong with the case name first and no use of the section symbol.

II. Please explain how you would go about finding a correct manner of citing authority with which you may not be familiar.

By looking through the Blue Book you can find the appropriate citation for almost all legal authorities. The back of the book, especially, lists the proper citation form for legal documents in all U.S. states, for all U.S. federal authorities, for all nations, and for most international authorities.