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Digital Forensics

Research Dos and Don'ts

  • DO find proper LEGAL SUPPORT for your paper.  Legal support can come from:
  • You may use news articles to support FACTUAL ASSERTIONS but not for legal support.  DON'T use news articles for legal support.
  • DO start by searching  law review and journal articles.  Use Google Scholar, Lexis or Westlaw and SSRN. 
  • DO cite to reliable sources such as law review articles, primary sources of law, legal treatises, etc.  DON'T cite to Wikipedia or other web sources of questionable reliability.  
  • DO look at reliable websites, such as those linked in this guide.
  • DO consult legal treatises (books), if needed, especially for background information on the law.
  • DO consult scholarly articles from other disciplines, if needed, such as information technology.
  • DO search legislative history documents, especially if your paper revolves around a statute.  Even if it does not, you can often find hearings containing expert testimony on many issues.