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You open a law journal article and

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see twenty pages of dense text.

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Before highlighting, decide what you need from

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it. Are you looking for an explanation,

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a criticism, a disputed interpretation, or an

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example of a research method?

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This lesson uses an invented article summary

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to practise reading choices.

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It is not a real publication or

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a source you can cite.

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The aim is a useful first pass.

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Important passages still need close reading before

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you rely on them.

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Our fictional article is about review procedures

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for booking decisions. Its thesis is that

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giving reasons can improve accountability, but only

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if reviewers can investigate the decision properly.

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The topic is review procedures.

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The thesis makes a claim about reasons

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and effective review. Read the abstract if

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there is one, the introduction, section headings

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and conclusion to locate that claim.

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Do not assume an abstract is present,

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or that the conclusion proves everything it

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asserts. These are routes into the argument,

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not substitutes for it.

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Next ask how the author supports the

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thesis. Does the article interpret cases and

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legislation, advance a theoretical argument, compare legal

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systems, analyse interviews, or combine methods?

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In our invented summary, the author reviews

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published policies from ten study centres.

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That can support claims about those documents.

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It does not, by itself, show how

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every centre actually makes decisions.

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Connect the proposed claim to the evidence

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and method. The label peer reviewed does

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not remove the need to examine that

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connection yourself.

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Look for the strongest objection or alternative

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interpretation. Does the author answer it, narrow

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the thesis, or leave it unresolved?

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If you disagree, identify the premise, evidence

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or inference you are challenging.

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Calling an article biased or outdated without

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explaining why adds little.

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Date matters in legal research, but a

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newer article is not automatically better.

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Check whether relevant law or context has

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changed and whether the older argument still

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addresses your question.

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Write four short entries: the thesis in

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your words, the supporting passage and page,

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the method or evidence, and the limit

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relevant to your task.

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Keep the full reference so you can

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find the source again.

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Distinguish quotation from paraphrase and follow the

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referencing edition required by your course.

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When using an article to find a

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case or statute, open and check that

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primary source too. An author's account of

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the law is valuable commentary, not a

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replacement for verifying the authority you rely

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on.

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Our fictional article examines the published policies

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of ten centres. Can you cite it

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as proof that all centres make fair

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decisions in practice? Pause and draft a

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more cautious sentence that fits the evidence

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described.

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No. You could say that the study

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identifies features of the ten published policies

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it examined. To claim that all centres

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make fair decisions in practice, you would

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need different and broader evidence.

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That narrower sentence is not timid writing.

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It tells the reader precisely what the

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source can contribute to your argument.

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Now ask whether that contribution helps answer

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your own question.

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Try a short first-pass session to map

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one permitted article, then return to the

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passages your task needs.

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Some articles require much longer.

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A time box helps you choose a

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next step; it cannot guarantee comprehension.

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Use your university library for access and

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ask a librarian when a citation or

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database route is unclear.

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Find the reading-note exercise and sources in

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Durmah's learning library. Keep your interpretation, verification

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and final writing your own.