Legal Research Skills & AGLC Referencing

Importance of Legal Research

• Quality of assessments, legal opinions, & workplace advice depends directly on the quality of underlying research.

  • Good research → higher grades, stronger arguments, saved study time.

  • Employers expect graduates to research accurately and cost-effectively (graduate learning outcome).

• Advantage in the job market: demonstrating efficient, authoritative research can distinguish you from other applicants.

Planning Your Legal Research

• Avoid jumping straight into Google/databases; plan first.

• Ask yourself:

  • What legal problem/question am I answering?

  • Which jurisdiction is relevant (e.g.
    Victorian criminal law)?

  • Do I need cases, legislation, journal articles, commentary?

• Draft a strategy before searching:

  • Identify key terms, synonyms, related phrases.

  • Decide on primary vs secondary sources.

  • Allocate search time & schedule iterative searches across multiple databases.

Primary vs Secondary Sources

• Primary sources (most authoritative)

  • Case law (court-made).

  • Statutes & subordinate legislation (parliament-made).

  • Judicial interpretations of statutes.

• Secondary sources (interpret, critique, consolidate)

  • Peer-reviewed law journal articles.

  • Textbooks & monographs.

  • Legal encyclopaedias & dictionaries.

• Less reliable / least authoritative

  • Newspapers, general web pages, Wikipedia → use cautiously and only for background.

Boolean Searching & Database Techniques

• Databases read queries literally; incorrect spelling ⇒ zero hits.

• Core Boolean operators:

  • AND: narrows results — retrieves documents containing both terms.
    • "contract AND acceptance" ⇒ fewer, more relevant results.

  • OR: broadens search — retrieves documents containing either term.
    • "child OR minor OR juvenile OR infant" ⇒ captures synonyms.

  • NOT: excludes concepts you don’t want.
    • "space NOT aviation" when researching retail floor-space.

• Truncation / Wildcards (symbol varies by database)

  • Westlaw/Lexis: !

  • AustLII/AGIS: *

  • Example: "contract!" or "contract*" ⇒ contract, contracts, contractual, contracting …

• Phrase searching

  • Enclose words in double quotes to force adjacency:
    • "postal acceptance rule" returns only documents with that exact phrase.

  • Without quotes, words may appear anywhere in the document.

• Always consult the help/advanced search page of each platform for its exact connectors.

Legal Research Basics Guide (Deakin Library)

• Access path: Library Homepage → Resource Guides → Business & Law → Law → Legal Research Basics.

• Contents:

  • Key research textbooks (incl. free e-book Legal Research Skills & Australian Law Guide).

  • Step-by-step workflow, Boolean refresher table, downloadable Search Planner (MS Word).

  • Links to core databases (Lexis+, Westlaw AU) — always enter via A–Z Databases list for full access.

  • Introductory videos, dictionary/encyclopaedia links, study guides, treaty research guide.

Step-by-Step Research Strategy (from Guide)

1. Clarify research need

   • Read assessment instructions; highlight legal issues & verbs ("analyse", "advise" …).

   • Note prior unit content that informs scope.

2. Draft search terms

   • Brainstorm keywords, synonyms, alternative spellings.

   • Use legal dictionaries (Australian Law Dictionary via Oxford Reference, Macquarie Dictionary for general English) for unfamiliar terms.

3. Map search logic

   • Choose Boolean connectors, truncation, phrase markers.

   • Fill out the MS Word Search Planner.

4. Run preliminary searches in one major database (e.g. Westlaw AU).

5. Evaluate results (see CRAAP test below).

6. Iterate / expand: switch databases, adjust terms, move from secondary → primary or vice-versa.

7. Record & organise: save citations, note relevant passages, plan quotations.

Evaluating Sources (CRAAP Test)

• Currency: publication date, statute consolidation date, case history status.

• Relevance: direct applicability to your jurisdiction & issue.

• Authority: author credentials, court hierarchy, publisher reputation.

• Accuracy: peer review, reliable citations, consistency with other authorities.

• Purpose: objective analysis vs advocacy vs advertising; how will you use the material?

Introduction to AGLC Referencing (4th ed.)

• Mandatory for all Deakin Law assessments; industry standard across Australia.

• Obtainable as free PDF from publisher or as paid hard copy.

• Footnote style (not author-date).
  • Superscript number in text → full citation in footnote bottom-of-page.

• Always consult Part I thoroughly: rules for footnotes, quotations, subsequent references, bibliographies.

• Spelling must follow Macquarie Dictionary (Australian English).

Using Footnotes in AGLC

• Insert superscript number after punctuation (unless otherwise required).

• Footnote entry ends with a full stop.

• Essential elements (order varies by source type):

  1. Author(s) — given name first in footnotes, surname first in bibliography.

  2. Title (italics for books/cases, single quotes for articles, etc.).

  3. Publication details (volume, journal, year; publisher, edition…).

  4. Pinpoint reference (page or paragraph) if quoting or closely paraphrasing.

• Microsoft Word: References → Insert Footnote (AGLC not built in; type manually).

• Example (journal article):

  • In-text: “… contractual silence.¹”

  • Footnote 1: Bruce Kercher, ‘Perceptions of Contract in Early Colonial Australia’ (2010) 34(2) Sydney Law Review 90, 101.

Pinpoint References & Short Forms

• Pinpointing pages/paragraphs: see Rule\;1.1.6.

  • Cases: cite page first, then paragraph in parentheses → "31 ([4])".

  • Legislation: abbreviate subdivisions per Rule\;3 (s, ss, pt, div, reg…).

• Ibid (Latin: "in the same place") → cites immediately preceding source (Rule 1.4.3).

• Short titles (Rule 1.4.4)

  • Create in first full citation: Title (Short Title).

  • Subsequent: Short Title (n ?), pinpoint.

• Benefits: saves word count & avoids repetition.

Bibliographies in AGLC (Rule 1.13)

• Required if specified by assessment.

• Location: end of document after footnotes.

• Must list ALL sources consulted, not just cited.

• Organise under headings (in order):

  1. A Cases.

  2. B Legislation.

  3. C Treaties.

  4. D Other.

• Formatting differences from footnotes:

  • Author surname first, no full stop at end.

  • List alphabetically; ignore contractions (A, An, The).

  • For 2–3 authors, invert only the first name.

Practical Tips & Common Pitfalls

• Always attribute: failure to quote or paraphrase with citation = plagiarism.

• Database access: use Deakin Library links to ensure full text & authentication.

• Check court hierarchy when citing cases — higher courts trump lower decisions.

• Update law: use citators (KeyCite, CaseBase, LawCite) to check whether a case is still good law.

• Spell-check keywords and citations; one typo = empty search.

• Consistency: ensure every subsequent citation follows chosen shorthand rule.

Key Resources & Support

• Legal Research Basics Guide (first stop for search strategy, Boolean refresher).

• Legal Referencing Guide (examples for cases, legislation, secondary sources, internet materials when no rule fits).

• Deakin Study Support Guide (overview, concise PDF, writing tips).

• Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC 4) (full authoritative rules; follow updates for AGLC 5 in progress).

• Dictionaries & Encyclopaedias

  • Australian Law Dictionary (Oxford Reference Online).

  • Macquarie Dictionary (general Australian English).

  • Halsbury’s Laws of Australia & The Laws of Australia (subject overviews).

• Databases

  • Westlaw Australia, Lexis+ Advance, AustLII, AGIS, plus subject-specific repositories.

• Further help: Business & Law Scholarly Services Librarian; Library General Information email.