How to Write a Legal Article.pptx

yu6yu6utyu

1. How to write a legal article? For Law Review Lecture Series, 2022-23

2. The need to write articles, research papers & case comments Threefold: It enriches one’s writing skills (Thanks, Captain Obvious!) . It encourages one to explore new areas of research (read papers & books) . It stimulates further critical thinking on a particular topic of research.

3. The basic components of an article… A legal article consists of several important components such as – An Abstract The Body , which includes headings and subheadings. The Con cluding paragraph & lastly , Addition of Footnotes (Microsoft Word: Insert Tab – Footnotes Column – Insert Footnote) .

4. The importance of an Abstract in an article What is an Abstract? It is a standalone summary of your paper, which readers can use to decide whether it's relevant to them before they dive in to read the paper. In papers, Abstracts are usually written between 150 – 350 words (as per demands in Competitions/Call For Papers) . Pro Tip: It is best to write an Abstract once yo u finish the rest of your paper since your clarity on the topic will be crystal clear by then.

5. The main body of your article… The Main Body consists first, of your main topic heading, which usually is Center-aligned (some formatting rules negate this alignment need). This is followed by a proclamation of the name of the writer, usually represented like this: ‘- by Bladbladibla ’ followed by a citation which translates into your footnotes like this: ‘Student, Year of Study, Name of College’ . In my case this would look like: ‘Student, 4 th Year BLS LL.B, Rizvi Law College’ . After this come your ‘Introduction’ heading, wherein you write the introductory paragraph (an introduction to your topic in general) . Following this, you elaborate upon your topic, write your views, provide evidence for your findings, cite your references, yada yada yada .

6. The Conclusion of your Article.. The final 1 or 2 paragraphs of your paper should solely be dedicated towards concluding your arguments or observations in a summary manner. Conclusions should of course, be written in a matter of finality , i.e., they must have statements which sum up all the questions and answers debated in the body of the paper. Pro Tip: A reading of several papers, especially the concluding paragraphs may help you understand how to write the concluding paragraph of your own piece since it involves practice as opposed to theoretical deliberations.

7. Plagiarism and checking for it… Plagiarism essentially means blatantly copypasting some statement or information from the internet. This includes copypasting the exact words from statutes and dictionary definitions so this may put you in a pinch. The correct way to subvert this would be to doing things manually and typing the definition out in your Word document. (#Feelsbadman  ) To check for it, go to sites such as Grammarly, Smallseotools, Duplichecker etc and copypasting your article. COMPULSORY TIP: ENSURE YOU DO THIS ONLY ONCE YOU HAVE FINISHED WRITING EVERYTHING ELSE!!!!

8. Two Friendly Tips when it comes to writing..  W henever you participate in competitions is that there must be strict adherence to the rules, no questions asked (unless there is confusion or misunderstanding in which case you may contact holders of the event) . When trying to insert fancy words in your sentences, please check the apropos meaning of the word in the context of the sentence and once you write it, say the sentence out loud to confirm whether it would be a correct insertion or not. For example: Two synonyms of the word ‘present’ are ‘in attendance’ and ‘immediate’ . Both these synonyms have vastly different meanings. Hence, if you intend to write a sentence which means ‘He was present today’ , the correct manner would be, ‘He was in attendance today’ .

9. How to submit a paper? Normally, there is an email which is attached to the brochures for Article Writing Competitions/Call For Papers. Mail your paper on that email id and fulfill any other conditions for example, any Cover Letter or Declaration of Originality.

10. THANK YOU! End of Presentation