Guides: Paper Topic Development: International: Academic Legal Writing: BLS Videos

Academic Legal Writing: BLS Videos - How Do I Choose a Topic? Research? Develop a Thesis? Avoid Plagiarism?

Selecting Your Topic (prior presentation of Kathleen Darvil, BLS Associate Librarian for Public Services/Adjunct Professor)
- Associate Librarian Kathy Darvil discusses how to use legal news sources to help select a topic. Although the original audience for this video was students writing seminar papers, the research strategies/sources also are useful to students writing journal articles.
Researching Your Seminar Paper (prior presentation of Kathleen Darvil, BLS Associate Librarian for Public Services/Adjunct Professor)
- Prof. Darvil highlights selected BLS sources to aid research and development of an argument.
Thesis Development and Plagiarism Discussion (Sept. 6, 2024) - video discussion led by BLS faculty, available in BLSConnect under: Academics > Honors Societies and Journals > Writing Competition > Links & Resources

New members of Brooklyn Journal of International Law: Your librarian liaison, Jean Davis, recorded two presentations for you covering sources for paper topic selection and sources for paper topic development. They are available to you through Panopto. Check your email from BJIL's EIC for links to these recordings.

Students who are researching/writing papers for law student writing competitions: Review carefully the description of a competition's topic, student eligibility/authorship criteria, standards for evaluating submissions, format for submissions (including word minimum/maximum), rules and deadline.

Writing competition rules vary greatly. Follow a competition's rules to ensure consideration of your submission.
Many writing competitions' rules prohibit the use of all generative artificial intelligence, including large language models, to create any part of a contestant's written submission.