Writing assignments, essays and dissertations; report writing, bibliography and citation
Legal Methods · Unit V · Topic 14 of 14 · 5 min read
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Cases checked to exist. Read the judgment before quoting a holding.
Every case cited here has been checked to exist — the citation resolves and names the right parties. The propositions attributed to each case have not been verified line by line against the judgment. Case names link through to the full judgment: read it before quoting a holding in an examination answer, and never carry a proposition from notes into court on trust.
1. Assignment writing
An assignment is a written piece set by the teacher on a topic, to be completed in a given time, usually 2,000 to 5,000 words. It tests the ability to find material, organise it and argue a point, as distinct from memory in an examination.
Steps:
- Understand the topic. Read the title closely; identify what is asked (describe, analyse, critically evaluate) and its limits.
- Preliminary reading. A textbook chapter for the outline, then the statute and the leading cases.
- Collect material from the law library and databases, noting full citations as you go.
- Prepare an outline of headings and sub-headings, with the points and authorities under each.
- Write the first draft: introduction stating the issue and the plan; body in logically ordered sections; conclusion with your view.
- Cite every source in footnotes.
- Revise for argument, accuracy, language and length; check every citation.
- Present it properly: cover page, contents, page numbers, bibliography, and submit on time.
Qualities of a good assignment: relevance to the topic, original analysis rather than copying, accurate and current law, clear structure, plain language, proper citation.
2. Essays and dissertations
A legal essay is a shorter, argued piece on a question; it takes a position and defends it. A dissertation is a long piece of independent research (in the final year of LL.B. or the LL.M.), usually 15,000 words or more, conducted under a supervisor and following the stages of research in the previous note.
3. Parts of a research report or dissertation
| Part | Contents |
|---|---|
| Preliminary pages | Title page, certificate of the supervisor, declaration of originality, acknowledgements, contents, list of cases, list of statutes, abbreviations |
| Introduction | Background, research problem, objectives, hypothesis or research questions, scope and limits, methodology, review of literature, chapter scheme |
| Main chapters | Conceptual and historical framework, the legal position (statutes and cases), comparative study, empirical findings if any |
| Conclusion and suggestions | Findings, whether the hypothesis is proved, recommendations |
| End matter | Bibliography, appendices (questionnaire, data tables), index |
A report must be objective (findings supported by evidence), consistent in style and citation, and written in clear, impersonal language.
4. Footnotes and bibliography
A footnote gives the exact source of a statement at the bottom of the page, with the page or paragraph cited. It lets the reader check the statement, and credits the author whose work you use.
A bibliography is the alphabetical list, at the end, of all the sources consulted. Its purposes: to show the range and quality of research, to help readers find the sources, and to credit authors. It is usually divided into primary sources (statutes, cases, reports) and secondary sources (books, articles, websites), with books listed by the author’s surname:
- Book: Williams, Glanville, Learning the Law (Stevens & Sons, London, 11th edn., 1982).
- Book (another): Lloyd, Dennis, The Idea of Law (Penguin Books, London).
- Article: author, “title”, volume, journal, year, first page.
- Report: Law Commission of India, Fourteenth Report: Reform of Judicial Administration (1958).
An annotated bibliography adds a line or two on what each source contains.
5. Citation methods
A citation style is a uniform set of rules for referring to sources. The common ones are OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities), the Bluebook (American), and the Indian Law Institute’s style used in its journal. The rule that matters most is consistency: choose one and follow it throughout.
Citing Indian Supreme Court cases. Give the case name in italics, then the neutral citation, then one report citation:
- Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala, 1973 INSC 91, (1973) 4 SCC 225.
- Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India, 1978 INSC 16, AIR 1978 SC 597.
Reading the parts: 1973 INSC 91 is the 91st judgment of 1973 in the Supreme Court’s neutral citation series, adopted in 2023 and extended to earlier years. (1973) 4 SCC 225 is volume 4 of Supreme Court Cases for 1973, page 225; the year must always be given, because SCC volumes are numbered afresh each year. AIR 1978 SC 597 is the All India Reporter for 1978, Supreme Court section, page 597. Use “v.”, not “vs.”, between the parties.
Citing statutes. Short title and year, then the section: section 303, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; or Article 21, Constitution of India. Give the current Act; when citing an old provision for history, say it is repealed (section 378, Indian Penal Code, 1860, now repealed by the BNS).
Citing English cases. Donoghue v. Stevenson [1932] AC 562: square brackets mean the year is needed to find the volume.
Websites. Give the author or body, title, the URL of an official source (India Code, the Gazette, the Law Commission) and the date you accessed it.
Repeat references. Ibid. (the same source as the previous footnote) and a short form of the title for later references; OSCOLA discourages op. cit. and loc. cit.
How this is examined
“Assignment writing” is the commonest Unit V question: define it and give the eight steps and the qualities. “Parts of report writing” needs the table in section 3. “Bibliography” is a 6-mark note: meaning, purpose, arrangement, two sample entries, and its difference from footnotes. Citation methods can be added to either answer.
Now try the real questions: Legal Methods past question papers.