LW254-5-QS-:
Legal Research Skills
2025/26
Essex Law School
Spring - Partner
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Monday 12 January 2026
Friday 20 March 2026
15
07 August 2025
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
This compulsory second year module is designed to further develop legal and research skills.
Students will develop and enhance a range of skills relating to legal research and project planning, which will both support their learning in the final year of their degree, and constitute valuable transferable skills in their own right.
In particular, LW254 Legal Research Skills will act as a foundation for the final year research project, eg LW304.
The aims of this module are:
- To develop students’ legal research skills, building upon the techniques introduced in the first year.
- To introduce students to a range of different methodological approaches to legal research.
- To develop students’ skills in oral presentation of their ideas.
- To introduce students to a range of considerations in relation to planning legal research.
- To prepare students to undertake their final year independent research project.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Independently locate a range of legal sources within familiar databases and evaluate the suitability of these for a particular research purpose.
- Locate non-legal sources within a limited range of familiar databases and other resources and evaluate the suitability of these for a particular research purpose.
- Understand a range of different methodological approaches to understanding a legal issue, and evaluate their relevance for a research project/task.
- Consider the implications of proposed research, including ethical, confidentiality and data security angles; and evaluating one’s own suitability as a researcher.
- Understand how to plan a research project.
- Make a formal oral presentation of research findings.
- Develop a range of writing styles.
The module will provide students with the tools and skills needed to plan and successfully complete a research project. It will teach students key skills of legal methodology and legal writing, using a range of writing styles.
The module will enhance students' employability through developing research and other valuable communication and transferable skills.
This module will be delivered via:
- A combination of lectures and fortnightly two hour tutorials.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Final Coursework Mark |
|
|
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Soyeon Kim, email: so.yeon.kim@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Soyeon Kim
The Law Education Admin Team - lawschoolug@essex.ac.uk
No
No
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
Essex Law School
Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can
be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements,
industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist
of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules.
The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.