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Research Center Workshops: Research Certificates

   

CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

Each Research Center Workshop offers a 30-minute training session focused on specific research skills or research resources.  Students attending these workshops learn how to utilize these myriad resources and develop the skills necessary for effective, efficient legal research: something key to their success in law school and law practice.

Over the course of the academic year, students who virtually attend the required total number of workshops may be eligible for different General Certificates indicating familiarity with varying varieties of legal resources and search techniques.  Students who attend the required number of workshops focusing on a specific area or type of research may be eligible for a Certificate in a Research Area of Expertise indicating familiarity with the research techniques and resources the Research Center identifies as most directly relevant to that specific category (of course, students may qualify for Certificates of Research Areas of Expertise in more than one category).

Workshop presentations are made available every week on Monday morning at 8am. Students must complete a short quiz within one week of the date the presentation becomes available for it to count toward eligibility for a certificate.

Certificates earned during Fall and Spring semesters will be awarded at the end of the Spring semester. 

   

What Will I Learn at each Workshop?

Each presentation may focus on one or more of the following areas of research expertise, each intended to improve how you conduct legal research. 

  • Florida Research
  • Practice-Ready Research
  • Advanced Legal Search Techniques
  • Legal Technology
  • Specialized Legal Resources

 

How do I earn a Legal Research Certificate?

Follow these four steps for each workshop you attend.

  1. Go to the Research Center Canvas page to access workshop presentations.
  2. Watch each presentation in its entirety.
  3. Complete quiz within one week of the date the presentation becomes available. After watching a presentation, answer 100% of questions correctly after no more than three (3) attempts.
  4. Meet the virtual attendance criteria for any of the two types of certificates set out below. 

 

Criteria for General Certificates
Students are eligible for General Certificates if they:

  1. Virtually attend any eight (8) workshops in one semester (Bronze Certificate);
  2. Virtually attend any 15 workshops during the academic year (Silver Certificate);
  3. Virtually attend all 20 workshops during the academic year (Gold Certificate)
 

Criteria for Certificates in an Area of Expertise

Students are eligible for Certificates of Research Expertise if they virtually attend any six (6) workshops within the same Research Area of Expertise listed on the right.  Note that the same Workshop may count towards the requirement in one or more Areas of Expertise. For example, the Florida Legislative History workshop counts toward both the Florida Research and the Practice-Ready categories.

Where Can I View the Presentations? 

The virtual workshops can be found in the Canvas FSU College of Law Research Center Organization page under the Workshops tab. Links to the quizzes, handouts or other resources may be found under each related presentation.   

Who Can I Contact for More Information?

If you have any questions regarding workshops or the Research Certificates, contact Margaret Clark

   

Helpful Tips 

  • Watch the presentation in its entirety.
  • Make sure you complete the short quiz at the end of every presentation if you want it to count toward a Certificate.
  • Access pre-recorded lessons at the Research Workshops Organization page in Canvas under the Workshops tab. 
  • Track your own progress toward Certificates by keeping a personal record of the workshops you attend.

   

What Workshops are Offered?

The research presentations may fall under five areas of research expertise: Florida Research, Practice-Ready Research, Advanced Searching, Legal Technology, or Specialized Legal Resources.  The workshops listed below are examples of what may be offered. Not all will be offered in any give academic year. 

Florida Research

  • Cost-Effective Legal Research ("Summer in the City")
  • Florida Administrative Law Reports (FALR) and the and the Department of Administrative Hearings (DOAH) 
  • Florida Administrative Law Research
  • Florida Transactional Law Research
  • Florida Secondary Sources
  • Researching Florida Companies ("Mind Your Own Business")
  • Researching Florida Legislative History
  • Florida Practice Materials
  • Federal Freedom of Information Act and Florida Public Records Laws

Practice-Ready Research

  • Becoming a Tech-Savvy Lawyer
  • Bluebooking Basics
  • Cost-Effective Research
  • Finding Litigation Documents
  • Florida Administrative Law Reports (FALR) and the Dept. of Administrative Hearings (DOAH)
  • Florida Administrative Law Research
  • Florida Legislative History
  • Florida Transactional Law Research
  • Florida Practice Materials
  • Florida Secondary Sources 
  • Municipal Laws
  • "One Good Case" Research Strategy
  • Practical Research in Immigration Law
  • Power Searching Techniques
  • Researching Legal Jobs
  • Tech Behind Legal Memos

Advanced Searching Techniques

  • Advanced Google Searching
  • Cost-Effective Legal Research ("Summer in the City")
  • Factual Research
  • Lexis Refresher
  • "One Good Case" Research Strategy
  • Power Searching Techniques
  • Using the “One Good Case” Search Method
  • Which Database to Use? Law Databases A-Z
  • Westlaw Refresher

Legal Technology

  • 30 Tech Tips in 30 Minutes
  • Becoming a Tech-Savvy Lawyer
  • Being Socially Sound
  • Microsoft Word for Lawyers
  • Power Up Your PowerPoint Skills
  • PowerNotes
  • Tech Behind Legal Memos

Specialized Legal Resource

  • Bluebooking Basics
  • CALI: Computer Assisted Legal Instruction
  • FALR (Florida Administrative Law Reports) & DOAH (Department of Administrative Hearings)
  • Florida Practice Materials
  • Florida Secondary Sources
  • Lexis Refresher
  • MS Word for Lawyers
  • PowerNotes
  • Power Up with PowerPoint Skills
  • Quimbee
  • West Academic Study Aids
  • Westlaw Refresher
  • Which Database to Use? Law Databases A-Z
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