Maintaining Ethics and Originality in Legal Writing

• Properly credit sources - For any language or ideas borrowed from cases, statutes, books, articles etc., provide in-text citations or footnotes attributing the content to the original source.
• Use quotation marks for direct quotes - When directly quoting sources word-for-word, put the content in quotation marks and cite the source.
• Paraphrase properly - When paraphrasing others' ideas, thoroughly rephrase the language in your own words rather than just changing a few terms.
• Avoid plagiarism - Plagiarism involves passing off others' work as your own. The line between properly citing sources and plagiarism can be subtle. When in doubt, err on citing.
• Apply critical thinking - While building on others' work, apply your own analysis and original thinking to legal problems. Avoid solely rehashing or repackaging existing ideas.
• Consider public domain sources - For works in the public domain like historical court opinions, less stringent attribution is needed but still cite the source.
• Add your own voice - Incorporate your own style, voice and messaging into the writing. Avoid directly mimicking a source's tone and structure excessively.
• Review carefully before submission - Critically review documents before submission to spot any passages that may cross the line into plagiarism territory, and refine or cite them properly.