Strengths And Limitations Of Online Resources: Brief Descrip

Strengths And Limitations Of Online Resourcesbrief Description Of The

Provide a brief description of the policy area you selected for the Application Assignment this week. Then briefly describe one online resource that you think is the most useful for researching the policy area and one online resource that you think is the least useful for researching the policy area and explain why. Be specific. Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific information from the Learning Resources. As you likely saw when conducting your research for this week’s Application Assignment, not all online resources are created equal.

Your course text, Legal Research Methods, asserts that fee-based online services such as Westlaw and Lexis are superior despite their cost and that, while less expensive, most free online sites cannot compete with the breadth and quality of services offered by these two industry leaders. That being said, some free websites are better than others and can be useful additions to your research repertoire. Fee-based services are considered superior because of the editorial oversight and the depth of resource coverage that they provide. In general, free websites only provide access to secondary resources. Therefore, when you are using them you often will have to search out the primary resources.

These primary resources generally are available through library or subscription type resources, but having to track them down can take time. The exceptions to this rule are government websites; they usually link primary resources to the secondary documents they create. However, they sometimes don’t put all of their documents online or don’t post them as quickly as commercial publishers. To prepare for this Discussion: Review the articles, “The Pajama Way of Research” and “Researching Legal History in the Digital Age.” Consider the impact of conducting research completely online. Think about the strengths and limitations of this approach to research.

Review your Application Assignment from this week. Reflect on the benefits or drawbacks of each resource that you used and on which online resources were the most or least useful for your research.

Paper For Above instruction

The rapid advancement of digital technology has significantly transformed the landscape of legal research, influencing both the availability and quality of online resources used for research in various policy areas. The ability to access vast amounts of legal information electronically offers notable strengths, yet it also presents distinct limitations that must be carefully navigated by researchers.

Brief Description of the Policy Area

For this analysis, the selected policy area is environmental regulation, specifically focusing on policies related to climate change mitigation. This area involves complex legislation at federal, state, and local levels, including statutes, regulations, and international agreements. Effective research in this domain requires comprehensive access to primary legal sources such as statutes, regulations, and case law, alongside secondary sources like legal commentaries and analyses.

Most Useful Online Resource

The most useful online resource for researching environmental policy is Westlaw. Westlaw offers extensive coverage of federal and state statutes, regulations, judicial decisions, and secondary legal materials. Its editorial oversight ensures the currency and accuracy of the information, and its advanced search functionalities allow researchers to efficiently locate relevant primary sources. For example, Westlaw's comprehensive database of environmental statutes, including the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, enables researchers to track amendments, interpret precedents, and analyze regulatory developments with ease (Westlaw, 2023). This resource's depth makes it indispensable for in-depth policy analysis and legal research in the environmental domain.

Least Useful Online Resource

The least useful online resource identified is Wikipedia. While Wikipedia can serve as a starting point to gather a general overview of environmental policies, its secondary nature and open editing model raise concerns about the reliability and accuracy of its information. For instance, outdated or poorly referenced entries could mislead researchers, especially when precise legal details or recent amendments are involved (Giles, 2005). As Wikipedia lacks editorial oversight comparable to fee-based legal research platforms, relying on it for substantive policy analysis or legal research risks incorporating inaccuracies, thus limiting its utility in rigorous policy research.

Strengths of Online Legal Resources

The primary strength of online legal resources lies in their immediacy and extensive coverage. Major fee-based services like Westlaw and LexisNexis provide up-to-date case law, statutes, and secondary materials, supported by editorial review processes that ensure accuracy. Additionally, digital search tools facilitate quick retrieval of relevant documents, enabling efficient legal research. Moreover, integrated cite-checking and cross-referencing capabilities enhance the reliability of the research process (Berring, 1986).

Furthermore, online resources broaden access to legal information, especially for researchers who may not have access to physical law libraries. Government websites such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) often link primary legal documents, including regulations and legislative histories, directly to secondary summaries, streamlining the research process (EPA, 2023).

Limitations of Online Legal Resources

Despite their advantages, online legal resources have limitations. Cost remains a primary barrier; fee-based services like Westlaw and LexisNexis are expensive, potentially limiting access for individual researchers or smaller organizations (Hall, 2019). For free online sources, the major drawback is limited depth and potential reliability issues, as they mainly provide secondary sources or incomplete primary documents.

Another limitation is the digital divide, which can hinder equitable access to digital resources for those in under-resourced settings or developing countries. Additionally, sometimes government websites may lack updated or comprehensive documentation, and the navigation interfaces can be complex (Nelson, 2021). The reliance on digital-only access also raises concerns about digital literacy and the ability to efficiently filter high-quality information from vast online data.

Impact of Conducting Research Completely Online

Conducting research entirely online offers efficiency and convenience, allowing researchers to access legal documents from anywhere at any time. This approach reduces reliance on physical law libraries and accelerates the process of finding relevant legal sources. It promotes quick updates and real-time access to legislative changes, which is critical in fast-evolving policy areas such as environmental laws (Rothstein, 2019).

However, this paradigm also presents challenges such as information overload, where the vast availability of online content can be overwhelming and difficult to filter for quality. Moreover, the reliance on digital sources necessitates a high level of digital literacy, and there is a risk of encountering unreliable or outdated information, especially from less authoritative sites. The absence of physical repositories also means missing the contextual richness that sometimes comes with expert-guided library research (Wasser, 2020).

Overall, while online research enhances access and speed, it demands critical evaluation skills and awareness of each resource’s limitations to avoid misinformation and ensure comprehensive, accurate legal analysis.

Conclusion

Online legal resources have revolutionized research practices, especially in complex policy areas like environmental law. Fee-based platforms such as Westlaw provide unparalleled depth and reliability, while free resources serve as valuable supplementary tools if used judiciously. Nonetheless, researchers must be cognizant of the limitations, including cost, potential gaps in coverage, and issues of reliability. Ultimately, a balanced approach utilizing both high-quality fee-based services and reputable free sources, complemented by critical evaluation, can optimize legal research effectiveness in the digital age.

References

• Berring, R. (1986). The point of legal research. _Law Library Journal_, 78, 1-14.
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2023). Regulations and laws. https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations
• Giles, J. (2005). Internet encyclopaedias go head to head. _Nature_, 438(7070), 900-901.
• Hall, M. (2019). The costs and benefits of legal research tools. _Legal Information Management_, 19(2), 124-130.
• Nelson, R. (2021). Challenges in government online legal repositories. _Government Information Quarterly_, 38(4), 101629.
• Rothstein, J. (2019). Digital law libraries in the modern era. _Legal Research Series_, 22, 45-60.
• Wasser, A. (2020). Digital literacy and legal research. _Journal of Law and Information_, 32(1), 12-29.
• Westlaw. (2023). Environmental Law Resources. Thomson Reuters. https://legal.thomsonreuters.com/en/westlaw