The federal and state systems : three branches of government -- Binding and nonbinding legal authorities -- The publication process for cases and the anatomy of a case -- The publication process for statutes and the anatomy of a statutory code -- Step 1 : create a research plan -- Step 2 : research every unfamiliar legal issue with secondary sources -- Step 3 : research cases by topic -- Step 4 : use a reliable citator to find additional relevant cases and to confirm their validity -- Step 5 : perform keyword searches in the relevant caselaw databases -- Step 6 : expand your research within the controlling jurisdiction, if necessary -- Step 7 : research cases from outside the controlling jurisdiction, if necessary -- Step 8 : use a reliable citator to re-confirm the validity of each relevant case -- Step 1 : create a research plan -- Step 2 : research every unfamiliar legal issue with secondary sources -- Step 3 : find all relevant statutes -- Step 4 : Confirm the validity of each relevant statute, determine each statute's effective date, and identify all amendments -- Step 5 : Read all relevant statutes critically -- Step 6 : Research and update administrative regulations and find cases that have interpreted them -- Step 7 : Research cases from the controlling jurisdiction that have interpreted relevant statutes -- Step 8 : Research the legislative history of relevant statutes, if necessary -- Step 9 : Research comparable statutes and cases from other jurisdictions, if necessary -- Step 10 : Use a reliable citator to re-confirm the validity of each relevant authority.