Chapter 4 · Practice
Secondary Sources Practice
Two parts. First, run one research question through the whole cycle — pick the source, mine its footnote, follow it to primary authority. Then practice the judgment calls: when a source is worth trusting, and when it’s time to leave it.
Part 1
The full cycle, on one problem
Step 1 of 3 · Pick your source
A tenant’s apartment has had no heat for three weeks and the landlord won’t fix it. You’ve never researched landlord-tenant law in this state.
What’s your first move?
Step 2 of 3 · Mine the footnote
Good call. You open the state encyclopedia and land on the right section. Now read for your question and click the footnote on the sentence that answers it.
Does the landlord have a duty to provide heat — and where does it come from?
Step 3 of 3 · Follow it out
That footnote is your bridge. It cites Marsh v. Glenwood Apartments — primary authority. Your next question, “how long is a ‘reasonable time’ to repair?”, is a focusing question, and focusing questions are answered by primary authority. You’ve done what a secondary source is for: it oriented you, framed the rule, and handed you the case. Now you leave it behind and read the law.
That’s the whole cycle: match → mine → follow → leave.
Part 2
Trust & timing
Knowing which source to use is half of it. The other half is judging whether to trust what you found, and noticing when a source has stopped being useful.