notes. Footnotes must be accurate and frequent. The substance of the law must be documented. You must show credit for statements or facts used that show your topics of debate. Proper footnotes express that you are thorough in your research as well as cover your work from plagiarism. Writers and editors must also avoid copyright infringement or unfair use. It is safe to say, when in doubt, seek permission for any information used in your writing. The need for footnotes is crucial for legal writings and you will find them to add to the professionalism of your work.Focusing on organization and connecting ideas is the next step. Complex materials need to be categorized together to avoid confusion. Also, headings, topic sentences and transitions need to be clear and flow smoothly.Proofreading may be one of the most important tasks in any form of writing. Your audience will almost always notice typographical inconsistencies. What may seem like a minor error could practically ruin an otherwise great paper.When proofreading, do not simply trust a computer spell check program and always read every word. Also, follow any specific style or format assigned by a professor or employer. I feel the preceding pages gave the basic fundamental foundation necessary to create a scholarly legal writing. In the following piece, I display many of the scholarly writing techniques explained. This piece examines the institution of marriage in the gay and lesbian community. It reviews articles arguing both for and against marriage as a political goal for homosexuals. It also speaks of the personal experience of a lesbian as she approaches and goes through a “marriage ceremony”.An Essay on Same-Sex Marriage Very little since Stonewall, and the break from accepting the status quo that those riots symbolize, has challenged the lesbian and gay community as much as the debate we have had over the past several years on whether seeking the ri...
