Star’s Law Desk orients its new pool of contributors to the techniques of research and writing

To write a legal article may ostensibly be a difficult task. After all, it often requires a closer inspection of legal intricacies, an ability to formulate legal arguments and finally convey so to the readers in a comprehensive manner. This is particularly challenging when it comes to the writing for a newspaper. It is mainly because the space to write a piece for newspapers is usually limited and it might become a hurdle for many to accommodate all the nitty-gritty details or the analyses of the laws within that short space. These are some of the observations which came up during a research and writing orientation programme organised by The Daily Star's weekly page 'Law & Our Rights' (commonly known as 'Law Desk') on 22 August 2022. Facilitated by Law Desk's Mohammad Golam Sarwar, Emraan Azad, Psymhe Wadud and Tahsin Lubaba, this special workshop was attempted to guide and encourage a new pool of student-contributors recently enlisted by the Law Desk itself. To ease the struggle of penning a legal write-up for a newspaper, this article based on the takeaways from the workshop, would endeavour to provide some (perhaps 'useful') tips which one might or might not come across before.

To begin with, choosing the topic…

The first brick, so to speak, to develop a legal piece is picking up the "right" topic. The "right" here does not necessarily mean it must be the topic that should solely reflect the interest of a certain newspaper. Instead, it should conform to the interests of both the author and the concerned newspaper. Above all, a write-up, be it legal or not, should mirror the comfort and confidence of an author. To put it another way, the author should bear in mind the limitation of his understanding, if any, while attempting to write on a particular topic. While any topic having legal implications might be considered for publication, an article that deals with a particular aspect of law is highly regarded. An example, in this context, might be helpful. A general analysis of constitutional remedy, for instance, would not be as captivating as it would be if dealt with the constitutional remedy in Bangladesh for violation of fundamental rights. That is to say, a broad topic should be narrowed down. Moreover, if it could be analysed in light of a time-sensitive issue, then, it would do more than just good.

Then comes developing the write-up structure…

Common to almost all writings, a certain structure is also followed by a legal article in order to portray a clear picture of what it seeks to establish. Having a structure or framework aids to break down a write-up into manageable sections which, in turn, allows a writer to avoid the tendency to feed the write-up with redundant words. Seemingly an intimidating task to write, therefore, becomes more feasible to accomplish. However, the skeleton of a write-up usually consists of three components: introduction, body and conclusion. An introduction should set the context and give ideas about the objective(s) of the write-up. That means, this is where the readers should be introduced to the crux of the issue at hand. The body by following that goes in details and unveils what remains at the heart of a write-up. Here, the arguments are provided and supported by relevant evidence such as case laws, legal frameworks or even doctrines, among others. In so doing, the article should be neither too analytical nor too factual but rather a balance must be struck. In conclusion, the main point of the article while summarising main ideas and insights should be restated along with the final impression of the author.

Not to forget about language and length…

There is a (mis)conception among the writers that writing a legal piece for a newspaper would require abstruse words, unnecessary jargons and verbosity. This is, however, quite opposite the true picture. The language should always be concise, clear, and most notably, "easy to understand" to the readers. Comprehension arguably becomes the linchpin to determine the successfulness of a write-up. Apart from that, the word limitation for a newspaper article usually ranges from 500 to 800 words. Hence, the author must avoid inconsequential arguments and present only the core ones within the required length.

Staying trustworthy by citing the sources…

Unlike a research paper or a journal article, the newspaper article does not necessarily follow a referencing style. It is generally expected that the arguments should solely be the authors' and frequent citing of sources must be avoided as much as possible. Nevertheless, an author must always remain believable to the readers, and hence, should cite another author or relevant source to support his/her arguments either by quoting the author, e.g. (Ridwanul Hoque, 2011) or by mentioning the work of the author in the body within a bracket, e.g. (Judicial Activism in Bangladesh: A Golden Mean Approach). Additionally, while citing all the sources, it is highly encouraged to consult the original literature.

Last but not the least is proofreading and plagiarism checking…

When indulging in writing, the mind of a writer, indeed, teems with a lot of ideas and thoughts. Accordingly, at times, unintentional errors or typos might escape the author's attention. Therefore, it is important that a write-up goes through a proofreading process several times once the draft is prepared. It will help locate the common grammatical or spelling errors, clarify technical terms where needed and tweak and polish the words. After the final proofreading, the draft should be checked by a plagiarism checker in order to avoid the exact copying of another's work or citing without proper acknowledgement. An example of reliable plagiarism checker yet free of cost, in this regard, is Dupli Checker. Needless to say, as a practice and from the very beginning, the writer must remain vigilant and be careful about the issue of plagiarism. Through regular practice of research, it is possible to avoid publishing plagiarised pieces.

Finally, happy writing to all out there!

The writer is a student of law at the University of Dhaka.