Approach to Citation Made Simple

The approach for making Citation Made Simple as helpful as possible includes the following:

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• Style: It is written in a relaxed, concise style that is comfortable and easy to read.  

• Step-by-step: It is written in very short chapters so students can focus on one narrow topic at a time.

• Explanations: It explains the reasons for the rules so students understand that they are helpful and logical, not arbitrary. 

• Examples: It includes many examples to make each rule concrete.

• Emphasis: It emphasizes what rules are especially important and commonly missed.

• Order: It explains the rules in a logical order, grouping related rules together and addressing them in the order that writers would need to apply them.

• Memos and briefs: It focuses on the rules for research memos and court briefs written for professors, partners, or judges. While it notes the differences when citing in an academic article, the book primarily focuses on the rules for memos and briefs, which 1Ls need to learn first.

Approach to the Practice Book

The approach for making the Practice Book as helpful as possible includes the following:

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• Connected: The Practice Book is keyed to Citation Made Simple (the main book). After covering topics, Citation Made Simple points readers to the corresponding exercises in the Practice Book.

• Length: It uses short exercise sets that students can complete efficiently, giving students enough opportunity to practice and learn without it feeling tedious.

• Simplicity: The exercises are straightforward, simple, and efficient. No question is intended to trick students or test obscure rules that rarely apply. Instead, each exercise focuses on the rules legal writers need to know and will use often.

• Step-by-step: The exercise sets are scaffolded so most focus on one narrow topic. For example, one set focuses on what words to omit from a case name, the next set focuses on what words to abbreviate in the case name, etc., before later sets eventually build to full case citations.

• Answers and explanations: Part Two provides answers and explanations so that every exercise set helps students learn. Students can get immediate feedback by checking their answers and reading the explanations.

Approach to the Online Materials

The approach for making the Online Materials as helpful as possible includes the following:

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• Connected: 32 videos and 12 quizzes cover all aspects of citing to cases, organized in a way that mirrors the coverage in the Citation Made Simple book, allowing students to read topics in the book and easily find the corresponding video in the online materials.  

• Videos: Professional videos provide an engaging way for students to review citation rules and topics--especially helpful for audio-visual learners. The videos emphasize important points and common mistakes with step-by-step examples. The videos average 6 minutes, allowing for sufficient depth-of-coverage while students can quickly review topics. The book and videos, especially when used in tandem, allow professors to fully flip classroom instruction on case citation.

• Quizzes: Multiple-choice quizzes help students learn by ensuring they understood the rules for a particular topic. The quizzes are designed to be formative and instructional by providing answers, explanations, tips, and points of emphasis for each question immediately after a student answers.

• Engaging: The quizzes require active participation and the videos use animation, graphics, narration, and music for an engaging learning experience.

• Certificate of Completion: Students receive a Certificate of Completion when they view all videos and complete all quizzes. Students can skip videos for topics they already understand well, but students must score an 80% on each quiz (retakes allowed) to receive their Certificate. Many professors set a deadline during the semester by when students must print and turn in their Certificate of Completion.