A qualifying Independent Research Paper (or Papers) allows a student to earn two, three or four academic credits for research and writing that produces a substantive paper, note, article or series of white papers on a legal topic. At least 12 or more pages of writing are required per credit. For LL.M. students, the written product must rely on the student's original research, be of publishable quality, and include proper legal citation. For M.S. students, the written product must rely on the student's original research, be of publishable quality, and include proper APA, MLA, Chicago-style or blue-book citation. To register for an Independent Legal Research Paper (or Papers), the student must draft a description of the proposed writing project; confer with, and secure the consent of, a supervising faculty member; and complete the Independent Legal Research Paper form (PDF). The completed Independent Research Paper form must be signed by the faculty member and submitted along with the project description to the Registrar for enrollment. Students completing an Independent Legal Research Paper must submit timesheets to the supervising faculty member every two weeks and must demonstrate a total of at least 42.5 hours per credit were devoted to the research and writing of the paper (or papers).