To better identify goals for a research curriculum, examine the characteristics of an educated researcher. The goals, in turn, may suggest strategies for achieving them. These strategies provide a theory for successfully teaching legal research, thus giving students the best opportunity to master research skills.8 This article proposes four concepts--integration, practice, progression and planning--to guide design of research assignments. The article also provides examples which apply these concepts to actual assignments. The examples not only illustrate the principles, they provide ideas to draw on in constructing research assignments and a curriculum appropriate for students at each law school.