FACTSHEET
Law Resources
Learning and Information Service
What’s available?
The Law & Criminology Library contains textbooks, law reports, legislation and legal journals. Reference
items may be taken out of the Law Library for use elsewhere in the Library and for photocopying.
Lots of legal resources are available online via www.solent.ac.uk/library. Search the Library Catalogue for
eBooks or access key eResources such as Westlaw, LexisLibrary, i-law and the Law Journal Library.
Textbooks
These are the easiest place to find basic legal information on a topic.
They are written by experts and point out the leading cases, legislation
and opinions. The books in the Law Library cover a wide range of topics
- check the Library Catalogue to see if there is a book on your subject
(and also whether an online version is available). They range from basic
introductions to law to detailed texts for postgraduates.
NB: One problem with textbooks is that they can go out-of-date. The
law is changing on a daily basis so make sure you use the most up-todate textbook available. Sort your catalogue results by date-newest!!
The books are arranged by shelf number for each legal topic.
Where is …?
Company Law
Constitutional Law
Contract Law
Criminal Law
Employment Law
Equity and Trusts
EU Law
Family Law
Property Law
Tort
346.066
342
346.022
345
344.01
346.059
349.24
346.015
346.043
346.03
Law Reports
These are shelved in alphabetical order by series title in the central area, with the current issues on display.
Some law reports are very general (All England, The Law Reports, Weekly Law Reports) whilst others are
specialist (e.g. Medical Law Reports).
Many law reports are available online via Westlaw, LexisLibrary and i-law. Search the Library Catalogue to
see which law reports are available.
Finding a case…
Cases are reported in law reports and a full case citation will give you
all the information you need to locate a copy:


Find out what the Law Report abbreviation stands for – use the
Raistrick Index in the Law Quick Reference section or the online
Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations. See over for some common
legal abbreviations.
Locate the correct Law Report series and find the volume with the
right date and number printed on the side. Turn to the start page
or case number.
You can also use LexisLibrary or Westlaw to find a case by searching
for the party names or entering the citation. Use i-law to access the
online version of the Lloyds Law Reports.
Mountbatten Library
Enquiries: 023 8201 3681
Enquiry Hub: www.solent.ac.uk/contact-the-library
www.solent.ac.uk/library
@SolentLibrary
A Case Citation
Fisher v Bell [1961] 1 QB 394
Party names = Fisher v Bell
Law report citation
[1961] = year of publication
1
= volume number
QB
= law report abbreviation
394
= start page

Legislation
Legislation includes Acts (Statutes) and Statutory Instruments (Rules,
Regulations and Orders), abbreviated to SIs.
Before a new Act can be created, the Government will normally
produce a White Paper or a consultation document on the topic, to
outline their ideas. This will be put before Parliament as a draft act,
known as a Bill, and will be discussed and amended. Once Parliament
have agreed on the clauses, the Queen will give her approval (called
Royal Assent), and the Bill will become an Act.
Finding an Act…
The Law Library contains a printed copy of all Acts that have been produced. Updated Acts can be found in
Halsbury’s Statutes. These are filed in the Legislation aisle near the law reports. You need to look up the
title of the Act in the Index and this will tell you which volume of Halsbury’s Statutes you need to look in
and the page number. The Current Law Statutes Annotated series and Public General Acts are NOT updated
and should only be used for historical information.
NB: Legislation is constantly changing! If you need current legislation ensure that you use an updated series
or, for the most recent information, an eResource:
Electronic Legislation
The easiest way to find an updated Act is to use LexisLibrary or Westlaw which contain the most up-to-date
information and additional useful material including annotations and forthcoming amendments. Statutory
Instruments are also best located via these eResources. Search by title or subject.
To find current Bills, you should use the Parliament website: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/.
Government White Papers are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications.
Legal Journals
Legal journals provide opinion and commentary on legal issues and cases, and are very useful sources of
information for specific legal topics. The printed legal journals are shelved in alphabetical order by title
after the law reports, with the current issue on display for you to browse – many journals are now online.
Finding specific articles…
Use Westlaw, LexisLibrary and the Law Journal Library to search
for journal articles by topic/subject. These eResources contain
many fulltext articles but have different content, so you are
advised to search all three. Try i-law for legal articles relating
to maritime topics.
You will find that these eResources include some article
abstracts (just a brief summary) and the full article may not be
available for all of your results. Search for the title of the
Journal (not the article!) on the Library Catalogue to see if we
have a subscription. Some journals may be available in full on
other eResources, or as printed journals in the Law Library.
Common Abbreviations
AC
All ER
Ch
Cr App R
Crim LR
ER
KB
NLJ
QB
SJ
WLR
Law Reports, Appeal Cases
All England Law Reports
Law Reports, Chancery
Criminal Appeal Reports
Criminal Law Review
English Reports
Law Reports, Kings Bench
New Law Journal
Law Reports, Queens Bench
Solicitors’ Journal
Weekly Law Reports
Referencing
You must make sure that you correctly reference any legal resources you use. Find out more and download
the factsheets via http://portal.solent.ac.uk/library/referencing/legal-referencing.aspx.
And finally…
This factsheet only covers basic information – more help and resources are available via the Law Subject
Guide. For further assistance with your research, please contact the Law Librarian (details below).
Hannah Young, Information Librarian - School of Business and Law
Email: hannah.young@solent.ac.uk Tel: 023 8201 3687
Library Office: ML102
@hannahyoungssu
09/15