Rightslink: Research Tips: Domestic and
International Law
Dana Neacsu, Fall 2007
Today We Will Cover:
I.
Legal Research as a Two-fold Process
II. How to Use Finding Aid Tools.
1.
2.
3.
Catalogs and Indexes to Legal Periodicals
Top 10 source gathering sources
Identifying unknown abbreviations
III. Research Tips
1.
2.
Domestic law
International law
IV. Library Hours
II. Finding Sources:
Library Catalogs
1. Use the following catalogs for the
following specific tasks:
• the Diamond Law Library’s catalog,
PEGASUShttp://pegasus.law.columbia.edu/- for legal
scholarship
• the University Libraries’ catalog, CLIO, for
both legal and non-legal scholarship
• and WorldCat to find such sources beyond
the Columbia system.
Finding Sources:
Indexes to Legal Periodicals
Use Specialized Periodical Indexes
• Wilson’s Index to Legal Periodicals (ILP) and
the Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (IFLP).
• Available from PEGASUShttp://pegasus.law.columbia.edu/
• PAIS, ABI/Inform, ProQuest, EconLit, etc;
FRANCIS (International Humanities and
Social Science), PsycINFO, Social Science
Full-text, ERIC, etc.
2. Top 10 source gathering
sources (I)
10.The Library of Congress. Thomas.
Legislative Information on the Internet
http://thomas.loc.gov
9.
American Memory Project
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html
HeinOnline from Pegasus
8.
•
•
7.
Law Reviews (complimenting L/WL)
Official treaty sources (and more)
UN Official Document System (ODS)
http://www.ods.un.org/
Top 10 Source Gathering Sources (II)
6. Foreign Law Guide (aka Reynolds and
Flores) (Pegasus);
5. Non-law (CLIO) databases:
JSTOR & Project Muse;
3. Google Uncle Sam (gov. related docs)
http://www.google.com/ig/usgov
2. Government documents (GPO) – primary
sources;
www.gpoaccess.gov
Top 10 Source Gathering Sources (III)
1. Library Research Sources
CLS Research Guides:
http://www.law.columbia.edu/library/Research_Guides
NYU: Globalex
http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/
3. Identifying Unknown Abbreviations
• Bieber’s Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations
• Print – Reference Office drawer
• Lexis
• Find a source = “Bieber’s”
• The Bluebook
• Print – The Reserve Area
III. Research Tips. Overview
1. Learn how to identify and use
Research (Finding Aid) Tools and Legal
Scholarship to find Domestic,
International or Foreign Primary
Sources
2. Apply the well-known research
strategy:
• Come up with a research plan, and
• Keep a research log
Domestic Law Research. Finding Aid Tools
The Main Finding Aid Tools are:
• Library Catalogs – for treatises,
practitioner’s sources (Am.Jur),
Restatements, Encyclopedias, etc.
• Index to Legal Periodicals (ILP) for
law review articles
Minimal Knowledge in an Area of
Law– Go to a Treatise.
How to Find a Treatise:
• Library Catalogs-Pegasus
• http://pegasus.law.columbia.edu
• Lexis
• http://www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool/
• Westlaw
• http://lawschool.westlaw.com/
Minimal Knowledge in a More Concrete
Area: Use ILP to Locate Law Review
Articles
• Use Pegasus:
http://pegasus.law.columbia.edu
• Find Indexes to Legal Periodicals
• Find Law Review Articles (HeinonLine)
•
•
•
•
Lexis
http://www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool/
Westlaw
http://lawschool.westlaw.com/
• Both have the current version of the ILP
• Both have most (current) law review articles
Primary Sources in Domestic Law
Statutes:
• Codes, Session Laws, Legislative history,
• Research tips: Use USCA Index
Administrative Law:
• CFR, FR.
• Research tips: Use RegulationsPlus Index
Case law
• Case Law Research
• Full-text searching (Lexis & Westlaw)
• Other approaches (Segments & West-Digest)
III. Research Tips. International Law
Research Strategy
1. Identify useful research tools (IFLP)
and la doctrine
2. Identify the Relevant Primary Sources
• Treaty Research.
• Case Law Research
• Doctrine Research (same search strategy for
secondary sources
Primary Sources in International
Law
• What Is International Law?
• Restatement of the Law 3d: Foreign
Relations Law of the United States:
• Article 102-Sources of International Law
• Article 103-Evidence of International Law
• How Do You Find It?
• Official Web Sites/Lexis/Westlaw/
Treaties and Treaty Research
UN Treaties and Other Documents
1. Is the US party to CEDAW?
•
•
What is CEDAW (Bieber’s) (Lexis)
Where can you find its text?
Use UN Treaty Series, HeinOnline (Pegasus), Lexis
or Westlaw to find CEDAW
2.
What 2001 document from the Sixth Committee
details the establishment of the International
Criminal Court.
•
•
What is the document number? Use Unbisnet (un.org) or
Access UN: A/56/591
Is the full text available?
International Case Law Research
1. What is the ICJ case about the U.S.
paramilitary activities in South
America?
• Where can you find the decision?
• On the official website
• Where can you find the pleadings?
• On line and in print in our library (use
Pegasus)
IV. Library Hours for Fall 2007
•Ref office hours:
•M-Th: 10-8
•F: 10-5
•Sat.: 1-6
•Sun: 1-9