Need Help?
More Help
Sometimes you may need more details on a particular resource or research strategy than what this guide is giving you. Or you may only need to do a little bit of legal research such as finding a definition of a legal term or finding a brief summary of a court case. The sources listed in the boxes below may help you.
Detailed Legal Research Guides
The sources listed below discuss legal research in detail.
Legal Research: How to Find & Understand the Law by Call Number: URI Reference KF240 .E45 2012ISBN: 9781413316186Publication Date: 2012General guide on legal research for the beginner or layperson. Includes helpful tips and exercises that enhances the text.
Legal Research in a Nutshell by Call Number: URI Reference KF240 C54 2007ISBN: 9780314180070Publication Date: 2007Detailed guide to legal research sources and how to use them.
- "Nutshell" Series by West PublishingThis series of guides covers specific topics of law such as landlord and tenant law, elder law, criminal law, etc. While not research guides per se, they provide background material and summaries of major court cases. To see if the Library owns a Nutshell text for your topic, do a keyword search in the catalog using the word for your topic and the word "nutshell".
- Nolo Law and Legal ResearchNolo Press is dedicated to making the law accessible, easy to understand and use. This page provides FAQs and easy to follow explanations on how to do basic legal research for federal and all 50 state laws and cases
General Legal Reference Sources
The sources listed below are some reference sources that would be helpful for legal research.
Prince's Bieber Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations: A Reference Guide for Attorneys, Legal Secretaries, Paralegals, and Law Students by Call Number: Reference KF246 B46 2009ISBN: 9780837716251Publication Date: 2009Forward and reverse dictionary of all legal abbreviations. Includes not only abbreviations of published sources but also all terms used in legal writing. 6th edition.
Nolo's Plain-English Law Dictionary by Call Number: Reference KF156 N654 2009ISBN: 9781413310375Publication Date: 2009The title says it all. Covers terms the layperson may encounter in both legal and everyday language.
West's Encyclopedia of American Law by Call Number: Reference KF154 W47 2004ISBN: 0787663670Publication Date: 2004Comprehensive encyclopedia of legal terms, concepts, events, cases and people in U.S. law. Many entries include a list of sources for further research. There are also numerous sidebars, tables and other research aids. Index by subject and case name.
Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court of the United StatesCall Number: Reference KF8742 A35 E525 2008ISBN: 9780028661247Publication Date: 2008Comprehensive encyclopedia on the people, events, and especially, cases of the Supreme Court. Most articles include a bibliography for further research. Index by subject and case name.
- Nexis Uni (LexisNexis) This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? News, law, and business information service. Includes news from national and international newspapers; wire services and articles from hundreds of periodicals; and a number of other reference sources. All sources are full-text. Updated daily.
