I. How to Find Books, Articles, Newspapers and Electronic Resources

A. Catalogs

1. The uMich Law Library Catalog: Use the catalog to find books and journals in the Law Library collection. Available on the web from the Law Library homepage. The uMich Law Library Catalog also includes links to web-based versions of journals and primary sources, including material in PDF or page image format.

2. Mirlyn: University Library on-line catalog. Use to find books and journals in all campus libraries except the Law and Business libraries. Mirlyn also includes links to web-based versions of journals and other material, including material in PDF or page image format.

  • Documents Center at the Graduate Library: 203 Hatcher North. Go to the Documents Center in person to check for US, state, United Nations and other international documents not found in Mirlyn or the uMich Law Library Catalog or the Law Library's microfiche documents collections (e.g., the Readex UN microfiche collection or the CIS microfiche collection), or elsewhere on campus.

3. Kresge Library Catalog: Use the Kresge Library catalog to find books and journals in the Business Administration Library.

4. WorldCat: Worldcat is a bibliographic databases used for Interlibrary Loan and to help confirm bibliographic information about material to help locate a source from which to obtain the item.

B. Articles and Newspapers

1. E-Journals List: Includes links to the web versions of law journal articles and Journal aggregators such as Ingenta and HeinOnline.

2. Find an Article: Enter your citation to locate specific articles at the link above.

3. Journal and other Indexes: Use our list of links to indexes to search for articles using keywords.

4. ProQuest (including ProQuest Historical Newspapers database): Use our list of links to indexes to search for articles using keywords.

C. Electronic Resources

1. UM Law Library Electronic Resources List

  • HeinOnline: Contains full text copies of a number of law journals from as early as the 1800s. Journals in Hein Online may be searched or browsed in a variety of ways, and printed.
  • JSTOR: Provides full-text access to the archives of core scholarly journals in the humanities and social sciences, including law. Journals in JSTOR may be browsed, searched and printed.
  • The Making of Modern Law: historical treatises
  • LexisNexis Congressional: historical and recent US Congress documents
  • LLMC Digital: in process, but will have historical and some recent US federal and state primary material, foreign law, secondary sources, native american law, and canon law.
  • Working Papers on SSRN (Social Sciences Research Network)
    • Comprised of a number of subject-specific research networks, including the "Legal Scholarship Network" and "Economics Research Network."
    • Includes email and web access to abstracts on working and forthcoming papers as well as a database of pdf full-text papers.
    • Before you can access SSRN materials you will need to sign up. Click on "Subscribe" at the top of ssrn.com and follow the instructions. Be sure to choose to join the subscription for the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
    • After you have joined a network you are able to search and view documents, sign up for email abstracts, and submit papers.
  • NBER Working Papers
    • National Bureau of Economic Research Working Papers are preliminary works that have not been submitted for approval to the NBER board of directors.
    • Searchable by keyword, abstract, or full-text.
    • Full-text papers are available in pdf.

2. UM Library Search Tools and Electronic Journals List

  • E-Journals and Newspapers List: E-Journals and Newspapers may also found by searching MIRLYN by title.
  • Search Tools: (Click on the 'Find Databases' tab.) Access to many non-law research databases, including JSTOR, is available through the University Library Home Page under 'Search Tools'.

3. Kresge Business Library Electronic Resources

II. Legal Research on the Internet

A. Online Research Guides

Research guides can be a good starting point for legal research on a subject that you are unfamiliar with. A guide will often provide basic discussion of the main points of the law on its subject.

Research guides often will list useful paper and Internet resources for legal research on a given subject.

Online research guides are free and most major law schools have collections of guides on their web sites. Web sites that have useful online research guides include the University of Michigan Law Library, Georgetown University Law Library, and the Cornell Legal Information Institute. Remember that local and regional law schools and law libraries may have research guides on state specific legal research.

B. Gateway Sites

Gateway or portal sites provide an organized arrangement of links to legal and law-related sources and materials. The gateway providers have done a lot of work for you deciding what web sites are the best ones to add to their web site. Coverage varies among gateways.

Some good legal gateways:

  • Findlaw: One of the most comprehensive portals to legal research information. Also, has its own search engine. Includes legal forms.
  • CataLaw: From the CataLaw web site: "CataLaw is the catalog of catalogs of worldwide law on the Internet. It aids legal research by arranging all indexes of law and government into a uniform, universal and unique metaindex." Includes links to forms.
  • Washlaw: An alphabetical arrangement of links to legal information. Also includes non-legal but law-related information like links to law firms. Includes links to forms.
  • Europa: The European Union's portal site, providing access to policies, news, and the institutions of the European Union.
  • UN: The United Nation's portal site, providing access to policies, news, and the institutions of the UN.

C. Database Sites

Are compilations of documents such as court opinions and legislative materials that are searchable either by full-text and/or by a combination of keyword and/or subject.

Often the best bet to find the information you want is by searching a site with that information (often in a database) and not via a search with a Web search engine. Web search engines do not "crawl" documents accessible only via a search in a database.

Good free databases for legal research are often the product of governmental and international bodies.

Some great database web sites:

  • Thomas: Searchable Congressional information, including the text of bills, committee reports, and bill tracking.
  • Catalog of U.S. Government Publications: Searchable database of official United States government publications including those in electronic format on the Web.
  • USPTO Patent Database: A database of granted patents and patent applications. Includes images.
  • EDGAR: Produced by the SEC, this is a database of financial and business information submitted by corporations.
  • WTO Documents Online: Full text access to official WTO documents.
  • Regulations.gov: Locate and comment on U.S. Federal agency regulations.
  • Eur-Lex: Eur-Lex provides direct free access to European Union law. The system makes it possible to consult the Official Journal of the European Union and also includes treaties, legislation, case-law. parliamentary questions, legislative proposals, etc.
  • WorldLII/World Law: A "global catalog and search engine for law." Allows searching across numerous databases containing legal information. Can limit by region, country, subject, etc.

D. Search Engines

Search results are less accurate on the Web than are the results to a search on Lexis and Westlaw. The search algorithms are not as powerful as those employed by Lexis and Westlaw.

It is usually best to search a given site rather than the entire Web when looking for particular information. A search engine can help you locate a more specific site for you to focus on.

Search engines vary in how search terms are understood - is "fair use" a search for that phrase or for documents containing both words?

Not every web site is indexed by every search engine. Some search engines only index the main page of a web site, while others go into the sites in a more in-depth manner.

Some search engines index pictures, charts, and maps while others do not.

Good general search utilities include Google and Altavista.

Two good subject specific search engines are USA.gov, a search engine for federal and state government information, and Findlaw's LawCrawler, a search engine that only indexes legal web sites.

E. Useful Law Information Sites

Some good sources of legal information not mentioned above are:

  • lexisone: A free web resource from Lexis that includes the latest five years of state and federal case law, and Supreme Court case law from 1790.
  • The U.S. Supreme Court: The official web site of the Supreme Court that includes case law, docket information, and court rules and orders.
  • Law Library of Congress' Nations of the World: Links to legal information on many of the countries of the world.
  • American Law Sources On-line: Information about the law of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and links to resources.
  • Cornell Legal Information Institute: Many links to and resources on state and federal law.
  • Federal Judiciary Homepage: Links to and information about the federal courts.
  • LLRX (Law Librarians' Research Exchange): Links to useful sites, research guides, and news about legal research on the Internet.
  • Remember to check federal and state government sites for legal information:
    • Court sites will have docket information, opinions, court rules, jury instructions, statistics and/or legal forms.
    • Legislature sites will have statutory and bill information and publications.
    • Executive branch sites will have regulatory information, reports, statistics, and/or legal forms.

III. Additional Research Tools

A. Listserv Lists

Listservs can be a useful way to contact other lawyers about research questions, topics, or resources. The University of Maryland offers a useful basic guide to Listserv Lists: link.

B. Grants

Subscription Grant Resources:

COS Funding Opportunities: Searchable database providing detailed information about more than 19,300 available research grants worldwide.

Foundation Directory Online: Profiles over 70,000 U.S.-based foundations, describing programs, areas of funding, types of support, geographic emphasis, trustees and officers, application process, deadlines, lists of recent grants made, etc.

Free:

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

StudentJobs.gov

C. Citation Management Software

Refworks

  • UM has a campus wide licence and anyone UM-affiliated can use this resource
  • The Graduate Library's KNC (Knowledge and Navigation Center) provides help with how to use Refworks - see for more details.
  • The Refworks "FAQ" is very useful and includes how to access Refworks and set-up your own login.