Finding a Note Topic
Kincaid C. Brown
Head of Electronic & Systems Services
University of Michigan Law Library
Agenda
- Basics
- Where to get ideas
- Preemption
- Circuit Split Information
Basics
Your note topic should be:
- Something that interests you
- Narrow
- Research-able
- Current and not preempted
Where to start
- Class topics that interest you
- Think while you read: Newspapers, magazines, blogs
- Think while you watch TV
Two Types of Preemption
- Preemption by other authors
- Preemption by law
Preemption by Other Authors
Search for already published or in progress works on your topic in
- legal periodicals
- other legal sources
- non-legal periodicals
Legal Periodicals
Full-text databases
- Lexis & Westlaw
- law review and legal news databases
- HeinOnline
Note: Lexis libraries of interest: ALLREV (US & Canadian Journals Combined), BARJNL (Bar Journals Combined), ALLNWS (Legal News Publications);
Westlaw libraries of interest: JLR (Journals and Law Reviews), TP-ALL (ALL Law Reviews, Texts, and Bar Journals), LEGALNP (Legal Newspapers)
Legal Periodicals II
Indices
- LegalTrac: 1980-; keyword or subject guide searches
- Index to Legal Periodicals (FirstSearch): 1981-; keyword and/or descriptor search
- ILP & ILP Retro (Wilson): 1908-; keyword and/or subject searches
- Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals: 1985-; keyword and/or descriptor searches
Other Legal Sources
Books & Book Chapters
- Law Library Catalog: search for books by title, subject, keyword, etc.; search for book chapters using keyword search (can limit to contents field)
- WorldCat: search for books by title, subject, keyword, etc.; search for book chapters using keyword search
- eBrary - recent monographs and e-books
Individual title information and links for legal eBrary titles are loaded into the MLaw Catalog
Other Legal Sources II
Current Awareness and Not Yet Published
- Current Index to Legal Periodicals: available in the Reference Collection (call number: K 33 .C875x): subject access and tables of contents for recent issues of 500+ legal journals
- SSRN: pre and post publication law and non-law journal articles, working paper series, research and discussion papers
- UM has a site license; to view some papers you will need to subscribe to join the Law School Network as a UM affiliate
- ResearchNow: institutional repositories and working paper series
- includes bepress Legal Repository: collection of more than 30 law school working paper series
Multi-Discipline Resources
- JSTOR: full-text social science, humanities, and science journals
- Proquest: full-text news, popular press, and scholarly periodicals
- Web of Science: keyword and cited reference searching
- WOS includes Social Science Citation Index, Science Citation Index, Arts & Humanities Citation Index, and Conference Proceedings Citation Indexes
Individual title information and links for legal JSTOR and Proquest titles are loaded into the MLaw Catalog
General Social Science Resources
- Social Sciences Abstracts: indexes over 400 journals in sociology, political science, anthropology, economics and other disciplines, 1983-; keyword and/or descriptor search
- Criminal Justice Absracts: 1968-; keyword and/or descriptor search
- Sociological Abstracts: indexes 1700 international and US journals; keyword and/or descriptor search
Preemption by Law - News Sources
- Lexis & Westlaw news libraries
- RSS Feeds / Blogs, e.g.:
- OpenCongress
- SCOTUSBlog
- Access World News - full-text of 800+ worldwide English language newspapers
Preemption by Law - Federal Law
- Lexis & Westlaw
- Thomas: Congressional activity
- Federal Register via GPOAccess
- US Supreme Court
- US Law Week: Smith location; call number: KF 175 .U58x
Preemption by Law - State Law
- Lexis & Westlaw
- State legislature and high court sites
- State newspapers and other news sources
Circuit Splits
Circuit splits are good topics to consider, but remember to keep up to date on Supreme Court cases
- Lexis & Westlaw caselaw database searching
- Split Circuits: law professor blog tracking circuit splits
- Marquette Law School Faculty Blog circuit splits section
- US Supreme Court
- US Law Week "Circuit Split Roundup" section: Smith location; call number: KF 175 .U58x
- Seton Hall Circuit Review in HeinOnline
Electronic Resources
Three e-resource lists on campus
- Law Library Electronic Resources
- University Library SearchTools
- Kresge Business Library Electronic Resources
- Many resources have to be used at Kresge
3 Campus Catalogs
Find individual titles (books, journals, government documents) in the Catalogs
Reference Assistance
- Vist the Reference Desk
- Call: 764-9324
- Email: askalawlibrarian@umich.edu
- Chat
- Research consultations