Campus Libraries
How to Find...
Conducting legal research can be time consuming, but starting in the right place can go a long way towards saving you time, energy and frustration. The best place to start on a new topic is using secondary sources such as books, legal encyclopedias and legal dictionaries, which you can locate using QCAT. Legal treatises and textbooks on a particular subject can give you an introduction to your topic and lead you to relevant case law or statuatory law.
To find books on a particular topic...
A. Check the Queen's University Library Catalogue (QCAT) to see if an item is available on campus. Search using terms in the title or subject that pertain to your topic, and check the subject headings for those books that seem relevant to find related items. Guide to using QCAT
B. Check the catalogues of other libraries to see if they have an item we can borrow for you. If you find something you like, order it from RACER - Queen's Online Interlibrary Loan request service, or call 613-533-6000 ext. 74547.
C. If you're in a rush, and the library
is closed, check out our selection of electronic books. Go to the Queen's
University Library Catalogue (QCAT)and
if you are searching by keyword, title or journal title, you can limit
this search to e-books. You can read these from the comfort of your own
computer using the proxy
server if you are off campus.
Also, don't forget journals:
A. Start with a legal journal index to see if an article on your topic exists.
a) Index to Canadian Legal Literature covers Canadian law journals and public legal education materials, book reviews, and cases cited in journal articles from 1985 to the present. Available in print (shelved with the Canadian Abridgment), via the LexisNexis Quicklaw database or via Westlaw Canada.
b) LegalTrac - indexes all major English-language law reviews, legal newspapers, law specialty publications, bar association journals, etc. since1980.
c) Index to Legal Periodicals Full Text Contains information on articles from legal periodicals from 1981 to present, indexes law books published in 1993 and later, and covers U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Periodical coverage includes law reviews, bar association journals, university publications, yearbooks, institutes, and government publications. Also covers most areas of law and all areas of jurisprudence, including recent court decisions, new legislation, and original scholarship.
d) Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals and Books - provides access to legal literature worldwide, from 1985 to the present, covering all forms of foreign (non-Anglo-American - little or no North American coverage) law. This includes comparative law and legal systems, such as Islamic law; socialist law; public and private international law; and transnational commercial law. Also includes British and American publications on foreign law.e) For historical articles, try Index to Legal Periodicals Retro articles from 1918-1980; or 19th Century Masterfile (Jones and Chipman) - Index to Legal Periodical Literature - articles from 1786 - 1922.
B. Once you find citations (title/author/journal information), you need to find the actual journal. Check in QCAT (type in the name of the journal to see if Queen's has it in print or electronically), or try the law journal databases in LexisNexis Quicklaw and Westlaw Canada.
If the subject you are researching is fairly new or you are looking for a recent development, the best place to look is in newspapers or online current affairs service providers. Especially good are Factiva (Publications and articles from a large number of international sources with an emphasis on global news and business information), CBCA (Indexes Canadian academic, general interest and industry periodicals), and Canadian Newstand (A full-text database of Canada's 'national' newspapers as well as leading regional papers. Coverage includes articles, columns, editorials and features). Many other current events and news databases can be found on the Queen's University web site list of electronic resources.
Most of the time, the secondary sources you have checked will point you to the relevant statutes or case law to get you on your way. Once you are familiar with the terminology and som e of the material that is out there, then you can go on to search for legislation or case law:
Legislation, Government Information and Courts
This chart provides a useful overview of Canadian legal
information: (http://library.queensu.ca/law/CanadaTable.htm)
Caselaw
Free Sites for non-law students (law students should be using LexisNexis
Quicklaw or Westlaw Canada):
- CANLII (Canadian)
- LII (U.S. Legal
Information)
- AustLII (Australasian)
- BAILII (British and Irish)
- WorldLII
Multidisciplinary Works
Sometimes it is difficult to know where to look for multidisciplinary works. The Queen's University Library electronic resources page allows you to search some cross-disciplinary databases in order to get a start on your research.
Electronic Sources for Particular Subjects
It's midnight, and you are frantically trying to find information for a paper due tomorrow. The library is closed... Relax! All is not lost. Queen's has access to many e-books, databases and electronic journals:
A. Finding E-Books: Go to the Queen's University Library Catalogue (QCAT)and if you are searching by keyword, title or journal title, you can limit this search to e-books.
B. Databases: Law subscribes to many legal databases, which are available to you off-campus via the proxy server. These are available to Search by subject or jurisdiction.
C. E-Journals: Check in QCAT (type in the name of the journal to see if Queen's has it electronically) or try the law journal databases in LexisNexis Quicklaw or Westlaw Canada. Many of Queen's journal holdings are available electronically.
You can also search for e-books, e-journals or databases from the Queen's University Library web site: http://library.queensu.ca/research/databases/
Should you be unable to locate specific materials using these resources, please contact the Reference Office at the Lederman Law Library: weblaw@queensu.ca or kaufman@queensu.ca.
Please also see the online Legal Research Manual (http://library.queensu.ca/law/lederman/index.htm) prepared by the Queen's University Lederman Law Librarians for instruction on how to find and use these and many other sources.