Follow the tabs above to locate additional legal resources.
Legal Research Databases
- Nexis Uni (Formerly Lexis-Nexis Academic)Locate legal publications as well as full-text newspapers and business information.. Our most comprehensive legal research database. Includes primary legal resources (statutes, regulations & case law) at both state and federal levels, as well as an extensive law review collection.
- HeinOnline U.S Statutes at LargeFrom vol. 1, 1789 - vol. 129 (2015)
- Law Library of CongressContains a wealth of U.S. legislative information.
- Law Review CommonsOver 300 open-access law reviews · Over 220,000 articles · Free current issues & archives from 1852.
- FindLawLegal Professionals site
- Govinfo.govGovinfo provides free public access to official federal publications and documents, including Congressional Bills, Hearings, & Reports; the Congressional Record; Public Laws; Federal Register & CFR; Presidential documents, and more.
- Additional Legal DatabasesLooking for more? Try one of our other legal databases from this list!
Primary Sources of Law - What are they?
Primary sources are the law itself. They are created by Federal and State branches of government.
Statutory Law (Legislative Branch): Statutes, codes, constitutions, rules of court. Generally, laws passed by congress.
Case Law (Judicial Branch): Decisions of courts and administrative bodies (i.e. Federal Court of Appeals, Ohio Supreme Ct.)
Administrative Law/Regulations & White House (Executive Branch): Rules and regulations promulgated by government agencies (i.e. EPA, OSHA, Ohio Department of Education); Executive Orders of the President.
Secondary Resources
Secondary Legal Resources consist of a variety of sources written by legal scholars and experts. Though not the law itself, secondary sources provide discussion and commentary on the law. Secondary resources are often a great place to begin legal research and can be very useful in helping non-legal scholars understand the law on a particular topic or in a particular area.
Types of secondary resources include:
- Law Review Articles
- Legal Encyclopedias
- Legal Books & Treatises
- Restatements of the Law
Additional Legal Research Guides
- Introduction to the U.S. Legal System (FindLaw)Learn about the legal system via the FindLaw web site.
- Legal Research Guides from the Library of CongressPrepared by Legal Specialists at the Law Library of Congress, these guides offer quick tips and tools in various areas of legal research.
- The Law Library of CongressWeb site of the Law Library of Congress.
Subject Librarian
Reference Services Coordinator
Jerome Library
Bowling Green State University