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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. 132 (2018)
- 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!
Legal Primary Sources
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.