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Legal Research Manual

This edition of Legal Research Manual builds on many previous editions. While the manual is designed principally for use with the first year legal research classes, upper year law students will also find it a useful reference.

Treatises & Journals

For a novice international law researcher, leading textbooks or treatises are a good starting point. They provide analysis and discussion of legal questions by legal scholars and play an important role in understanding international law. These text books are published in a wide range from comprehensive to very narrow. Try our academic search tool, Omni, to search for international treatises or textbooks.

Journal Articles

Journal articles are, like treatises, either broad or narrow in scope and can provide in-depth coverage. They can provide a solid introduction to a topic or an analysis and discussion of legal issues. Other useful features of periodicals are their timeliness and citations which lead the researcher to further writings on the subject. You can find many - but not all - of our law journal articles through Omni. You can also consult our guide to Legal Databases by Subject or Jurisdiction.

Indexes & Full-Text Law Journals

For a description of journal indexes available at Queen's see Journal Indexes & Full-Text Law Journals in the chapter on Secondary Sources.

You can also search or browse HeinOnline's Foreign & International Law Resource Database, which contains some of the world's best international law publications, from the in-depth coverage of publications of the American Society of International Law and prominent Yearbooks from around the world to the Hague Permanent Court of International Justice series and the publications of dozens of other highly respected publishers.