There are many primary sources of international law, including:
This section briefly introduces where to find primary sources of international law. For more detailed information, consult an international law research guide.
International Legal Materials is a key periodical that reproduces primary international legal documents including caselaw, UN documents, and international agreements. Each document is prefaced by an introductory note that summarizes the primary document and identifies its significance to international law. ILM is published by the American Society of International Law.
Treaties can be referred to with a number of different names including conventions, agreements, covenants, protocols, and accords. They can be bilateral (between two countries) or multilateral (between three or more countries). Locating the text, status, and ratification information for a treaty are some common legal research tasks related to treaties.
Treaties are often published in a series such as the Canada Treaty Series (Can TS) or the United Nations Treaty Series (UNTS). The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1155 UNTS 331) is the international agreement that governs the law of treaties. The below websites are a few commonly used sources for international agreements.
►See Sources: Treaties and International Agreements on this page for access points.
Decisions from international courts can typically be found in open access databases. Other sources can include periodicals which reprint decisions, like the International Legal Materials periodical.
►See International Case Law Databases for resources.
Both international custom and general principles of law are described as sources of law in Article 38(1) of the Statute of the International Court of Justice:
For more information, see "Chapter 5: Customary International Law" in John H Currie, Public International Law (Irwin Law, 2008).
