Research Guides: Law: Databases

Which databases are best for Legal Research?

The following databases can be used to find legal cases, articles and summaries:

Nexis Uni

Legal Source
Provides complete coverage of the most important English-language legal information, including access to scholarly articles, symposia, jurisdictional surveys, court decisions, legislation, books, book reviews and more.
Law LIbrary Microfilm Collection Digital
LLMC, a non-profit cooperative of libraries, providing access to over 5,000 legal titles relating to U.S., state and jurisdictions around the world.
FDSYS: US Government Publications Search
Use this link to find out if the information you are seeking is available from the U.S. Government.

Are law review articles the same as peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles?

Articles relating to law are frequently found in law school publications called law reviews or law journals -- the scholarly literature of the legal profession. They are:

usually edited by law students and contain "notes" written by law students and articles written by law professors, judges or attorneys.
cover narrow subjects, or cutting edge areas of the law and contain hundreds of footnotes citing primary and secondary sources.
are sometimes published in conjunction with other entities like the American Bar Association and there is a growing trend toward peer-reviewed law journals -- journals reviewed by experts in the field, rather than students.

(Law Review. (2005). In S. Phelps & J. Lehman (Eds.), West's Encyclopedia of American Law (2nd ed., Vol. 6, pp. 215-216). Detroit: Gale.).)

Lexis-Nexis provides access to U.S. Law Review Articles.