Research 101: How to Find Journal Articles

This research guide outlines the basic steps for finding legal journal articles on your topic.

 Law reviews, journals and newsletters are excellent sources of current information and commentary. This type of source is particularly useful when the topic you are researching may be too new or too narrow to be the subject of a legal text or loose-leaf service.

Journal articles can provide:

• Overviews of current topics;
• Analysis of emerging issues;
• Case commentaries;
• References to relevant primary law (cases and legislation);
• Key terms (useful for subsequent online searching).

The two most efficient methods of finding journal articles relevant to your research are:

1. Using a legal journals index;
2. Searching in a database of full-text journal articles.