Home · Research Bookmarks · Research Guides · Thinking About Legal Research Problems

Thinking About Legal Research Problems

By Paul D. Callister, JD, MSLIS

Library Director & Associate Professor of Law

Find out everything you can about the research problem.Determine whether primary, secondary or combined sources are most appropriate.For primary materials, determine the kind of law, jurisdiction and appropriate arrangement.Putting all of the factors together to find a relevant document.How to be thorough after you have found a relevant document.

Problems Type:  Known Item · Subject · Institutional · Statistical · Special Techniques · News · Reference
 
Search Type
Used For
Example
Reference You need basic background or definitional information. I need to know the etymology of "Escrow."  What is "Brehon law"?

Subscription Databases
 

UMKC Library Database Page (by Subject)

Encyclopaedia Britannica & Merriam-Webster Dictionary & Thesaurus

Oxford English Dictionary

Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia

Marquis Who’s Who on the Web

WorldAlmanac

 

 

Research on the Web
 

Legal

Findlaw Legal Dictionary · http://stu.findlaw.com/journals

Martindale Lawyer Directory · http://www.martindale.com

Zimmerman Research Guide · http://www.lexis.com/infropro/zimmerman/

General Encyclopedias, Dictionaries & Reference Resources

Encyclopedia.com · http://www.encyclopedia.com

EU Dictionary (EuroDicAutom) · http://europa.eu.int/eurodicautom/Controller

Virtual Reference Desk (Library of Congress--Quotations, Almanacs, Atlases, etc.) · http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/virtualref.html

Wikipedia · http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Wiktionary · http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary

General Archives

Google Book Search · http://books.google.com

Google Scholar · http://scholar.google.com/

Internet Archive · http://www.archive.org/details/texts

Oaister http://oaister.umdl.umich.edu/o/oaister
 

Other Resources
 

Small pointer arrowPhone: 816/235-1650
  5100 Rockhill Road
  Kansas City, MO 64110-2499
  Web Comments: Paul Callister

  UMKC School of Law
   Leon E. Bloch Law Library
  Mission, Vision & Values
   www1.law.umkc.edu/library

Small pointer arrowFax: 816/235-5274 
© 2002 UMKC Law School 
DMCA and copyright info 
Last Update: 01/21/2011  


© 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Paul D. Callister