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Research and Instruction Librarian
Daryl Bullis
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Liaison to:
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Accounting & Law
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Mathematics, Analytics, Science, & Technology
Arts & Humanities
Accounting & Law
History & Society
Mathematics, Analytics, Science, & Technology
(781) 239-6482
Subjects: Accounting, Arts & Humanities, Career & Job, History & Society, Languages, Literature, Music, Psychology, Science
Starting Legal Research
To get legal research off to a quick start, always start with secondary sources. Law review articles, books or treatises, legal encyclopedias and law dictionaries give you analysis, context and explanation of your legal research topic. Secondary sources provide footnotes full of citations to key primary laws (cases, statutes and regulations) and additional secondary sources on a topic.
- Westlaw This link opens in a new window
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Select Secondary Sources (top of middle column), then Law Reviews and Journals under Types.
A search of law reviews is the key first step.
- Law Review CommonsThe largest collection of free and open law review scholarship
Black's Law Dictionary
- Westlaw This link opens in a new window
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Use Westlaw to access Black's Law Dictionary: select Secondary Sources from top of middle column, then Black's Law Dictionary, under Related Content, far right column.
- Search for Books and EbooksUse the main search box on the library homepage to search for books, e-books, reference materials, journal articles, news, government documents, and more. Use the check boxes on the left-hand side of the screen to narrow your results.
- Westlaw This link opens in a new window
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Select Secondary Sources from top of middle column, then, under Type, Texts and Treatises
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Select Secondary Sources, then American Jurisprudence 2d or American Law Reports
How the US Government is Organized
United States Federal Government
- What is Federalism? (Legal Information Institute)Explains the relationship between the US federal and state governments.
Related Guides
- Research Guides, Treatise Finders and Tutorials (Georgetown Law)Excellent topical legal research guides as well as guides to research in each state.