Legal Information Center

Research Tips

There are many ways to find information and many different kinds of data.

ARTICLES
Articles are a good starting point for research. They frequently cite cases, books and other articles which can save you time. The library has several different indexes to help you find the articles you need. There are the online legal indexes such as LegalTrac and Index to Legal Periodicals. We also have those indexes available in book form in the Reference area of the library. Some indexes also offer full-text articles so you can gather data wherever you have a connection. Our Guide to Finding Legal Periodicals for a more complete listing and links to each resource. If you have trouble accessing those databases here are some connection tips for you. If you still have problems please contact the Reference Desk.

If you know of a particular journal that has articles relevant to your research be sure to pick an index that covers that title. To help you do that try Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory. If you want to know if the journal you are looking for is available online try using the UF E-Journal Locator.

CASES
Cases can be located in various ways. Law articles and books frequently cite to important cases. The subject or keyword approach in Lexis (password protected), LexisNexis Academic Universe or Westlaw (password protected) is sure to yield results. We have prepared several Research Guides to guide your research. The Guide To Locating Florida Case Law would be helpful if you need some help getting started. Georgetown University has prepared a good research guide for using the legal digests and they say, "a digest's major function is to allow you to find cases on a specific legal issue". We have our own Guide to Using State Digests and Reporters which you may find helpful.

ENCYCLOPEDIAS
Legal encyclopedias are a great place to begin your research and to learn about an area of the law. Encyclopedias will lead you to cases, statutes, treatises, and/or legal articles pertaining to your issue. The LIC has print copies of American Jurisprudence and Corpus Juris Secundum, as well the American Law Reports. We have our own Guide to Using Legal Encyclopedias to help you get started. Law students can access these encyclopedias through Westlaw (password protected).

LAWS
Both federal and state laws are readily accessible on the Internet. Keep to the major sites and those ending in .edu which are likely to be more stable and accurate. Some web pages for legal research are:

Findlaw's Lawcrawler
Full-text state statutes and legislation on the Internet
Net Law Library
Our selected list of legal search engines

REGULATIONS
Congress, by enacting legislation, gives federal agencies power to carry out the laws. Most federal agencies are part of the Executive Branch, although the growth of independent regulatory agencies is a 20th Century phenomenon. Regulations first appear in the Federal Register and are codified annually in the Code of Federal Regulations. They form an important part of administrative law. Regulations (also referred to as "rules") are legally binding and can be enforced as statutes. You may find this Guide To Locating Federal Regulations helpful.

Each state has its own set of regulations. Florida has the Florida Administrative Code which is the official compilation of the rules and regulations of Florida regulatory agencies. Its counterpart in the federal system is the Code of Federal Regulations. Each is available online as well as in book format. Consult our research guide for help in using the FAC.

RESEARCH GUIDES
It is sometimes difficult getting started on your research. We have compiled research guides on selected topics which may help speed you on your way. See also Georgetown University's research guides, NYU's cite checker's guide and documents research pages.

TREATISES
Books and looseleaf services are still invaluable for all your research needs. Check out our online catalog. You can use a variety of search techniques to limit your retrievals.

ONLINE RESOURCES
The University of Florida Libraries are fortunate in being able to provide a large number of online resources to its patrons. Online material can be located via the online catalog or Database Locator. The Legal Information Center also provides specialized databases to its law students, staff and faculty such as Lexis (password protected), Westlaw (password protected) and the Florida Law Weekly (password protected). Visit the LIC's page of Resources for the Levin College of Law Community Only for a complete listing. Law-affiliated patrons may contact a Reference Librarian (273-0723) for passwords. Visit the LIC's Selected Online Resources for a full listing of law-related electronic databases and online resources, as selected by the LIC's reference librarians.

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