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Legal Research Guides

This guide offers an overview of core resources, including key legal databases, research strategies, and where to begin with case law, legislation, and secondary sources. You'll also find direct access to databases and links to specialized guides for more

E-journals and periodical indexes

Key Resources

  • All Canadian Legal Literature Indexes Canadian legal literature indexes available on Lexis Advance Quicklaw (Canadian Law Symposia Index, Index to Canadian Legal Literature for Book Reviews, Journals and Texts)
  • Doctrinal Plus, 1993 - Accès aux notices bibliographiques d'articles de revues, de la jurisprudence française et européenne, et de la législation française et de l'Union européenne
  • Index to Canadian Legal Literature - Journals and Texts A subset of The Index to Canadian Legal Literature containing an index of articles published in Canadian legal journals via Lexis Advance QuickLaw
  • Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals, 1985 - A subject index covering international and comparative law periodicals as well as collections of essays produced by the Berkeley Law Library.
  • Index to Legal Periodicals & Books Full-Text, 1982 - Index of scholarly articles, symposia, court decisions, books, book reviews published in legal journals, law reviews, yearbooks, institutes, statutes, bar association publications and university publications.
  • LegalTrac, 1980 - Index of major law reviews, legal newspapers, specialty publications, Bar Association journals and international legal journals, including more than 250 titles in full text.
  • E-journals available at McGill Listing of McGill-subscribed electronic journals (search or browse by title).

Canadian Law Research Guide

See the complete guide to legal e-journals and periodical indexes

E-Books

Key Resources

  • Annual Review of Law and Social Science Scholarly reviews that strives to enhance the understanding of the complex connections between law, culture, social structure, and society by focusing on social scientific studies of law and law-like systems of rules, institutions, processes, and behaviors since 2005
  • Bibliothèque Dalloz La Bibliothèque numérique Dalloz donne accès à 1 500 ouvrages, incluant les Codes Dalloz, Dalloz action, Lexiques, Précis Dalloz, les manuels universitaires, les ouvrages de révision, et bien plus, en version feuilletable (France). Pour accéder aux livres électroniques, vous devez parcourir à la section "À feuilleter" et sélectionner le bouton "Dalloz Bibliothèque". 2 accès simultanés.
  • Bloomsbury Collections. Access to all Bloomsbury imprint titles from 2021 and selected titles prior to 2021. Browse by subject - Law.
  • Brill Basilica Online The Basilica is the single-most important source for Byzantine law throughout the period of the Byzantine empire
  • Brill Human Rights and Humanitarian Law E-books covering various aspects of human rights from 2006 onward
  • Brill International Law E-books covering various aspects of international law from 2006 onward
  • Cairn.info Revue et ouvrages sur les sciences humaines & sociales publiée en langue française
  • Cambridge Core Multidisciplinary e-books published Cambridge UP from 2013 onward
  • Centre for Studies and Research in International Law and International Relations Brill e-books; annual series on international law from 2001 onward
  • De Gruyter Online Includes access to some Harvard UP e-books 
  • eBook Collection (EBSCO Law)
  • eBOUND Multidisciplinary e-book collection from various Canadian University Presses including UBC Press, AU Press, McGill-Queens UP, U of Toronto Press, University of Ottawa Press, Presses de l'Université du Québec, Presses de l'Université de Montréal, Presses de l'Université Laval
  • eDOCTRINE (CAIJ) Publications du Barreau du Québec, Publications de cabinets d'avocats, Éditions Wilson & Lafleur
  • Elgar Advanced Introductions Elgar Advanced Introductions are accessible and concise texts, often used as course textbooks, that offer strong foundations for international and comparative legal study in a variety of areas of law, from private law to mental health law, from international tax law to global sports law.
  • ElgarOnline Elgaronline includes scholarly research monographs in major subject areas of Law, Business, Economics and the Social Sciences, as well as Research Handbooks, companions, dictionaries, encyclopedia and journals.
  • Erudit Multidisciplinary e-book collection from Quebec University Presses including: Presses de l'Université de Montréal, Presses de l'Université Laval, Publications du CRIR
  • Hague Academy of International Law. Collected Course Online Covers theoretical and practical aspects of international law including legislation and case law from 1923 onward
  • MyiLibrary Multidisciplinary e-book collection of Canadian material which includes retrospective Irwin Law titles
  • Oxford Handbooks online - Law collection Scholarly reviews covering various subject areas in the Humanities, Social Sciences and the Law
  • Oxford Scholarly Authorities on International Law E-book collection on public international law by Oxford UP
  • Oxford Legal Research Library Oxford UP collection covering the area of International Commercial Arbitration, International Commercial Law, Financial and Banking Law, and Private International Law Collections
  • Oxford Scholarship Online - Law Collection Oxford UP e-book collection and partner presses covering 20 subject areas including law
  • Proquest Ebook Central Multidisciplinary e-book collection from commercial publishers and university presses
  • ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global Full-text of dissertations from McGill University as well as 3,100 worldwide universities. Full-text PDFs available for all non-embargoed dissertations and theses from 1997 – forward, with select full text available prior to 1997.
  • Project Muse - Law Collection E-book collection covering the digital humanities and social sciences since 1995
  • SpringerLink - Law Collection Multidisciplinary collection of articles, chapters, conference papers, reference works entries, protocols published by Springer in English and German since 1848. (Select the Law filter on the left.)
  • Taylor & Francis eBooks Multidisciplinary e-book collection from Taylor & Francis
  • University Press Scholarship Online Multidisciplinary e-book collection from various American university presses
  • Vlex Global (Via CAIJ) Complete collection of Irwin Law books in full text - Access through "Bases de données" 
  • Wiley Online Library - Books Multidisciplinary e-book collection from Wiley

Historical E-Book Collections

Reference

What are reference sources?

Legal reference sources are essential tools for understanding and navigating the legal landscape. Legal abbreviation guides assist in decoding short forms used for case names, courts, and law reports. Citation style guides, like the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation (McGill Guide), establish standardized formats for citing cases, legislation, and secondary sources accurately and consistently. Legal dictionaries clarify legal terms and phrases, many of which have specialized meanings not found in general dictionaries. Legal encyclopedias provide comprehensive overviews of legal topics and serve as a useful starting point for research, often highlighting key cases and legislation relevant to a subject. Collectively, these tools enable clear communication and efficient legal research.

Legal Reference Guide

See the complete guide to Reference Sources.

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