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PLA 3106: Legal Research & Writing

This guide is dedicated to the Legal Research and Writing course.

OneSearch (Includes articles, books, DVDs, music, etc.) (PrimoVE)

Research Help

Background Sources

RESEARCH GUIDES 

Fundamentals of Legal Research
. 1998. (Ref. KF 240 J32)

Federal Legislative History Research. 2001. (http://www.llsdc.org/Fed-Leg-Hist/)

Legal Analyst: A Toolkit for Thinking About the Law. 2007. (Ebrary)

Legal Information: How to Find It, How to Use It. 1999. (Ref. KF 240 O365)

Legal Research & Writing Handbook: A Basis Approach for Paralegals. 3rd edition. 2003. (KF 240 Y45 2003)

Legal Research: How to Find and Understand the Law. 2003. (Netlibrary) and (Ref.KF 240.E35 1997) 


ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND DICTIONARIES 

American Dictionary of Criminal Justice: Key Terms and Court Cases. 2005 (Ref. HV 7411 C48 2005)

American Jurisprudence. 2nd Edition. 83 Volumes. 1962- (UWF Library Law Collection KF 154 A42)

Bieber's Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations: Reference Guide for Attorneys, Legal Secretaries, Paralegals, and Law Students. 2001. (Ref. KF 246 B46 2001)

Black's Law Dictionary. 2004. (Ref. Desk KF 156 E532) FWB

Dictionary of Selected Legal Terms. 2009. (Ref. KF 156 J37 2009)

Findlaw's Legal Reference (Findlaw)

Dictionary of International and Comparative Law. 2003. (Ref. KZ 1161 F69 2003)

Encyclopedia of American Law Enforcement. 2007. (Emerald Coast HV8133 N48 2007)

Encyclopedia of Law and Society. 2007. (Ref. K583 E53 2007)

Ethics in the U.S. Government: An Encyclopedia of Investigations, Scandals, Reforms, and Legislation. 2001. (Ref. JK 468 E7 R556)

Legal Systems of the World:  A Political, Social, and Cultural Encyclopedia. 2002. 4 volumes. (Ref. K 48 L44 2002)

Magill's Legal Guide. 2000. (Ref. KF 385 M35)

Modern Dictionary for the Legal Profession. 2001. (Ref. KF 156 B49 2001)

Oxford Dictionary of American Legal Quotations. 1993. (Ref. KF 159 S53)

Philosophy of Law, an Encyclopedia. 1999. (Ref. K 204 P49)

Prince's Bieber Dictionary of Legal Citations. 2001. (Ref. KF 246 P73 2001)

Words and Phrases. 1958-. 46 volumes with annual updates. (Ref. KF 156 W6712)


HANDBOOKS, YEARBOOKS AND MANUALS

American Law Yearbook. Annual. (Ref. KF 154 W472)

Great American Trials. 1994. (Ref. KF 220 G74)

Independent Counsel: The Law and the Investigators. 2001. (Ref. KF 5107.5 J64)

NALA Manual for Legal Assistants. 1999 (Ref. KF 320 L4 N34 )

Oceana Publications.
A series of individually titled treatments of various aspects of law. Examples:

  • Home Mortgage Law Primer. 2009. (Ref. KF 695 F69 2009)
  • How to Protect Elders From Harm. 2009 (Ref. KF 1257 O724 2009)
  • Law of Obscentity and Pornography. 2009. (Ref. KF 9444 J37 2009)
  • Transportation Law: Passenger Rights and Responsibilities. 2009. (Ref. KF 7745 J37 2009)
  • Understanding Trademark Law. 2009. KF 3180 T36 2009)
  • Veteran's Rights and Benefits. 2009. (Ref. KF 7745 J37 2009)

Oxford Companion to American Law. 2002. (Ref. KF 154 O96 2002)

Oxford Handbook of Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law
. 2002. (Ref. K 230 O95 A36 2002)

DIRECTORIES
Congressional Committee Prints

Florida Bar Journal. Annual. http://www.flabar.org/.

Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. 1996-2003 (Ref. KF 190 M3)
Also available in Lexis Nexis Academic.

Official Guide to ABA-approved Law Schools. 2010. (Ref. Desk KF 273 A86) & FWB
See also Barron's Guide to Law Schools (Ref. Desk KF 266 B3 2008) and American Law Sources On-Line  http://www.lawsource.com/also/usa.cgi?usl


BIOGRAPHIES

The American Bench: Judges of the Nation. 1977-1991/92. (Ref. KF 8775 A1 A5)
For Florida judges see Florida State Courts http://www.flcourts.org and Florida Legal Resources http://www.law.ufl.edu/lic/links/florida/.

Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States. 2005. (Ref. KF 8742 A35 O93 2005)


LEGAL FORMS

American Jurisprudence Pleading and Practice Forms Annotated. 25 Volumes. 1988- (Ref. KF 8836 A45)

More Everyday Legal Forms. 2001. (Ref. KF 170 S45)

Complete Book of Personal Legal Forms. 2005. (online)

101 Law Forms for Personal Use. 2005 (NetLibrary)

 

FAQs

Why can't I get into the databases?
Make sure you are logged on from the library home page. Use your Argonet username and password.
Why isn't my account working?
Contact the Circulation Department (850-474-2414) or http://libguides.uwf.edu/circulation
If I can't see full text articles in the database, am I out of luck?
Most databases have a FINDIT link that will attempt to find the full text version of the article in another database.
How can I tell if UWF has a book or a journal?
Check the online catalog by title for a book or journal.
What do databases do?
They allow you to search for journal articles and other resources by subject or keyword.
Is there a list of online journals?
Yes, there is an Ejournal Titles button under the OneSearch bar of the library home page. Many are also listed in the online catalog.
Is there a list of online books?
Search for online books in the online catalog by limiting to an online format or use the facets on the left side of the results screen to narrow to online resources.  Additional online books may be found in the Ebsco Academic eBook Collection and eBooks on EBSCOhost.
How can I find articles on my topic?
Use a database. A multidisciplinary database is OneSearch, the first search bar on the library home page. Others are listed alphabetically and by subject . You may also identify databases by using research guides.
I am getting frustrated, can I get some help?
Yes, contact the reference staff via
 
... or call us (850-474-2424), or contact a subject specialist.
The FINDIT link takes me to a database but I don't see my article; what do I do?
Sometimes, the link doesn't work as well as it should. If you are linked to another database, but not directly to the article, search the database by table of contents or by subject and author.
If FINDIT doesn't list a full text option, what do I do?
You may request the article from Interlibrary Loan. Be sure to identify yourself as a distance learner if you are requesting books and are over 50 miles from a UWF campus.
If I used OneSearch, do I need to use any other databases?
OneSearch, like many general databases, will include something on almost any topic and it includes results from many database but not all of them. The most comprehensive coverage of a topic is in a subject specific database such as PsycInfo for Psychology or ERIC for Education.
There is no book on my topic, what do I do?
Try using a broader or different term and use synonyms to make sure you are not missing relevant sources. Don't hesitate to ask for help from the librarians!

CREDO Resources

There are many reference materials in CREDO, our online reference database. Many are specifically related to law: