Law comprises primary (legislation and case law) and secondary (books and journals) sources of information.
Legislation is the legal rules (Acts) created by Parliament, and case law is the decisions of the Judiciary (Courts and Tribunals).
Other information published by parliaments or governments are collectively known as official publications.
Law databases are used by law students, academics and lawyers to conduct legal research. Lexis+ UK and Westlaw UK are the main two law databases used in the UK.
Legal research skills are the information and digital literacy skills which enable you to find and use legal information. This includes using your reading list, finding law books and journal articles, finding legislation and case law, and evaluating information to ensure it is authoritative and up-to-date.
Doing Legal Research
Doing Legal Research is the University of Warwick Library's self-study Moodle course.
It introduces students to different types of legal information, and shows how to find, use and reference them using a range of library and law databases.
Law database providers offer their own online training and certification courses to law students. Training and certification is available for both the Lexis+ UK and Westlaw UK databases.
Learn how to use law databases for success in your academic studies and gain certificates to evidence your legal research skills to employers on your CV.
A collection of 200+ e-textbooks published by Oxford University Press on law. Features key titles supporting the undergraduate law curriculum, with collections for business, company, commercial, competition and employment law, plus legal systems, legal skills, and revision and exam guides. Key titles include:
A legal research and practical guidance databases from LexisNexis, including primary and secondary sources of legal information for the UK and EU, and selected foreign jurisdictions. Key features include:
First-time users may be required to register with their name and @warwick.ac.uk email address.
A legal research database from Thomson Reuters, including primary and secondary sources of legal information for the UK, EU and selected foreign jurisdictions, and current awareness services. Kay features include:
First-time users may be required to register for a OnePass account with their name and @warwick.ac.uk email address.
A collection of 800+ ebooks from Oxford University Press providing concise introductions to subjects across all academic disciplines, including business, economics and law. Written for undergraduate students, each book introduces key concepts and essential knowledge in the field.
A collection of 200+ e-textbooks published by Oxford University Press on law. Features key titles supporting the undergraduate law curriculum, with collections for business, company, commercial, competition and employment law, plus legal systems, legal skills, and revision and exam guides.
A collection of 1,000+ ebooks from Oxford University Press providing authoritative essays across all academic disciplines, including business, economics and law titles. Written for students and researchers of all levels, each essay introduces key concepts, current research and future debates.
A large collection of research monographs and other scholarly publications from Oxford University Press, with titles across the business, economics, law and political science fields.
Collected Courses of the Hague Academy
The Collected Courses are a series of monographs on public and private international law published by the Hague Academy. Featuring books on international company, commercial and financial law, and international criminal and human rights law.
