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Conduct Research

International Team Project: Australia Research Checklist

Introduction

This is a selective list of resources prepared for students participating in International Team Project: Australia at Northwestern University School of Law in the Spring 2006 semester.

Also use the Conduct Research portion of the law library web site. In particular, see the Foreign and Comparative and International sections.

Contents

Key to call number locations:

  • I,REF = international reference area, 3rd floor
  • I,PER = international and comparative law journals, 3rd floor
  • I,MON = international and comparative law monographs, 3rd floor
  • R,REF = reference room, 2nd floor
  • REF = shelving area under grand staircase, 2nd floor
  • N,BAT = Australia primary law and government publications, 3rd floor
  • MON = Anglo-American monographs, 2nd floor (includes monographs about Australia)
  • D,USG = U.S. government publications, 3rd floor
  • D,CDR = U.S. government CD-ROMs, in Government Documents office, 3rd floor

General Country Information

Business Conditions

Governmental Information

Laws and Legal System

Research Guides and Introductions to Legal System

  • Researching Australian Law (Updated 2006). By Nicholas Pengelley (LLRX). A detailed, annotated research guide, with links to resources.
  • Foreign Law Guide: Current Sources of Codes and Basic Legislation in Jurisdictions of the World Must be used within Northwestern Law buildings. For each country, includes background on the legal system and legal publication, as well as citations to laws on particular topics and English language translations. An indispensable source for foreign law research.

    Also available in print; shelved in office of Foreign and International Law Librarian. Online version is more current and includes links.

  • WebLaw: Subject Guides. WebLaw is a cooperative effort of Australian universities, non-profit organizations, and government offices.
  • Australia links. From World Legal Information Institute (WorldLII).
  • Concise Legal Research [Australia], by Robert Watt. 5th ed. Sydney: Foundation Press, 2004.

    R,REF KU 47 .W37 2004

  • E-Law Research: Your Guide to Electronic Legal Research [Australia], by Surendra Dayal. Chatswood, N.S.W.: Butterworths, 2000.

    R,REF KU 47.5 .D388 2000. While somewhat dated for an electronic research guide, many of the resources examined have not made drastic interface changes.

  • Law & Justice in Australia, by Prue Vines. South Melbourne, Australia: Oxford, 2005.

    MON KU 120 .V56 2005

  • Tradition and Change in Australian Law, by Patrick Parkinson. 3rd ed. Sydney: Lawbook Co., 2005.

    MON KU 120 .P37 2005

  • Butterworths Australian Legal Dictionary, ed. by Hon. Peter E. Hygh & Peter Butt. Sydney: Butterworths, 1997.

    R,REF KU 26 .B88 1997

  • Australia Law Digest, in Martindale-Hubbell International Law Digest. Detailed descriptions of various areas of substantive and procedural law. Australia article revised by the firm Allens Arthur Robinson for 2005 edition.

    I,REF K 68 .M37

    Also available on LexisNexis (INTDIG file) Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community

Constitutional Law

  • Australian Constitution from the Australian Senate site.
  • Constitutions of the Countries of the World Must be used within Northwestern Law buildings . This site includes the texts of various acts. Also available in hard copy, I,MON K 3157 .A2B58 1971- (see vol. I).
  • Australian Constitutional Landmarks, by H.P. Lee & George Winterton. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge, 2003.

    MON KU 1760 .A97 2003

  • Five Things to Know About the Australian Constitution, by Helen Irving. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge, 2004.

    MON KU 1750 .I78 2004

  • Parliament: An Overview. From the Parliament of Australia.

Legislation

  • Print Sources:
    • The Acts of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1903-

      N,BAT KU 13 .A87

      These are the session laws of the Australian Commonwealth.

    • Federal Statutes Annotations.

      N,BAT KU 13 .F43 2004

      4 volumes plus supplement.

    • Halsbury's Laws of Australia, organization of statutes by subject.

      N,BAT KU 25.5 .H35 2004

  • Electronic Sources:

Case Law

  • Print Sources:
    • Commonwealth Law Reports. High Court decisions; law library has 1903-date.

      N,BAT KU 18 .A21905

    • Federal Law Reports. Other federal court decisions; law library has 1956-date.

      N,BAT KU 19 .A21961

    • The Australian Digest. 53 volumes, updated by regular supplements. A digest, by topic, to cases published in case reporters.

      N,BAT KU 24 .A3

    • The law library also holds reporters of each of the Australian states, organized by state. N,BAT KUC to KUH
  • Electronic Sources:
    • Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII) links to Commonwealth and state cases.
    • National Library of Australia links to courts.
    • High Court of Australia. Decisions from 1903.
    • LexisNexis Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community . Australia Cases file (AUSCAS). Legal--Legal (excluding U.S.)--Commonwealth--Case Law. Australian Commonwealth, State and Territory Case Law from 1951.
    • Westlaw Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community . Australia Cases file (AUSCAS). International/Worldwide Materials > Asia and the Pacific Rim > Individual Country Materials > Australia > Cases (coverage varies; High Court from 1903).

Finding Books on Australia

  • Szladits' Bibliography on Foreign and Comparative Law: Books and Articles in English

    Through the supplement for 1989-90 it provided references to books, journal articles, and essays published in collections, in English. It included a section citing to the texts of laws (including constitutions) in translation, published in both books and articles. This index now covers only books, not periodical articles. Statutes are now usually excluded. Provides both geographic and subject approaches.

    I,REF K 38 .S94 1955 and supplements
    I,REF K 38 .S94 1990
    I,REF K 38 .S94 1995/1996
    I,REF K 38 .S94 1997/1998

  • To find books at Northwestern University:

    NUcat, the catalog of Northwestern University libraries, provides various ways to find books on a topic. These include searching by keyword (for which there are several methods) and searching by subject (using Library of Congress subject headings).

    (Note: NUcat can be used to find out whether the library owns a particular periodical, but it is not used for finding articles within periodicals; for this, you use a periodical index, described in the following section.)

    "Guided Search" tab: It is sometimes easiest to start with a "guided" search, using words or phrases that are likely to appear in the record for a relevant book. From the NUcat screen, click on the "Guided Search" tab. Guided searches allow you to search for words or phrases in specific parts of the bibliographic record (e.g., author, title, subject) or as keywords; to use connectors (e.g., and, or); and to limit your search (e.g., by location, date, language). The search screen is set up in such a way as to guide you through the search formulation process and minimize the amount of typing. Searching in "keyword anywhere" is usually the best. For example, to search on the law related to Australian aboriginal peoples, you might try:

    Search for: australia? aborigin?, select "all of these," search in "keyword anywhere"

    AND

    Search for: law? legal, "select "any of these," search in "keyword anywhere"

    "Search" tab: Keyword searching is also available under the "Search" tab by clicking on "keyword search" or "keyword phrase search." You must formulate and type in the search, both terms and connector, yourself. An example of a "Keyword" search is:

    constitution? and australia?

    Once you have found a relevant book, you can look at the record in "long view" to find the Library of Congress subject headings for the book. You can then do a subject search by clicking on the link. This will sometimes retrieve additional relevant books that were not found by the keyword search. You may also do a subject heading search from the "Search" tab by choosing "Subject Heading." An example of a Library of Congress subject heading (pertaining to the customary law of Australian aboriginal peoples) is:

    Customary law--Australia

    Note: Materials on the law of a particular country on a particular subject might be found either in books devoted to the jurisdiction or in materials devoted to the subject. An example of a work classified (i.e., shelved) by jurisdiction is:

    Moral Rights and Their Application in Australia MON KU 1102 .S25 2003

    Examples of books and looseleaf services, etc., on a specific subject, which include discussion of more than one jurisdiction:

    Constitutions of the Countries of the WorldI,MON K 3157 .A2B58 1971-
    Copyright Laws and Treaties of the WorldI,MON K 1419.2 1956-
    Digest of Commercial Laws of the WorldI,MON K 1005.4 .D54 1996-
    International Encyclopaedia for Labour Law and Industrial RelationsI,MON K1705.4 .I58
  • To find books at other libraries:
    • WorldCat Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community

      This international database contains records from thousands of libraries. Interlibrary loan requests may be placed directly from the WorldCat record.

    • I-Share

      This database contains records for many Illinois libraries.

    • The library catalogs of many other institutions may be accessed via our law library catalogs and homepages page.

Finding Articles

The following are indexes that can be searched to identify articles, etc., on a subject. In some instances, in addition to a bibliographic citation, a direct link to full text of the article will be provided. Often a "Find it at NU" button will lead to a full-text electronic source. If no full text is identified, search NUcat by the title of the journal to see if the journal in which the article appears is owned in print format by Northwestern. If it is in the Northwestern University Library (or not held by Northwestern at all) you can submit an interlibrary loan request for the article. Note: before beginning to search any index, consult its "help" feature to be sure you are constructing an effective search. Also note: some Australian law reviews are available in HeinOnline Available from anywhere to all members of the Northwestern University community.

Legal Topics

  • LegalTrac Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community
    • Current Law Index R,REF K 33 .C87
    • LexisNexis Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community : Legal Resource Index (LAWREV;LGLIND)
    • Westlaw Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community : Legal Resource Index (LRI)

    The most comprehensive periodical index for U.S. legal research, this index, which began in 1980, can also be used to find articles on international and comparative law topics. It covers more than 850 journals from the United States, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, and Australia.

  • Index to Legal Periodicals and Books (ILP) Available from anywhere to all members of the Northwestern University community
    • R,REF K 33 .I5342

    A bibliographic database that cites articles from legal periodicals and indexes law books. Indexes periodicals from U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Also indexes university publications, yearbooks, institutes, and government publications. Subjects covered include international law. Dates covered: 1981 to present; ILP Retro (searchable alone or in combination with ILP) covers periodical articles 1918-1981.

  • Current Index to Legal Periodicals (most recent five issues) Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community
    • Current Index to Legal PeriodicalsR,REF K33 .C865
    • Westlaw Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community : CILP database (most recent eight issues)

    A current awareness service, published weekly by the University of Washington law library. More up-to-date than LegalTrac.

  • Australian Law Journal Project

    Searchable database of academic law journals from Australia and New Zealand. Articles are available in full-text.

  • Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community
    • Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals I,REF K 33 .I529

    An index of articles and book reviews appearing in more than 550 selected legal periodicals, most of which are published outside of the United States, as well as the contents of collections of essays, dealing with international law (both public and private), comparative law, and the domestic law of countries worldwide. It does not attempt to cover the legal systems of the United States, the British Isles, and the British Commonwealth. The print edition covers 1960 onward; the web version covers 1985 onward.

Non-Legal Topics

Resources covering more than one topic in the social sciences and humanities

  • PAIS International (1972 - present) Available from anywhere to all members of the Northwestern University community and PAIS International Archive (1937-1976) Available from anywhere to all members of the Northwestern University community

    PAIS International in Print REF Z 7163 .P9223

    Published by Public Affairs Information Service. Indexes and abstracts public and social policy literature published in over 120 countries. Includes such areas as economics, finance, law, education, the military, political science, public administration, international law and relations, the environment, and demography. The materials indexed include journal articles, books, reports of governmental, private, and intergovernmental organizations, statistical directories, research reports, conference reports, selected microfiche, and selected Internet resources originally published in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. This publication is the continuation of two earlier indexes, PAIS Bulletin (English language sources) and PAIS Foreign Language Index.

  • CIAO: Columbia International Affairs Online Available from anywhere to all members of the Northwestern University community

    Citations, abstracts, and selected full-text articles covering topics in international affairs, collected largely from university- and foundation-funded research institutes, non-governmental organizations, and academic conferences. Includes working papers, conference proceedings, journal and book abstracts, and links to related resources.

  • OxResearch Available from anywhere to all members of the Northwestern University community

    Short articles by Oxford Analytica in the areas of business and management, economics, and political science.

  • EXAC (Expanded Academic ASAP) Available from anywhere to all members of the Northwestern University community

    An online index to articles in more than 1,000 periodicals covering the social sciences, the humanities, the sciences, and current affairs.

  • Web of Science Available from anywhere to all members of the Northwestern University community

    Contains three individual databases, which may be searched separately or simultaneously: Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Arts and Humanities Citation Index. Social Sciences Citation Index covers anthropology, history, industrial relations, law, linguistics, psychology, psychiatry, political science, public health, social issues, sociology, substance abuse, urban studies, women's studies.

  • FirstSearch Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community

    FirstSearch includes a number of databases that index articles, papers, and proceedings in a variety of subject areas. A few of the individual databases are listed below. For FirstSearch databases, interlibrary loan requests for articles may be placed directly from the record, but check NUcat first.

  • ArticleFirst Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community

    Index of articles from 12,500 journals in business, the humanities, social sciences, popular culture, science, technology, and medicine, from 1990 onwards. Some entries have abstracts; some have full-text.

  • PapersFirst Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community

    Index of papers presented at conferences.

  • ProceedingsFirst Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community

    Index of conference proceedings.

  • Wilson Select Plus Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community

    Citations, abstracts, and full-text articles from over 850 periodicals indexed in Reader's Guide Abstracts, Social Sciences Abstracts, Humanities Abstracts, General Science Abstracts, and Wilson Business Abstracts, 1994- .

  • Social Science Research Network Must be used while on the Northwestern University campus

    A service providing scholarly research papers, working papers, and journals in numerous social science disciplines, including law, economics, and financial economics.

Finding Dissertations

Dissertations Abstracts database. "Citations and abstracts for doctoral dissertations, and some master's theses, from accredited North American colleges and universities and some international universities." Available from the following:

  • ProQuest Dissertations and Theses: Full Text Available from anywhere to all members of the Northwestern University community

    Entries for more than 2 million doctoral dissertations and master's theses. Dissertations published from 1980 forward include 350-word abstracts written by the author. Master's theses published from 1988 forward include 150-word abstracts. More than 600,000 dissertations and theses are available in native or image PDF formats for immediate free download.

  • Current Research @ CIC Institutions

    The Committee on Institutional Cooperation includes all Big Ten schools, plus the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Current Research provides full-text dissertations since 1996 from these schools.

  • Dissertations Abstracts Online

    Westlaw (DAO) Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community

Finding Statistics

News: General, Legal, and Business

/website/lawlibrary/research/foreignandcomparative/common/blurb/GeneralLegalBusiness

International Business Resources

  • See our web site's International Trade, Business, and Economic Law page.
  • ABI/INFORM Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community

    Business and management index. Citations and abstracts of articles from more than 1,300 journals, including over 350 English-language international sources. Full-text articles from over 600 selected sources.

    Westlaw Available from anywhere to members of the Northwestern Law community : ABI-INFORM (ABI/Inform (R) (DIALOG))

  • Business Source Premier Available from anywhere to all members of the Northwestern University community

    "[P]rovides nearly 3,300 full text scholarly publications, including more than 1,000 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to the full text, this database provides indexing and abstracts for more than 4,100 journals. This database offers information in nearly every area of business including management, economics, finance, accounting, international business, and more."

  • GlobalEDGE (TM) Resource Desk. Michigan State University.
  • ProQuest Asian Business Available from anywhere to all members of the Northwestern University community

    Business and financial information from key international publications.

  • Smart Start management of intellectual property, from the Australian Government

International Organizations and Relief Agencies

Additional Resources for Selected Topics

 
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Pritzker Legal Research Center