Public Health and the Law
Library Research Session 1
Two types of information
• Scholarly
• e.g., articles from law reviews and other academic
journals
• Legal
• e.g., cases and laws
Goals
• Understand citation components
• Find full text
Scholarly Articles
Sample 1:
Public Health Ethics: Mapping the Terrain, 30 J.
L. MED. & ETHICS 170 (2002)
To what does each part of the citation refer?
Scholarly Articles
Sample 1:
Public Health Ethics: Mapping the Terrain, 30 J. L. MED. &
ETHICS 170 (2002)
Citation components:
• Article title - Public Health Ethics: Mapping the Terrain
• Volume number - 30
• Journal title (abbreviated) - J. L. MED. & ETHICS
• Starting page number - 170
• Publication year - 2002
Scholarly Articles
Sample 1:
Public Health Ethics: Mapping the Terrain, 30 J.
L. MED. & ETHICS 170 (2002)
How can you access the full text of this article?
Scholarly Articles
Sample 1:
Public Health Ethics: Mapping the Terrain, 30 J.
L. MED. & ETHICS 170 (2002)
Possible avenues for accessing full text:
• Google
• Encompass Search
• ?
Scholarly Articles
Sample 2:
What Will It Take to Address the Global Threat of
Antibiotic Resistance, 43 J.L. MED. & ETHICS 363
(2015)
How and where can you get the full text?
Legal Information
Sample 3:
South Dakota v. Dole, 483 U.S. 203 (1987)
To what does each part of the citation refer?
Legal Information
Sample 3:
South Dakota v. Dole, 483 U.S. 203 (1987)
Citation components:
• Case name, parties involved - South Dakota v. Dole
• Volume number of the reporter* containing the full text of the
case - 483
• Abbreviated name of the court that decided the case, the case
reporter* - U.S.
• Starting page number - 203
• Year case was decided – 1987
*“Reporters” are sets of volumes containing judicial opinions of cases.
Legal Information
Sample 3:
South Dakota v. Dole, 483 U.S. 203 (1987)
How can you access the full text of this article?
Legal Information
Sample 3:
South Dakota v. Dole, 483 U.S. 203 (1987)
Possible avenues for full text access:
• Google
• LexisNexis Academic
• From the library homepage > Research > Databases A-Z >
LexisNexis Academic
• Choose Search by Subject or Topic > Federal and State Cases
• Search by
• Names of parties - South Dakota v. Dole
• Citation - CITE(483 U.S. 203)
• ?
Comparison of Selected Tools for Legal Information
Tool
Features / Advantages
Access
Find Law
Full text, annotations tab
Through Google or directly
at
http://caselaw.findlaw.com/
Justia
Full text
Through Google or directly
at
https://supreme.justia.com/
LexisNexis Academic Full text, summary, Shepard’s
Citations (has case been overturned,
reaffirmed, questioned, cited by later
cases?)
Library website > Research
> Databases A-Z or directly
at
http://muhlenberg.idm.oclc.
org/login?url=http://www.le
xisnexis.com/hottopics/lnaca
demic
Oyez
Quick summary, audio
Through Google or directly
at https://www.oyez.org
Wikipedia
Summary (but not authoritative),
links to full text
Through Google or directly
at https://en.wikipedia.org
Legal Information
Sample 4:
District of Columbia v. Heller, 128 S. Ct. 2783 (2008)
How and where can you get the full text?
Tips for LexisNexis
• From the library homepage > Research > Databases A-Z > LexisNexis
Academic
• Choose Search by Subject or Topic > Federal and State Cases
• Search by
• Names of parties – e.g., South Dakota v. Dole
• Citation – e.g., CITE(483 U.S. 203)
Summary of Selected Links
Finding scholarly sources
• Encompass Search http://trexler.muhlenberg.edu/ (main search box)
• Google http://www.google.com
• To understand abbreviated journal titles, Google the abbreviated title
Finding legal sources
• FindLaw http://caselaw.findlaw.com/
• Google http://www.google.com
• Justia https://supreme.justia.com/
• LexisNexis Academic
http://muhlenberg.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic
• Oyez https://www.oyez.org/
• Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org
• To understand abbreviated case reporter titles, Google the abbreviated title or see
http://guides.lib.uw.edu/law/reporters
Questions?
Jen Jarson
[email protected]