Foreign and Comparative Law Basics

Use research guides at the beginning of your foreign law research. They list and link primary and secondary sources. They may include descriptions of legal and government systems, may include free sources, and may include suggestions for search strategies. For research guides from other law schools that include subscription database links, check the lists of subscription databases for Emory Law Library and for Emory Woodruff Library. 

Research guides focusing on foreign law include:

• Foreign Law Guide : Entries by jurisdiction include legal history and descriptions of the country’s government and legal institutions, as well as sources for legal research. Find statutes listed by subject with citations, sometimes with links or with English translation sources. Articles also include recommended secondary sources by subject.
• NYU GlobaLex Foreign Law Research Guides: Describe legal systems by jurisdiction, as well as listing primary and secondary sources. GlobaLex also has research guides on comparative law, including one on Comparative Constitutional Law.
• Law Library of Congress Guide to Law Online: The guide for each country is arranged by branch of government and includes links to legislatures, gazettes, codes, courts, and ministries, as well as to legal research guides and background information sources for each country.
• NYU Law Library Foreign Law by Jurisdiction: An extensive list of jurisdictions with resource links
• Georgetown Law Library Research Guides on Foreign & International Law


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You can use country reports and studies to find background information, official languages, legal history, systems of government, directories of government agencies, structure and names of legislatures and courts, and other information on legal systems, human rights, and business climate.

• CIA World Factbook and CIA Directory of World Leaders and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments
• Foreign Law Guide (subscription database): Entries by jurisdiction include legal history and descriptions of the country’s government and legal institutions, as well as sources for legal research.
• EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit) Country Reports (subscription database): Business information, economic outlook, domestic politics, and monetary policy
• OECD iLibrary: Reports and statistics by theme and country, including reports on taxation, finance, energy, trade, and development
• State Department Country Reports: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Terrorism, Religious Freedom, and Trafficking in Persons, as well as Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. 
• United Nations Human Rights Reports by Country
• Historical Sources for Country Background:​​​​​​​
  • Library of Congress Country Studies (Area Handbook Series)
    • Topics include historical background, society, government systems.
    •  Published between 1967 and 2002.
    •  A larger and older collection of the country studies are in the Hein World Constitutions database.
  • Modern Legal Systems Cyclopedia (1984-2005) (K530 .M62).  Available online through Hein Online's World Constitutions. 

Are you citing for a US law journal, a US court, or for a filing in another country? The citation form used in other countries will not match The Bluebook. 

These citation guides can be helpful for interpreting abbreviations and citations as well as for citing your own work.

Bluebook Rules 20 and 21 and T2 are on citations to foreign and international law. The T2 tables on foreign jurisdictions are available free on the Electronic Bluebook. Entries for each country include links to internet sources for official legal publications.

The newest edition is the 21st edition. The library has copies on reserve; check one out from the Service Desk.

Bieber's Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations: Look up legal abbreviations, and find citation form for legal materials using this book available in  Reference at KF246 .B46 2001.

The Greenbook: International Citator and Research Guide: 6-volume set with citation rules for foreign and international materials. Service Desk-Reference collection:K89 .I58 2018

Raistrick’s Index to Legal Citations & Abbreviations (British, with more UK and European citations than the Bluebook):  KD400 .R35 2013

University of Minnesota Frequently-Cited Treaties guide with citation form

Oxford Law Citator (Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law and Oxford Law Reports): Mouse over or click on linked document names to retrieve a full citation. Not in Bluebook form, but will include the information you need to cite the document.

Hein Online Law Journal Library (and other libraries): The Citation Navigator available in most Hein libraries lets you enter a citation and retrieve the document, and there is also a Bluebook Citation list of journals.

Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations (United Kingdom and Commonwealth)

Monash University Library Guide to Legal Abbreviations (Australia)