The Emory Law Journal has an editorial scope that is limited "only by the limits of legal scholarship and interest." Because of this, you will find yourself writing and spading across a wide variety of legal topics. For more information on checking whether your topic has been preempted, see the Preemption Checks page of this guide.
Legal news and current awareness tools are a good source for identifying developing areas of law ripe for new or prospective scholarship. Similarly, the resources on circuit splits provided below may also provide you with novel topics that may be worth writing about.
Next, there are tools that are generally useful for "legal topics," but there are also many subject-specific or specialized blogs and current awareness materials available.
Current Awareness
For general current awareness, including legal topics:
Legal News
Legal Blogs
Circuit Splits
In this section, we've suggested a number of general law resources where you can begin your research. These resources are both relevant to legal research and to research at the intersection of law and other disciplines, including public health, technology, history, and more.
Finding Guides by Subject:
You can limit your database search by title, subject, or most popular databases. Some of the databases you may want to use are available to you through the Law Library; other databases will be available to you through Emory Libraries. Explore available databases here:
Finding Treatises:
Study Aids and Introductory Sources:
Interdisciplinary Resources:
For more information, see the Spading page of this guide. See also the Citation Assistance page for information on how to cite sources.
For video tutorials on how to find books and articles, whether through Emory's collections or through interlibrary loan, see the Using the MacMillan Law Library page of this guide.
Finding an item at Emory:
Finding an item NOT at Emory (interlibrary loan):
What if I don't need the whole thing? (interlibrary loan):
Academic and Journal Writing:
Basic Legal Research:
Multidisciplinary Research:
Emory Subject Guides
Guides Outside of Emory
Not finding a guide at Emory? Try outside universities and law schools!
Faculty Research Question?
Please complete our Faculty Request form.
Student Research Question?
Please complete our Student Research Request form.
Still have questions?
Stop by our Reference Desk to chat with us in person.
MacMillan Library Hybrid Research Services:
Monday - Friday: 9am - 5pm
Saturday - Sunday: Closed
MacMillan Library Building Hours (May 12, 2025 - August 18, 2025)*:
Monday - Friday: 9am - 6pm
Saturday - Sunday: Closed
*Closed Friday, July 4, 2025
Reference Desk:
Monday: 1pm - 3pm
Tuesday: 1pm - 3pm (Virtual only)
Wednesday: 10am - 12pm
Thursday: 10am - 12pm (Virtual only)
Friday: Closed
Saturday and Sunday: Closed
IT Help Desk:
Monday - Friday:
Saturday - Sunday: Closed
Emory Law Archives:
Physical archives: By appointment only.
Digital archives: More information available here.
Limited remote services are available on a case-by-case basis.
Questions? Email Anna Sturgill, Law Librarian for Archives and Assessment Services
