Research Strategy for Academic Writing

This section offers information on how to use library resources to find books, journals, journal articles and other documents, as well as how to find the best sources in various subscription databases.

Use Library Search to search the catalog for all Emory libraries.  You can find books, book chapters in edited collections, and journals on your topic.  Library Search will also offer suggestions to refine your search results by topic, author, library, date, or language.  But note that not all sources in some law school databases are included in Library Search's search results (Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg in particular).

You may notice links that say something like "Find it @ Emory" in many databases or in Google Scholar searches.  Follow these links to the full text of articles and treatises in various databases to which Emory Libraries subscribe. 

Use Library Search to find books in the law library and other campus libraries.  Use Worldcat to find books in other libraries for interlibrary loan.  Look up the appropriate call number ranges to find books on a particular subject.  You can also take a few minutes to browse the shelves around one helpful book to find others in the same subject area (and there is a virtual browsing feature available in Library Search that will let you do this without going to the shelves!).

Finding aids located inside print resources:

• Indexes: Topical, Name
  • Case Name Index Image  (Landmark Indian Law Cases)
  • Subject Index Image  (The Growth of American Constitutional Law)
• Tables: Contents, Cases, Statutes
  • Popular Name Table Image (U.S. Code)
  • Table of Cases
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Statutes
• For updating: Pocket Parts and Supplements 

Electronic Resources by Subject includes all law-related databases to which the Emory law library subscribes.  In addition to the categorized list by subject, you can also view an alphabetical list by database name.  Most databases are available both on and off campus to members of the Emory community. A sample of the most frequently used includes:

• Wolters Kluwer Cheetah:  Includes newsletters, reporters, statutes, and looseleaf treatises and handbooks in tax, securities, and general business and transactional topics.  You can either browse or search through topical libraries.  Free registration is required.
• Hein Online: Provides full-text images of law reviews, US Reports, Federal Register, CFR, treaties, legislative histories, and more.  Hein is often the only searchable source for older materials.
• Bloomberg Law:  Requires an individual password to use.  Includes primary law, legal news, BNA law reports, dockets, business and company information.

Databases @ Emory is a collection of over 800 subscription databases that are available campus-wide.  Included are databases for finding articles in many non-law disciplines such as economics, history, political science, and sociology.  Some databases provide only citations and abstracts, but most provide the full-text of articles.  Also included are statistical databases and databases of historical newspapers in image format.  Sort using the Subject dropdown to see a list of all databases related to a particular subject area.

eJournals @ Emory provides direct access to electronic journals.  You can search for relevant journals by keywords in the journal title.  Links to available full-text journals will pop-up in another window.  eJournals are also available through Library Search.  Use the eJournals Citation Linker to pull up an article by citation.     

MacMillan Library Hybrid Research Services:

          Monday - Friday: 9am - 5pm
          Saturday - Sunday: Closed 

MacMillan Library Building Hours (August 19 - November 15, 2024):

Monday - Thursday: 8am - Midnight
Friday: 8am - 8pm
Saturday: 10am - 6pm
Sunday: Noon - Midnight

Reference Desk:
Monday: 10am - 4pm
Tuesday: 10am - 4pm
Wednesday: 10am - 12pm; 2pm - 4pm
Thursday: 10am - 4pm
Friday: 10am - 1pm
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