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Legal Reference

Tools and tips for finding legal references.

Case Law: Research Tools

If unfamiliar with an area of law start with secondary sources: legal encyclopedias, books on the legal topic of interest & law review articles

WorldCat
Catalog of books and other materials in libraries worldwide.

Coverage: 1200-
Some Full Text: No
Search Tips
LexisNexis Academic -- Now called Nexis Uni
Full text news, legal, business, and biographical information.

Coverage: Varies
Full Text: Yes
Titles Included | Search Tips
Library Catalog
Search for WPI library materials including print and electronic books, journals, and audio visual materials.

Coverage: Varies
Full Text: Yes

Adminstrative Law: Research

GPO's govinfo - Government Publications
Provides free online access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.

Coverage: Varies
Full Text: Yes

Regulations.gov

LexisNexis Academic -- Now called Nexis Uni
Search by keyword or if you have a specific CFR use format as follows:

40 CFR 129.4
20 CFR PART 404 APPENDIX I
17 CFR 230.429

Coverage: Varies
Full Text: Yes
Titles Included | Search Tips

U S Food and Drug Administration

FDA
Drugs@FDA - FDA Approved Drugs
Search by Drug Name, Active Ingredient, or Application Number
Center for Drug Evaluation & Research

Additional Legal Information

Visit the Massachusetts Trial Court Libraries for access to more legal resources.

Massachusetts Trial Court Libraries
free library card if you visit one of their locations (there’s one on Main St. Worcester).
HeinOnline
Provides access to law journal articles, Federal Register, treaties, Statutes at Large and US Supreme Court Opinions
NOLO Online
Use to access remotely legal books

Reference

Everybody’s Legal Glossary
Findlaw’s Legal Dictionary
Legal Information Institute
LII Introduction to Basic Legal Citation
Reading Legal Citations (PDF)
Boston College Law School