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PHIL 378 / PG 348: Philosophy of Law: Articles & Legal Resources

Choosing the Best Finding Aids

Selecting the best or most appropriate finding aid for identifying sources depends almost entirely on the context of your research assignment.  There is no single database or web search interface that will work for every research context; instead, you'll need to match your specific research needs to a variety of options. Don't forget,  recommended subject databases for each discipline can also be found on the "articles" tab in each library subject guide.

Featured Journals

These journals contain articles related to philosophy, ethics, and the law.

Recommended Subject Databases for Philosophy

These subject databases may be especially useful for your research projects for this class.

Legal Research

 

Law Reviews

Law journal (aka, law review) articles can be a challenging read. Written by legal scholars for attorneys, they are comprehensive works, and may be helpful to a more in depth understanding of your topic. Bibliographies of the articles are often rich with citations to useful documents.

While both Legal Collection and Nexis Uni contain content from law journals, Nexis Uni has other types of content, and its interface tends to be difficult for new users.

Search Tips

Don't forget to prepare a list of related terms and concepts BEFORE you begin searching! This will save you time and give you a sense of direction as you search.

Number 1 Search Tip

Use Advanced Search and limit features whenever possible. Subset limits, date limits, citation searches, subject searches, etc. -- are all useful timesavers.

More Search Tips:

  • Start with a general search.
  • Avoid long phrases.
  • When given a choice, go with advanced search.
  • Use AND to find all the words (distinct concepts) on your topic.
  • Use OR to find any of the words (synonyms or related concepts) on your topic.
  • The symbol * is used as a right hand truncation character in most databases; it will find all forms of a word.
  • Use limiters to focus your search by date, full text, peer reviewed articles, etc.
  • Be flexible in your searching.

Too MUCH Information?

  • Use more specific words.
  • Narrow your search by adding more words connecting them with AND.
  • Do a subject search instead of a keyword search.
  • Put phrases in quotation marks.

Too LITTLE Information?

  • Try different search words, including synonyms, broader terms, or related words.
  • Use the truncation symbol * to get all forms of a word.
  • Try a different database.

Tipasa: Interlibrary Loan

Tipasa logo

If your article is not available at Collins Library, you've got another option for getting it. Use Tipasa, our interlibrary loan service.

Tipasa is linked to your library account so you'll need to log in to use it.

Once you are logged in, either go directly to Tipasa and manually enter the information, or, if you're using a database, look for a shortcut link to automatically fill out the form, like this:

Interlibrary Loan Link

Allow at least a week for the article to come. If your article is delivered in electronic format, you'll receive an email with a link to follow as soon as it's arrived.

Need Help?

This subject guide highlights only a small portion of the many resources available to you. If you're not finding what you need, don't hesitate to contact Katy!

Katy Curtis, Humanities Librarian
email: kcurtis@pugetsound.edu
Schedule an appointment
tel: (253) 879-3672
office: Collins Library 140

If you can't find Katy, remember there are several ways to get help with your research! 

For immediate assistance, connect to our 24/7 Ask a Librarian chat service.