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Covers general principles for legal research on the Internet. Links to portal sites for federal, RI, MA, & CT legal research, as well as site for law review articles.
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Class Website
http://lawguides.rwu.edu/finditfreeandfast
Note, no www
Agenda
Principles of Internet Research
Role of Wikipedia and Google in Research
Time Saving Sites
Federal Legal Research
State Legal Research
Principles of Internet Research
Not everything is on the free Internet
Even if it is, question whether it is: Official, Current, Complete, Biased, Value Added
Tips for Legal Research on the Internet
Look at the entire source Index
Advanced search
Search tips
Browsability
Added features, e.g. “cited by”
Use Wikipedia with caution
Know what Wikipedia Can Do for You
On Wikipedia, nobody knows if you’re an expert Anyone may post
Entries are not vetted; general rules about attribution apply but may not be followed
Articles may not be updated
However, Wikipedia can be good (sometimes) Citations
Background
Keywords
References
Use Google the right way
Advanced Google Searching Phrase searching
Exclusions
Limit by domain (.gov, .edu)
GoogleScholar Excellent start to locate case law, articles
Use Library Links for articles (more later)
Legal Research Time Saving Sites aka Portals
Cornell LII
WashLaw Web
Justia
Federal Legal Research Portal: FDSys (Statutes and Regulations)
Judicial Supreme Court of the U.S.
SCOTUSBlog
U.S. Courts
Legislative Congressional Materials: Congress.gov
Administrative Agency websites: USA.gov
State Portals for Legal Research
RI: Rhode Island State Law Library Legal Links
CT: Connecticut Judicial Branch Law Libraries CT Resources
MA: Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries
What about Secondary Sources?
Google Scholar Settings > Library Links
Search Roger Williams.
Select “RWU Law” for links to RWU Law licensed databases
ABA LTRC Free Full-Text Online Law Review/ Journal Search
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