Research Guides : Comparative Law Research Guide: Getting Started

Looking for a database?

This is an alphabetical list of FSU databases useful for researching legal issues dealing with comparative constitutional law.

Elgar Ebooks This link opens in a new window

Encyclopedia of Private International Law (Elgar)

Foreign Law Guide This link opens in a new window Provides access to primary and secondary sources of foreign law from 200 jurisdictions. (Available via wireless and wired connections located within the College of Law building complex)
Global Law Regulation - Search This link opens in a new window
HeinOnline This link opens in a new window Provides retrospective access to full text law review articles, Federal Register volumes, treaties and other international agreements, opinions of the U.S. Attorney General, and cases from the United States Supreme Court. Earliest issues accessible date back to the mid-1800s.
Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals This link opens in a new window Provides access to articles from 1985 to the present on international law, comparative law, and municipal laws of countries other than the United States, United Kingdom, and the British Islands.
Index to Legal Periodicals and Retrospective This link opens in a new window Includes the Index to Legal Periodicals & Books with full-text coverage starting in 1994 and also includes the Index to Legal Periodicals Retrospective: 1908-1981.
International Law Reports (vLex) This link opens in a new window International Law Reports includes decisions of international courts and arbitrators as well as judgments of national courts (in English). Coverage is from 1919 to the present day.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window A database of the back issues of core journals in the humanities, social sciences and sciences. The gap between the most recently published issue of any journal and the date of the most recent issue available in JSTOR is from 2 to 5 years.
Kluwer Law Online Looseleafs This link opens in a new window Kluwer Law Online features access to a number of looseleaf treatises on a variety of international law topics.
LegalTrac This link opens in a new window Index to law-related journal articles from1980 to the present. It is updated monthly.
LLMC Digital This link opens in a new window
Making of Modern Law: Foreign Comparative & International Law, 1600-1926 This link opens in a new window
Making of Modern Law: Foreign Primary Sources Part 1 & Part 2 1600-1970 This link opens in a new window
Max Planck Encyclopedia of Comparative Constitutional Law This link opens in a new window
Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law This link opens in a new window This online edition of the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law covers central and essential topics in international law.

Modern Legal Systems Cyclopedia

Oxford Bibliographies This link opens in a new window Developed cooperatively with scholars and librarians worldwide, Oxford Bibliographies offers exclusive, authoritative research guides.
Oxford Constitutions of the World This link opens in a new window Oxford Constitutions of the World contains regularly updated, fully-translated English-language versions of all of the world's constitutions. The constitutions are accompanied by individual commentaries and supplementary materials, including foundation documents, historical constitutions, and amendment Acts/laws, and a collection of scholarly monographs.
Oxford International Encyclopedia of Legal History This link opens in a new window The Oxford International Encyclopedia of Legal History is a comprehensive, international, interdisciplinary reference work that includes approximately 1,000 articles on all aspects of legal history throughout the world from ancient to modern times. Articles deal with private law, public law, and constitutional/higher law throughout the world and are written and signed by one of the many noteworthy contributors, which include major scholars and experts.
Oxford Journals Online This link opens in a new window Full text access to many journals published by Oxford University Press.
Oxford Reports in International Law This link opens in a new window This database from Oxford University Press integrates important decisions on public international law from international courts and tribunals, domestic courts and ad hoc tribunals. Comprised of five modules (International Courts of General Jurisdiction, International Human Rights, International Criminal Law, International Investment Claims, and International Law in Domestic Courts), this online service is a single point of reference for all international law jurisprudence, providing access to a wide range of international law jurisprudence.

Writing a Paper?

Narrow your topic on which you can write a 20-30 page paper. Select a topic that addresses an international law question that is of interest to you and also is original and topical.

To find ideas for your topic, go to the following sources with an international perspective.

Read or search through newspapers and magazines, reports, or blogs
Skim the tables of contents of newly-released law reviews and law journals and the Current Index to Legal Periodicals.

Once you've chosen a paper topic, you'll need to review the literature for a pre-emption check to be sure that another legal scholar has not already covered your topic. Note that the databases referenced below may need to be accessed through the Research Center.

Use these sources in a pre-emption check

Country by Country Guide to Foreign Law Research

Foreign Law Guide This link opens in a new window Provides access to primary and secondary sources of foreign law from 200 jurisdictions. (Available via wireless and wired connections located within the College of Law building complex)