This manual outlines the basics of legal research with a focus on Canada. It includes  detailed sections on the Canadian Abridgment as well as  Ontario legislation. Manual also available in PDF.

 

Introduction

 

  

1. CANADIAN JURISPRUDENCE

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Law reports

1.2.1 Law reports collection at the Brian Dickson Law Library

 

1.3 Introduction to the Canadian Abridgment

                         1.3.1 Components of the Canadian Abridgment

                                             1.3.1.1 Using the Canadian Abridgment

               Searching by case name

               Searching by subject

               Searching by word or phrase

1.4 Other sources of case law digests

1.5 Online sources for Canadian Jurisprudence

1.5.1 Using WestlaweCarswell

1.5.2 Using LexisNexis Quicklaw

 

Other Jurisdictions:

2. ENGLISH (UK) JURISPRUDENCE

2.1 Online sources for UK Jurisprudence

 

3. US JURISPRUDENCE

               3.1 Online sources for US Jurisprudence

 

4. AUSTRALIAN JURISPRUDENCE

            4.1 Online sources for Australian Jurisprudence

 

 

1. Introduction

2. Types of secondary material

2.1 Encyclopedias

2.2 Periodical indexes

2.3 Dictionaries

2.4 Directories

2.4.1 Online directories

2.5 Restatements of the Law

            2.6 Festschrift

                2.7 Loose-leaf publications

2.8 Annotated acts / codes

 

3. Interdisciplinary research - tips for finding information in non-legal sources

 

 

 

1. FEDERAL STATUTES

1.1 Legislative process

1.1.1 Bills

1.1.2 Parliamentary documents

1.1.3 Royal assent

1.1.4 Publication of an act as a separate chapter or within the "Acts of Parliament"

1.1.5 Publication in the Canada Gazette

                1.1.6 Coming-into-force

1.1.7 Annual volumes

1.1.8 Revised Statutes of Canada

1.2 Finding and updating a federal statute

1.2.1 Public statutes

1.2.2 Private acts

1.3. Provisions and limitation periods of federal statutes

 

2. FEDERAL REGULATIONS

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Regulatory process

2.3 Publication of regulations

2.4 Coming-into-force of a regulation

2.5 Finding regulations

2.6 Online sources for Canadian legislation

 

3. ONTARIO STATUTES

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Publication of Ontario statutes

3.2.1 Bills

3.2.2 Parliamentary documents

3.2.3 Annual volumes

3.2.4 Revised Statutes of Ontario

                3.2.5 Coming-into-force

3.3 Finding and updating an Ontario statute

3.4 Provisions and limitation periods of Ontario statutes

 

 

4. ONTARIO REGULATIONS

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Publication of regulations

4.3 Coming-into-force

4.4 Finding regulations

                4.5 Online sources for Ontario legislation

 

Other Jurisdictions:

5. ENGLISH (UK) LEGISLATION

5.1 Primary legislation: Acts of Parliament

5.2 Delegated legislation: Statutory Instruments

5.3 Online sources for U.K. legislation

 

6. United States LEGISLATION

6.1 Primary legislation

6.2 Secondary legislation

6.3 Official records

6.4 Online sources for U.S. legislation

 

 7. AUSTRALIAN LEGISLATION 

7.1 Primary legislation

7.2 Delegated (secondary) legislation

 

8. LEGAL CITATION

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Citation standard for case law

8.3 Citation standard for secondary legal material: some examples

8.4 Neutral citation

8.5 Parallel citations

8.6 Legal abbreviations

                8.6 Legal citation tutorial

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY