Secondary Sources Description Handout

8/10/2019 Secondary Sources Description Handout

1/3

Source Descripon Notes

Treases Commentaries on a singlearea of law wrien by

legal scholars and

praconers.

Comprehensive

coverage of a single

area of law.

Extensive Analysis.

Restatements Statements of rules of lawof certain subjects.

Somemes adopted

by legislatures/courts

as correct

statements of law.

Usually includes black

leer law, comments,

and illustraons.

Legal

Encyclopedias

Short narrave

explanaons of the law.

Broad Coverage.

Alphabecally

arranged by topic anddivided into

sub-topics.

Footnotes to primary

authority (cases and

statutes).

Fih Hour Legal Research-Fall 2014 Jordan Jeerson

Common Secondary Sources


2/3

Source Descripon

Notes

American Law

Reports

Arcles (called

annotaons) that focus

on narrowly dened legal

issues.

In depth and

exhausve coverage.

Includes citaons to

primary and

secondary authority

across jurisdicons.

Law Reviews/

Journal Arcles

Scholarly arcles on

current or cung edgeissues.

Student run.

Generally contains an

introductory overview

of the law (summary

of the relevant law

and literature).

Full of footnotes with

references to primary

and secondary

authority.

Praconers

Guides/ Form

Books

Wrien for Aorneys

about a parcular eld of

law.

Straighorward

explanaons of thelaw.

References to related

authories.

Direcons and

strategies.

Forms.



3/3

Source Descripon

Notes

Hornbooks/

Study Aids

A type of a trease

wrien for law students

that go in depth on

course topics.

Straighorward,

non-analycal

presentaons of the

law.

Useful for clarifying

and organizing the

law.

Citaons point to

relevant case law/

statutes.

Current Awareness

Tools/

Newspapers

Current law-related

developments, including

court decisions and rule

changes.

Daily or weekly.


Documents

Secondary Sources Description Handout