Articles referring to cases
Though different databases offer different options for finding articles that refer to case law, case citators are a great place to start.
-Once you have located the record for the case, look for the links to journal articles about the case. Each of the case citators label these links differently.
-This will only detect articles that have been indexed as being about a case. If your search does not yield any results, try searching for the case using other fields such as 'All Fields and Full Text'.
-If there is no link to the full text article in the database, search for the journal's name under Title in the Library Catalogue.
-Often citations to journals will include the journal name in abbreviated form. If you are not sure what the abbreviation stands for, search for the abbreviation using a tool such as the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations.
Following is a summary of how to search for articles referring to cases in different databases.
- AGIS Plus Text (Informit)AGIS Plus Text indexes a range of legal journals, including those published by Thomson and Lexis. The algorithms are not as good as they used to be so while we recommend re-doing searches in specific legal databases, AGIS Plus Text can be a good place to start for Australian legal articles.
The Advanced Search option includes a field labelled 'Legal Cases'. Select the drop down arrow next to 'All Fields', scroll down and select 'Legal Cases'. - AustLII (Australasian Legal Information Institute) This link opens in a new windowSelect Lawcite from the red ribbon.
Place in your case citation within the citation field.
Below the table of Cases referring, review two tables - Law reforms and Law Journals - Lexis+ AustraliaUsing Quick Find - place your case citation into the 'Case Citation' field.
From your result, there'll be a table list of 'Publications referring to this case' - Westlaw AustraliaSearch for a case on Westlaw Australia by typing the the citation or party names in the search bar. You can also search via Advanced Search in the Citation field.
From your result, select the tab 'Citing References' then Secondary Sources for a list of resources.
Articles referring to legislation
Articles referring to legislation
Different databases offer different options for finding articles that refer to legislation. Below is a summary.
You can also type legislation into an advanced search form, usually accessible via the drop down menu alongside the search bar.
- AustLII (Australasian Legal Information Institute) This link opens in a new windowSelect Lawcite from the red ribbon.
Type the title of the Act and relevant section into the Legislation Considered and Section fields.
Select Search.
The journal articles citing the section of the legislation are in a table at the bottom of the search results. - Lexis+ AustraliaIn the Quick Find box, select the Legislation tab
Place in the Act you are looking for, wait for the drop down.
Place in section number too if you like.
Find the result, locate your section, next to your section is a link 'view legislation citator'
Scroll down to find the Secondary Materials table - Journals will be listed within here - Westlaw AustraliaFrom Westlaw's landing page, select Secondary Sources. Then select Advanced Search via the link alongside the top search bar. Type the name of the Act into the Legislation Cited (title) field.
This information relates to finding articles on Australian case law and legislation. For information about other jurisdictions, check the 'Foreign, Global and Comparative' list of research guides on the law library website.