Search Tips For the Newcomer:
The World Wide Web is an excellent, if spotty, anarchic,
and sometimes inaccurate source of information -- both in and outside law.
Even those who have access to expensive search tools, such as LEXIS/NEXIS
and Westlaw, can find useful material on the Web.
The first thing you should try is a simple word search.
Click here to be taken to a wide array of Search
Engines. These allow you to search for phrases likely to occur in the
material you are looking for; for example, "international environmental
law" & "sustainable development." Each search engine
has its own instructions. One hint is that you should try the search engines,
such as Alta Vista, Infoseek, or Yahoo, which allow you to choose whether
to search the "Web" or the "Usenet." The latter includes
the various "newsgroups" on the Net -- think of them as e-mail
discussion circles on particular topics. Searching the Usenet allows you
to eavesdrop on those most interested in the area you are talking about.
Thus, for example, searching for "sustainable development" in
the Web will take you to a variety of governmental, academic and non-governmental
sites -- offering legal documents and primary sources. Searching for the
same phrase in the Usenet will give you the last two weeks usage of that
word in every newsgroup. An economic newsgroup might be discussing whether
the idea fits with Keynesian economics, an environmentalist newsgroup might
be discussing a recent conference on the subject or debating the Gaia hypothesis.
(These searches will also turn up large amounts of uninformed, intemperate
ranting; selectivity is needed.)
To supplement your word search, you should also look at
some of the specific legal resources to which we have provided access.
Word searches will always miss some things. Each search service adds new
material through a different method, so overlapping searches on different
services are a very good idea -- followed up by specific searches of law
reviews, primary sources etc.
Finally, you should remember that the Web provides fascinating,
unstructured and *partial* information -- in both senses of that word.
It is not always reliable.
Law Reviews on the Web
Legal Organizations on the Web
Searchable Legal Indexes
Index of Law Schools
Law Reviews on the Web
Legal Organizations on the Web
Indexes
Top of Page
Index of Law Schools
A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z
A
B
Top of Page
C
Top of Page
D
Top of Page
E
Top of Page
F
Top of Page
G
Top of Page
H
Top of Page
I
Top of Page
J
Top of Page
L
Top of Page
M
Top of Page
N
Top of Page
O
Top of Page
P
Top of Page
Q
Top of Page
R
Top of Page
S
Top of Page
T
Top of Page
U
Top of Page
V
Top of Page
W
Y
Top of Page
This
is a service of Law
in the Information Society Project, run by Professor
James Boyle at the Washington
College of Law, American University.
Back
to LISP