Legal research databases such as Lexis and Westlaw can be great sources for current primary law and secondary sources. However, neither database contains every current legal journal or every issue of a given title. For example, if Lexis or Westlaw has a specific title, it probably won’t have issues older than the mid-1990’s. Why should you care? Restricting your search to only the sources available in one database may not provide you with either the full scope or depth of analysis that you require for your project. So, how do you conduct a broader search for journals and where do you find those journals?

Index to Legal Periodicals

The Index to Legal Periodicals and Books Full Text indexes legal journals, law reviews, yearbooks, and bar association publications from 1918 to the present, along with many other resources. This robust database allows researchers to find both contemporary and historical materials. Many of the articles are available full-text in the database or link to full-text in HeinOnline. Instead of searching several databases, the researcher can start with Index to Legal Periodicals and find a comprehensive selection of U.S. legal journals and periodicals. (The Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals can be found in HeinOnline.)

HeinOnline

I’m probably biased, but I think HeinOnline is the best single-source for law journals and periodicals. The database has a built-in search interface, but does not index journals that are not licensed by Hein. (Although HeinOnline has excellent resources, a more comprehensive search can be conducted by searching both Index to Legal Periodicals and HeinOnline.) The browse features make it easy to locate an article by citation when you already know your journal is in HeinOnline. Finally, all materials in HeinOnline are available in PDF format, which facilitates precision citation as required by the Bluebook.

E-Journal Portal

Finally, if you already have a citation to a journal article, the fastest way to find it is to use the E-Journal Portal. Simply enter the title of the journal and, if the journal is available electronically through a Penn State resource, all databases in which the title is available will be displayed. Be sure to check the dates of coverage to ensure that your article can be found in the database you select. The E-Journal Portal is particularly useful when looking for a non-legal journal for cross-disciplinary research when you have the citation.

Library Research Page

Links to all of the sources mentioned above and many more can be found on the Dickinson Law Library Research page.