Researching International Law: Print & Online Resources   Tags: abbreviations, acronyms, citation guides, dictionaries, international law  

Complementing its print resources, the Law Library subscribes to numerous online databases with diverse international law content:

In addition to the Law Library's subscription databases, international law information can be found on free, reliable (i.e., reasonably accurate & current) websites. Among the best are:

International law is typically divided into 2 parts: public & private. Public international law governs relationships between national governments, relationships between intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), & relationships between national governments & IGOs. Private international law governs the choice of law to apply when there are conflicts in the municipal (i.e., national) law of different nations related to private transactions between persons/businesses in those nations. International law may consist of treaties, court decisions, & customary law. Unlike foreign law, for which it is sometimes mistaken, international law regulates or binds national governments & IGOs across national boundaries.

Karen Tse, lawyer & founder of the Swiss-based nongovernmental organization International Bridges to Justices, gave a brief talk in 2011 about ways to end the all-too-common practice of investigative torture in Asia & Africa. Watch below:

For help in citing to international law, see:

Guide to Foreign & International Legal Citations (2d ed.) - NYU School of Law, J of Intl Law & Politics

Call Number: K89 .G84 2009

Has organization profiles & selected references.

Australian Guide to Legal Citation (3d ed.) - Melbourne University Law Review Association

Part IV (pp. 121–96) covers international law.

Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (19th ed.) - Columbia, Harvard, Penn, & Yale Law Reviews

Call Number: KF245 .U5 2010

Rule 21 (pp. 185–214) & Tables 3-5 (pp. 426–9) cover international law.

Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation (7th ed.) - McGill Law Journal

Call Number: KE259 .C25 2010

Chapter 5 (pp. E 79–102) covers international materials.

For help in defining international law terms, see:

Dictionary of International & Comparative Law (3d ed.) - James R. Fox

Call Number: KF1163 .F69 2003

Has over 5,500 entries. They tend to be short, but many are cross referenced. Valuable as a starting point.

Parry & Grant Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law (3d ed.) - John P. Grant & J. Craig Barker

Call Number: KF1163 .P36 2009

Has over 2,500 entries. They tend to be longer than in Fox's Dictionary. Focus on mainstream international law, especially human rights & humanitarian law, international criminal law, & international organizational law. Extensively referenced throughout.

Dictionary of International Trade Law (2d ed.) - Raj Bhala

Call Number: K3943 .B488 2012

Has hundreds of entries plus maps, research tools, & free-trade agreements data. Detailed & referenced throughout. Nearly twice as many pages as the 1st edition (2008).

Over many decades, the Law Library has built a substantial collection of international law print resources—many not available online. The bulk are shelved on the 5th & 6th floors. These include caselaw, treaties, journals, & treatises. Most are in English. The collection is particularly strong in European Union, International Court of Justice, & International Criminal Court materials. Additional print resources are shelved on the 3d floor in New Books, Reserve, Reference, & the Maritime Collection; 4th floor in Special/Rare Collections & Microforms; 5th floor in Government Documents; & 6th floor in the Comparative Law Collection.

For more details, search the Law Library's online catalog.

For help in deciphering abbreviations & acronyms, see:

This information was published as a LibGuide in October 2011 for Tulane University Law School in Louisiana.