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UMass Libraries > Research by Subject > Law Research Guide

Library Course Guide: Research in the Public Interest
Honors 499E

Introduction
This guide is arranged in the order that one might work through the research process. However, if you would like to go to a particular area, choose from the alphabetical grouping below.

  Books | Citation Styles | Databases | Internet Resources 
Journals, Periodicals | Library Help & Contacts | Locating Library Materials 
 Reference Materials | Research Process

Reference Materials
Locate background information on your topic by using the Library Catalog. You can do a search and restrict the search to reference materials:

Some sample reference books on the topics for this class:

• Food for Thought: the Sourcebook for Obesity and Eating Disorders UM/Ref. RC 552 E18 C38
• Growing Up in America: an Atlas of Youth in the USA  UM/Ref. HB 1323 C52 U658 
• Kids Count Data Book UM/Ref. HQ792.U5 K53
• Water Atlas UM/Science Ref. GB 671C54
• Water Encyclopedia UM/Science Ref. TD 345 W262  

Please note: The "REF" before the call number indicates an item in the Reference Collection.

Books
Search for books in the Library Catalog by subject. Below are a few of the subject headings you could use:

• Drinking Water Massachusetts
• Land Use Planning
• Obesity
• Water Resources Development Massachusetts
• Youth Development Massachusetts

• Use WorldCat and Other Library Catalogs for searching other catalogs if you don't find books in the Four College Catalog.
• Borrow books from the Virtual Catalog and Interlibrary Loan.

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Databases
Locate citations, abstracts and/or full text of journal articles, magazine articles, newspapers, dissertations, government documents, and other information sources in your subject.

Please note: In some of our databases you may see the UMLinks button - . Clicking on this button will take you directly to the full text of your article, if available, or to other options for finding the article if not available online. For more information, see Frequently Asked Questions about UMLinks.

• Academic Search Premier
  Indexes hundreds of scholarly journals. Full-text is available for some articles while only the citation and abstract are available for other articles. Tip: For scholarly articles, limit the search to refereed publications.
• America: History and Life
  Citations and abstracts for journal articles, dissertations, and book reviews relating to United States and Canadian history.
  America: History and Life Database Guide 
• CQ Researcher
  Well-documented full text overviews of current issues, including bibliographies, chronologies and other useful features.
• EconLit
  Citations and abstracts for journal articles and some books relating to the field of economics.
• Environmental Issues & Policy Index
  Citations to articles on the environment from scientific, legal, and popular journals.
• LexisNexis
  Full-text articles from tens of thousands of periodicals, including approximately 500 law reviews and law-related journals; state and federal case law; and statutory law. Date ranges vary for individual publications. LexisNexis Database Guide.
• LexisNexis Environmental
  Articles from general, scholarly and trade periodicals on all aspects of the environment, plus environmental law and regulations. 
• Newsbank
  The full text of all the articles, editorials, and letters to the editor of the Boston Globe, the Springfield Union News, and the Berkshire Eagle.
• PAIS International
  Indexes and abstracts periodical articles, books, government documents, serials, pamphlets, and reports of public and private organizations, including areas related to legal studies. 1970 to present. PAIS Database Guide.
• PsycARTICLES
  Contains full-text of articles in the 28 journals of the American Psychological Association published since 1998.
• PsycINFO
  Citations and abstracts for psychology journal articles, books, book chapters, and dissertations.
• PubMed: UMass Amherst subscription
  National Library of Medicine's comprehensive database of citations to medical journal articles, with links to full text articles from e-journals to which UMass Amherst subscribes. PubMed and Medline contain the same records.
• Sociological Abstracts
  Indexes over 1,000 sociology journals and displays citations and abstracts. No full-text.

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Locating Materials within the Libraries
After you have the citation for your material (from a database, library catalog etc.) find the call number. If not available in the database or index you are using go to the Library Catalog.

1. Choose title and type the name of the journal title, book or other material in the box that appears.
2. If your title appears write down the call number given and location (UM/Main - W.E.B. Du Bois, UM/Sciences - Integrated Sciences & Engineering Library, Special Collections etc.).
3. Consult the Call Number chart to identify the floor for your material.

If this library doesn't own the material you want, try searching for an item from the Four College Catalog, or fill out an Interlibrary Loan Request Form with the appropriate citation information. Staff will attempt to locate and bring the material here for you to use.

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Internet Resources
Please note: Keep in mind when you are researching information on the Web that anyone can publish a web page. Read about the advantages and disadvantages of the "Free Web" and evaluate the information you find.

Council of State Governments

Heartland Institute

Moving Ideas Network

National Association of Counties

National Center for Policy Analysis

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The Research Process (an introduction)

• Getting Started with Research - Learn about some very basic research tools and when they are appropriate.

• Merlin Information Literacy Tutorial - In-depth tutorial on the library research process, including evaluation and citation of information sources.

Citation Styles

See Using Citation Styles for examples and links to other standard style formats.

Library Help & Contacts

• Ask a Librarian
• Evaluate a Session
• Instructional Services
• Interlibrary Loan
• Request a Consultation
  
• Subject Research Guides
• Tutorials

Prepared for Honors 499E, Research in the Public Interest, by Barbara Morgan, 11/8/2005

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