Encyclopedias as Comparative Law Research Tools
Have you ever considered using a print source such as an encyclopedia or a handbook to jumpstart your comparative law research project? The law library’s Foreign and International Law Reference Collection on L1 consists of a variety of encyclopedias and topical legal compilations which can aid your comparative law research projects. These topical encyclopedias offer overviews of legal topics of a foreign country and region. They usually include concise summaries of the legal system, texts of the primary sources and analytical commentaries. While most are in looseleaf formats and not as current as web-based resources, they are centralized sources on a broad legal topic gathering essentials of the legal regime and jurisprudence useful for comparative analyses. As with all research tasks, updating the law is the crucial next step. Here is a sample of useful titles in the F&IL Reading Room that are often overlooked:
- On environmental issues: International encyclopedia of laws: Environmental law
- On cyber law: International encyclopedia of laws: Cyber law
- On torts: International encyclopaedia of laws: Tort Law
- On investment law: Investment laws of the world
- On trusts: International trust laws and analysis
