Frequently Asked Questions

Question:

How do I search for articles on a specific legal topic?

Our answer:

To find articles on a particular topic, a good place to start is the Legal Journals Index (LJI) available in Westlaw.

To access the Legal Journals Index:

  1. Login to Westlaw with your Student Portal Password following the instructions is the Login Guide  .
  2. Choose "Journals" from the menu across the top of the Westlaw homepage, then journals search.
  3. Click on "more options" to open more search options. You will notice that you can search for articles in various ways. For instance, you can search by "free text " or by "subject / keyword".
  4. Try searching by "free text"; if this returns too many results, search by "subject, keyword" which should return fewer hits.
  5. If the full text of the article is available there will be a Full Text link under availability. Simply click on Full Text to view the article,

For further information on searching the Legal Journals Index see the Legal Journals Index FAQ.

In some cases the article will not be available in full text through Westlaw. Consequently, you will need to make a note of the references, then search Library Search  or the Publications Search to find out if the article is available in full text from another database, such as Lexis+, JSTOR, HeinOnline or Academic Search Complete.

The Legal Research Skills in a Nutshell guide gives further guidance on locating journal articles by topic.

If, you have any questions about finding journal articles on a particular topic, contact the Online Library Enquiry Service.