Question:
How do I search for a cited journal article?
Our answer:
It is much easier to find a cited article if you know which journal it refers to. A typical legal citation looks like this:
Uglow, S. "Criminal records under the Police Act 1997" [1998] Crim. L.R. 235
You will notice that the citation gives you the following information:
- The name of the author (Uglow, S.).
- The title of the article. This is usually given "in quotes" as in this example, but is sometimes given in italics.
- An abbreviated form of the title of the journal in which the case was published (CRIM. L.R.).
- The year in which the article was published (1998).
- The page number within the journal where the case was published (235). A page number is not always given.
The title of the journal is given as an abbreviation in the middle of the citation. The Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations is an excellent tool for finding the full journal title from an abbreviation. We recommend you add it to your bookmarks. Once you have the full journal title, you can start your search.
Searching for a known journal title
The Online Library's A-Z Journals List allows you to search for journal titles (and law reports), find out which database they are in, and the years available.
To search the A-Z Journal List select select title equals then simply enter the journal title and click search. Link from the results list to the database where you will find the journal.