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Law Review: Law Library Support for Members of the Boston College Law Review

Source Collection: Tips and Tricks

Citations: When reviewing an author's citations, use The Bluebook (print copies available in Law Reserve and the General Collection at  KF245 .B58 2020)  to determine the preferred source for a citation, how to format the citation and to assist with understanding citations.  Remember to use the index and tables to help hone in on the rules you need to consult.  Be sure to consult the BC Law Library's Research Guide, Reading Legal Citations for assistance deciphering citations and abbreviations.

Format: For your work, a PDF image and hard copy are equivalent versions of a publication. HeinOnline has PDFs of many sources, historical and current.   Remember the BC Library Catalog can lead to PDF version of both books and non law articles.  Still not finding your source?  You can consult a librarian.  You may need to request your source from another library through Inter Library Loan (ILL).

Copies: If you locate your source in print, be sure to scan relevant pages, as well as the title page and copyright information for each source. Scanners are located in the Law Library on Level 2 near to the Information Desk, and on Level 3.

Locating Sources

Cases:

  • Use HeinOnline for PDFs of United States Supreme Court cases,
  • Download PDFs of cases from state courts and the lower federal courts from Westlaw.  There is a delay in the posting of PDFs of cases to Westlaw.  The BC Law Library no longer receives advance sheets for regional reporters.  If you have a citation to a recent case that has not yet been posted as a PDF on Westlaw and is not in the library, check with your editor if it is acceptable to rely on the online version of the case or you can request a copy through Inter Library Loan.

Statutes:

Legislative History:

Administrative materials:

Dockets

Search the library catalog for books on your source collection list. 

  • Books owned in print by the Law Library: locate the title in the library stacks, bring the volume to the Information Desk, check it out to BC Law Review, and shelve it on the source collection shelves (located behind the compact shelving on Level 1).
  • Books from O'Neill and other BC libraries: The University Libraries require that these books be checked out to an individual. Be sure to see the  Law Library Information Desk, where the item can be transferred from the individual who checked it out to the Law Review's circulation account.   Plus, source collectors can request books from other BC libraries be delivered to the Law Library for pick up.  The delivery option is available when you are signed into the BC catalog. Once the books arrive at the Law Library, the check out record can be changed to the Law Review.
  • Books from non-BC libraries: Are requested through Inter-library Loan (ILL) by the the Article Editor.  Use WorldCat to locate the title, then send the WorldCat record to your source collection supervisor so s/he may request them directly.

First check HeinOnline

HeinOnline's Law Journal Library is the best source for PDF versions of law review articles. Once in Law Journal Library you can use the Citation Navigator to retrieve PDFs by entering the citation information or pasting in the citation you have.

Journal not in HeinOnline?

  • Search the catalog to determine if BC has access to the journal in print or online through another platform.
  • Search for the journal title (not the article title) in the library catalog (the Books tab on the Law Library homepage).  
  • See a link to the PDF version of the journal? Simply download the PDF. 
  • No PDF? If BC owns the journal, scan a copy of the article.
  • Journal not available at Boston College? Search WorldCat to locate the journal title at another library, then submit an ILL request for the article.  Journal articles are typically delivered as a PDF to your email.

BC Law Library Print Journals 

There are many law review articles available in BC Law's print collection which are not available online.  The BC law review collections are time divided.  

  • Most law reviews are in open stacks on Level 1. 
  • Volumes before 1990 are shelved in the compact shelves behind the Law Review Indexes on Level 1
  • Current issues are at the Information Desk 

To locate newspaper articles to verify authors' citations in print or PDF, check the BC Law Library's guide on Retrieving Newspaper Articles for Law Review Research.

 

Many sources are born digital and never appear in print.  Consult The Bluebook, Rule 18, If you have sources that are only available in digital format.

Why Is Checking Citations In Law Review Articles So Important?