Basic Legal Research for University Law Related Classes & Other Purposes
Where to Start - A Legal Encyclopedia
1. Do you have a citation to a case, statute, law review article, etc.? If so, you may want to start with the case, statute or article and work from there.
2. If you do not have a citation, think of any terms and synonyms about the subject you want to research.
3. If you need some basic information, or to get a general overview for a particular subject area, consider starting with a legal encyclopedia. Legal encyclopedias break down the law into topics and articles. alphabetically arranged, just as in a general encyclopedia. Footnotes refer you to statutes enacted by legislatures, to court opinions written by judges, and to other articles or resources to further explain the subject.
Start with the index to the encyclopedia. Check under the subject of 
interest to get a topic and section number within that topic. Then go to the specific volume for that topic, and that section number. Also, check the volume's pocket part supplement under the same topic and section number for more current information.
For Ohio law, start with Ohio's legal encyclopedia, Ohio Jurisprudence 3d, in the Reference Area and the Ohio Room KFO 65 .O3543
Ohio Lemon Law Example
Let's say that you bought a new car and had to take it back to the dealer many times for repairs. Many people would call that car a lemon. Is there something legally that can be done when you believe that your car is a lemon? What information can you find in Ohio law about this type of issue?
Let's use Ohio's Lemon Law as an example to illustrate the types of materials you would use to research this matter.
Start with the multi-volume softbound Ohio Jurisprudence 3d General Index I-P volume, and look for the phrase Lemon Law. Once there, you find a reference to a different heading, "See index heading Automobiles and Other Vehicles."
Go to the General Index A-C volume, and under Automobiles and Other Vehicles, you find "Lemon law. Warranties, below." Check farther along under that same Automobilies and Other Vehicles, and under Warranties, the lemon law entry directs you to SALEPERS § 179 et seq.
At the beginning of the Index volume you will find a Table of Abbreviations. Your abbreviation stands for the topic Sales and Exchanges of Personal Property. Now you can go back to the main set, look on the spines of the books until you find the volume that alphabetically should contain the article, Sales and Exchanges of Personal Property, and in that topic, turn to "§179 Generally."
As you read, notice the footnotes which provide references to Ohio Revised Code (RC) sections, citations to court case opinions written by judges discussing and interpreting the law, as well as citations to other sections (§§) within the same article.
Footnote 1 yields the following citation to the Ohio Revised Code: "R.C. §§1345.71 to 1345.78" Make a note of this and other citations that may be useful later. You may also want to glance at the table of contents for the topic in case there might be additional useful sections. And, don't forget to check the pocket part supplement which is right inside the back cover (or a separate supplement on the shelf next to the volume) under the same topic and section number, to get more current information.
If you do not find enough information related to your issue in Ohio's legal encyclopedia, or if you need information relating to other states, or for a matter related to federal law (law passed by Congress, court cases in the federal courts), consider using a more comprehensive general legal encyclopedia. Consult American 
Jurisprudence 2d, Reference Area KF 154 .A422 
or Corpus Juris Secundum Reference Area KF 154 .C672 and follow the same steps used with Ohio Jurisprudence 3d.
For more information on legal encyclopedias and other secondary sources, see Library 101 - Secondary Sources and Ohio Legal Research Guide, Secondary Sources.
MR, SMC 8/28/2006; 8/14/07
links check 8/5/2009 aeb