When beginning your research:
- Use secondary sources for basic background and citations to primary law, such as research guides or nutshells.
- There are several good online guides; all vary in coverage so you may need to consult more than one
Identify your country’s legal system (civil law, common law, other). This will determine what type of primary law you should be searching for.
- Does your country have civil law law system? Then your main source of primary law will be legislation as well as looking to commentary on that legisation by respected scholars.
- Is your country a common law jurisdiction? Then you will be looking for case law in addition to statutes and regulations.
Many research guides allow the researcher to search for primary law by jurisdiction or by subject.
Be persistent but realistic; sometimes you may have to settle for summaries, especially when looking for something in English.
