This page provides guidance for researchers, including links to library resources, tutorial videos and slide presentations, and related websites. Covers general and legal research skills, resources for legal context, and sources like news databases and sites, and law blogs. Also contains links to legal and regular dictionaries and thesauri.Was this guide helpful? Please leave quick, anonymous feedback for this guide by clicking on this link. To report a broken link, an error, or a page malfunction please click the Page Feedback link at the bottom of the page. Getting StartedStart searching for resources as soon as you get your assignment. Some resources that you may want to use might not be easy to access; some materials may be kept in off-site storage or need to come from another organization entirely. Give yourself as much time as possible to find these materials by starting right away.Get a basic understanding of your topic by using websites, news articles, and encyclopedias. It's okay to use Google, Wikipedia, or other online non-scholarly resources to help you get familiar with your topic, just keep in mind you cannot cite them as scholarly sources in your work. Use this information to learn who the experts in the field are, to spot trends and gaps in works about your topic, and to generate a list of keywords and subject headings to help you in your main search. When you search online, remember to test any website you visit for currency, relevance, authority, accuracy and purpose. Follow this link to learn about evaluating resources. Searching the LibraryDepending on your topic, you may need to search broadly using Omni, Laurier Library's academic research tool, and our interdisciplinary databases. Omni captures a lot of information, but it's not infallible; you should always visit appropriate databases and search them directly as well. Visit the Introduction page of this guide for a list of relevant databases, or visit the full list of available databases. Watch this video for a quick demo on how to develop a search strategy.Click here for quick videos about evaluating resources.Click here for a guide to reading strategies for scholarly materials. Resources for Research SkillsSuggested Titles for General Research SkillsDeveloping Information Literacy Skills: A Guide to Finding, Evaluating, and Citing SourcesInformation NowAn Introduction to Interdisciplinary Research Theory and PracticeMaking Sense - A Student's Guide to Research and Writing - Social SciencesThe Undergraduate Research Handbook Suggested Titles for Advanced Research SkillsDoing Your Research Project with DocumentsSucceeding with Your Master's Dissertation - A Step-by-Step HandbookThesis and Dissertation Writing in a Second Language Suggested Titles for Legal Research SkillsThe Practical Guide to Canadian Legal ResearchThe Ultimate Guide to Canadian Legal ResearchResearching Quebec Law: Insights for Common Law PractitionersOnline Guides to Canadian Legal ResearchThe Canadian Legal Research and Writing GuideLegal Research and Writing: Ted TjadenStudent Guide for Legal Research - The Great LibraryQueen's University Library - Legal Research ManualSuggested Legal Encyclopedias & Commentary MaterialsCanLII Commentary (secondary law materials)Charterpedia (legal information about the Canadian Charter)Table of Contents for Halsbury's Laws of Canada is located in Lexis Advance Quicklaw (on main page under "Popular Sources")Indigenous Peoples and the Law in Canada: Cases and Commentary: 2023Other Places to Find Legal ContextIn general, it is best to rely on legal information created within the legal system of the country you are studying along with academic sources. However, sometimes secondary material can be helpful.First Peoples Law BlogThe blog of First Peoples Law. Updated frequently and focused on Indigenous people and Canadian law.Lawblogs.cais an open directory with listings of blogs maintained by lawyers, law librarians, marketers, IT professionals or paralegals in Canada. Blogs of particular note are Michael Geist and law school faculty blogs.Slawis an online legal magazine, written by and for the Canadian law community including lawyers, librarians, technologists, marketers, students, and educators.Suggested News SourcesCPI.Q (Canadian Newspapers and Magazines)CBC Curio (Educational audio and video programs and documentaries from CBC and Radio-Canada)CBC Digital Archives (CBC radio and television news clips, interviews, and more, documenting numerous aspects of Canadian life and history)Canadian News - ProQuest (Searching both Canadian Newsstand Complete and CBCA - access to Canadian journals, magazines and news resources on all topics)The Agenda @ TVO (TVO's flagship current affairs program, devoted to exploring social, political, cultural, and economic issues)Nexis Uni (Full-text documents for international news, business, legal research, and key people in the news. )Factiva (A full-text resource with news, business information and journal articles drawn from almost 9000 worldwide sources, including Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and the KW Record)Suggested KeywordsTry using the following terms when searching our databases: Law, Canon law, Culture and law, Justice, International law, Environmental law, Statutes, Technology and law, Legislation, Jurisprudence, Public relations and law, Procedure (Law), Formalities (Law), Law -- Canadian, etc.Don't forget to combine these keywords with the topic-specific ones you develop on your own.Black's Law DictionaryCanadian Legal Words and Phrases (Quicklaw)The Concise Dictionary of Crime and JusticeA Dictionary of Law (UK)Parry and Grant Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International LawWebster's New World Law DictionarySeveral Dictionaries in Lexis Advance Quicklaw (Browse>Sources>Canada>By Category>Dictionaries)The Merriam-Webster ThesaurusThesaurus Search - National Criminal Justice Reference Service (more of a subject heading list than a thesaurus)