When to Use Reference Sources
Reference sources, such as encyclopedias and dictionaries, are useful for:
- gaining a broad overview of an unfamiliar area of law
- finding case law on a topic
- reviewing major legislation on a topic
- determining how words have been defined in different legal contexts
Reference sources are written by legal experts, and many connect to directly to the primary sources they reference. They should be used as a starting point for research and a way to move toward case law, legislation and scholarly secondary sources that are the backbone of legal research.
Canadian Encyclopedias
- Canadian Encyclopedic DigestThe Canadian Encyclopedia Digest is available through Westlaw. It provides a factual overview of Canadian legal topics. The CED is regularly updated.
- Halsbury's Laws of CanadaHalbury's Laws of Canada is available through Lexis Advance Quicklaw. It provides an numerous factual overviews and commentary on legal issues. Halbury's Laws of Canada covers over 100 topics related to all Canadian jurisdictions and volumes are frequently reissued.
American Encyclopedias
- Corpus Juris SecondumAvailable only to the Faculty of Law with password access, CJS covers over 400 legal issues in American law and is regularly updated.
- American JurisprudenceAvailable only to the Faculty of Law, this comprehensive legal encyclopedia contains textual statements of law alphabetically arranged in more than 400 topics and is regularly updated.
English Encyclopedias
- Halsbury's Laws of EnglandHalbury's Laws of English has been published since 1907 and covers the Laws of England and Wales. Volumes are regularly updated.
More Encyclopedias
- Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
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Oxford Reference, previously known as Oxford Reference Online Premium, comprises more than 120 dictionaries and reference titles covering a comprehensive subject spectrum including: General Reference, Language, Science and Medicine, Humanities and Social Sciences, Business and Professional content. - Concise Encyclopedia of Business Ethics This link opens in a new windowThe Concise Encyclopedia of Business Ethics aims to provide readers with a useful, concise overview of the central concepts and debates in business ethics.
- CharterpediaPublished by the Department of Justice, Charterpedia provides legal information about the Charter and contains information about the purpose of each section of the Charter, the analysis or test developed through case law in respect of the section, and any particular considerations related to it. Each Charterpedia entry cites relevant case law, and citations to Supreme Court of Canada decisions are hyperlinked whenever possible. Please note that Charterpedia was last updated in September 2019.
The new Oxford companion to law by ISBN: 9780191727269This Oxford Reference encyclopedia gives short overviews of legal theory topics with links to relevant resources.
Dictionaries / Abbreviations
Black's Law Dictionary by Call Number: KF156 .B53 2010An American legal dictionary, Black's Law Dictionary is widely used in Canada. Normally a print-only resource,
electronic access is also available through Westlaw under International Resources.
A Dictionary of Law by Publication Date: 2011
- Cardiff Index to Legal AbbreviationsSearch for the meaning of abbreviations for English language legal publications, from the British Isles, the Commonwealth and the United States, including those covering international and comparative law.
- Words and Phrases Judicially DefinedWords & Phrases is an editorially created product that provides researchers with an alphabetical index of judicial interpretations of words and phrases drawn from over 100 years of Canadian court and tribunal decisions.
- Sanagan's Encyclopedia of Words and Phrases, Legal MaximsThis publication is an alphabetical listing of words and phrases that have been interpreted in Canadian legal decisions. For each word or phrase listed, the authors provide summaries of the judicial comments and/or relevant quotations relating to each word or phrase. Legal maxims are also included.
- Canadian Legal Words and PhrasesThis source contains legal words and phrases definitions that come from different reliable sources including the All Canadian Judgments and Halsbury's Laws of Canada.