Journal Cite Checking Guide: Introduction

• LexisNexis and Westlaw are not the best sources for cite-checking because they rarely provide documents in PDF format.
• Do not delay in attempting to locate difficult sources.  It may take time to receive sources that need to be borrowed from other libraries.
• It may be helpful to separate sources by type  (cases, statutes, journal articles) and then utilize the specific tools/resourcers that work best for each source.
• Bieber's Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations  (located at the Reference Desk) can be used to decipher uncommon or difficult citations.  But then, Google works well for this task also.
• If a book that you need is checked out of the Library, there's a good chance that someone working on the same article already has it. 

This guide reflects Loyola law librarians' collective wisdom and experience gained from assisting students with cite-checking and sourcing assignments.  Because of the myriad of sources that authors cite to and the ever-changing variety of locations where sources may be found, it is impossible to list in any one place all the "best practices" for every possible sourcing or cite-checking assignment.  In addition, not every citation relates to a source which is ascertainable; there may be times where a cite-checker (or editor) has to to go back to an author for a source cited. Having said that, this guide is intended to provide useful information and practical tips on locating and updating eight major types of sources:

• Court Opinions and Documents
• Statutes and Session Laws
• Legislative Materials
• Regulatory Material
• Books
• Law Review and Journal Articles
• Non-law Journal Articles, and
• Newspaper Articles

The guide does not include foreign and international sources.  For these sources consult the Researching Foreign, Comparative and International Law Research Guide located in the Library's list of research guides.

Advanced Search