A sourcing assignment asks you to track down the sources identified in the footnotes to your assigned article. This page lists resources and library policies to help you do that.
Use the resources listed here to try and track down sources before submitting an interlibrary loan request. If you can find the text of your source from a reliable resource, such as Lexis or Westlaw, it is library policy that this is an adequate copy for your sourcing assignment, even if it is not available in PDF form.
Sourcing assignments can be challenging, especially when you're dealing with an incorrect or incomplete citation. The librarians are happy to help. Stop by the Reference Office with any questions.
International materials can be particularly difficult to track down. You may want to consult our list of foreign and international online resources. In addition, Ralph Gaebler, our Foreign and International Law Librarian, has put together several research guides in the areas of international law and foreign and comparative law; you may find these guides helpful for identifying strategies for locating these types of materials.
If you are having difficulty tracking down or even identifying a foreign source, stop by the Reference Office for assistance.
First, check to see if the book is available from IUCAT. Even if we don't have it in our collection, you will be able to see if it is available from another library in the IU system, in which case you can Request Delivery to have it sent to the Law Library.
Next, consider some online sources that may have the book in digital form (especially if you are looking for an older text that has moved into the public domain):
Finally, if you cannot find the book within the IU system or available online, we may still be able to get it for you through interlibrary loan. Fill out our online form, giving as much detail as you can about the book you seek, and we'll try to track it down for you.
Law Review Articles
The first place to look is Hein Online. In Hein's Law Journal Library you can search by author, article title, periodical title, and more; you can search by Bluebook citation; or you can simply navigate to the journal itself by using the alphabetical menu provided. Hein Online provides the full run of hundreds of law reviews, with only a slight time delay for the most recent issues.
The second place to look is in a digital repository. Many law schools today have digital repositories, most often run through the library; thus many law reviews can be accessed through their host institution's repository. A good place to start such a search is from the Digital Commons Network, a portal to the content of all repositories hosted by bepress. However, not all institutions use bepress for their repositories; some may use another platform and others may create their own. If you are still struggling to find articles from a specific law journal, check the journal's website or their host library's website to see if articles can be accessed there.
You can also check other legal research databases, such as Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law. These databases may not offer access to the PDF version of the article you seek, but if the article is available from one of these databases, the Law Library's policy is that their provided format is sufficiently reliable.
You may also want to check IUCAT. Search for the periodical title, rather than the individual article. This search will bring up any database in our system that has access to that periodical's content. It will also let you know if we have the periodical in print.
Finally, if you have tried all of these options and are still having trouble finding the article you seek, submit an interlibrary loan request, and we will try to track down the article for you.
Other Academic Journals
If the source you're looking for is an academic journal in another discipline, there are several good databases to check: You may already be familiar with Academic Search Premier and JSTOR. If you're not finding your journal on one of these interdisciplinary databases, you may want to try SSRN, the Social Science Research Network. Many scholars across the disciplines will provide some version of their articles here.
Here again, searching for the Journal title (not the article title) in IUCAT may save you a lot of time. This will tell you which databases IU subscribes to that house your journal's content, rather than you having to search each database individually.
Finding journal articles in other disciplines can be trying. If you are having difficulty tracking down a journal, stop by the Reference Office, and we'll help you track it down. If we cannot get you access to your source, you can always submit an interlibrary loan request.
Newspapers
There are several places to look when tracking down newspaper articles. Often, it depends on the date you're looking for. For historical newspapers, you may want to try Proquest Historical Newspapers or America's Historical Newspapers. If your newspaper happens to be from a midwestern state, you may want try Newspaper ARCHIVE, a new database available at the Law Library. For more recent articles, you may want to check the newspaper's website for archived editions (although sometimes you have to be a pay subscriber for access); Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law are also great resources for recent newspaper articles.
IUCAT can again be a time-saver here. Search for the title of the newspaper to see if any databases show up. You may also find that we have the newspaper in another format, such as microform. (If you have to use the microform machines, ask a librarian for assistance - we're happy to help.)
If you are having difficulty tracking down a particular newspaper, stop by the Reference Office - we're happy to help.