Making a Difference

Policies and Strategies for Social Change

Legal encyclopedias

Legal encyclopedias are secondary sources that explain legal terms and concepts, legislation, and notable court cases. They are a useful starting point for research because they summarize the topic and often provide references to the most important statutes and cases. Legal encyclopedias can be general, or focused on a particular area of law.

UMass subscription databases

Westlaw Campus Research
Legal encyclopedias, law reviews, and legal treatises; case, statutory, and regulatory law; newspapers and magazines; business data, 1980s-present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Gale Virtual Reference Library
A collection of several hundred current subject encyclopedias.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.

Last Updated: Feb 20, 2025 2:42 PM
URL: https://guides.library.umass.edu/PubPAdm397
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Subjects: Public Policy & Administration