The Maps, Data & Government Information Centre (MaDGIC), 4th floor, Bata Libary, is a specialized unit within the library that in addition to GIS and spatial/statistical data support, provides access and assistance with government publications and other resources issued by governments or their agencies.
The government publications collection, print and online, is a rich source of primary materials, covering topics diverse enough to be of interest to every discipline. You can find information about the inner workings of government, locate a bill and all its amendments, read through transcripts of legislative debates, read Supreme and Federal Court case reports and much more.
For assistance with government publications, contact MaDGIC at madgichelp@trentu.ca
This guide is a brief introduction to legal resources. It is not intended to to be a comprehensive list of resources, but rather a starting point from which you can begin your research.
This guide will also direct you to comprehensive guides hosted by law libraries at various Canadian universities and written by librarians with expertise in legal resources. Please keep in mind some of the resources in these external guides will be institution specific, so check back here to see which resources Trent subscribes to.
Doing legal research takes time. Give yourself plenty of time to do background research on your topic and explore the resources.
If you require assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us at library@trentu.ca. Please include as much information as you can about your assignment and topic.
Most legal research starts with secondary sources. Secondary sources (sometimes called commentary) provide a broad overview of a topic or a law. Take notes as you’re reading through these as there will be references to primary resources.
Secondary Sources
| Type | Where to find | Examples |
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Books |
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| Encyclopedias |
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| Dictionaries |
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| Journals |
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Primary sources
| Type | Where to find | Examples |
| Case law |
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Case reporters:
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| Legislation (statutes, regulations, bylaws) |
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Federal - Canada
Provincial - Ontario
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Omni is the Library's academic search tool. It is not specific to law, but you can use it to find resources about laws. Keep in mind, although Omni covers the majority of our resources, it does not cover all of the legal resources Trent has access to. There are specialized databases you will likely need to use for your research (see the Databases box in this guide).
To find books, book chapters, and peer reviewed articles that discuss a specific law/act/statute or legislation related to a topic do a simple keyword search and use the Modify Your Results menu to narrow your search. Example searches:
protecting canadians from online crime act
cyberbullying AND legislation AND canada
immunization of school pupils act
vaccination AND laws AND ontario
Canadian guide to uniform legal citation / The McGill guide
