LibGuides: Law: Journals & Journal Articles

Searching for journal articles on a topic

Westlaw This link opens in a new window
An extensive source of information on American and UK law, including UK case law, UK legislation, Legal Journals Index and full text journals.
Please select De Montfort University from the Westlaw sign in screen. You will then be asked to enter your DMU Single Sign On credentials. You will also be asked to enter additional personal information when you log into Westlaw for the first time, including an email account. This is a one-time action.

Finding journals This video provides an overview of finding journals and articles on Westlaw UK.
Finding Journal Articles A Westlaw UK user guide on how to find journal articles.

You can search 'Library Search' to find journal articles as this will search the content of most of the databases we subscribe to. However, Library Search also include a lot of non legal information so it is a good idea to search legal databases separately as well as you will be able to do a more specific search and may get more relevant results.

Journals are available in the databases listed below and you may want to search them individually. However, by searching Westlaw UK and Library Search first you should come across many of the journals articles included in the databases below.

HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
Includes major full text collections including the full text searchable archive of over 1,500 law journals. US titles dominate but an increasing number from the UK and other jurisdictions are included.
Law in Sport (LawInSport) This link opens in a new window
LawInSport provides commentary and analysis on the latest issues and legal developments in the world of sport. It provides peer-reviewed legal articles, podcasts and videos as well as organise and host networking events, seminars, webinars and conferences.
Register for standard membership with your DMU email address. Your subscription will then automatically upgraded (note that this can take up to 24 hours)
Lexis+ UK This link opens in a new window
An online legal research service including case law, legislation and commentary materials. Also provides access to a wide range of full-text local and national newspapers.

Please note: LexisNexis terms and conditions do not permit the uploading of Lexis content into third party applications, including artificial intelligence technologies such as large language models and generative AI (e.g. ChatGPT, Bing, Google Bard and Harvey).
Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
EBSCO's Academic Search Premier is a multi-disciplinary database that provides active full text for more than 3,100 journals, including active full text for nearly 2,750 peer-reviewed titles.
Practical Law This link opens in a new window
Legal topics covered include banking, employment, environmental, intellectual property, tax law and more. Contains notes, documents, checklists, toolkits and archive of articles from the PLC magazine. Now includes the Law School Resource Centre.

The journals below are freely available and aimed at legal professionals cover current legal issues, practice tips, case studies, professional ethics, and industry news. They are invaluable for students preparing for a legal career, providing deeper insights into legal practice. Plus, they feature job listings, events, and conference announcements.

Counsel Magazine
A journal for barristers, covering legal practice, advocacy, and professional matters. You can search and browse issues from 2010 onwards on the website which has got lots of additional information
Law Society Gazette
Published by the Law Society of England and Wales, it provides information relevant to solicitors and legal professionals. You can browse the last 2 years of the magazine on the website which has got lots of additional information

Tracing a journal article from a citation

If you have come across a citation for a journal article and you want to find the full text of the article, you may need to search more than one place. Most of the library content is searchable via Library Search but there are some exceptions

The screencast 'Tracing a journal article from a citation' demonstrates different methods you can use to trace a journal article from a citation:

Searching for a specific journal

You can find out whether a journal is available online at DMU by searching the E-publication finder

As coverage of journals available on Lexis or Westlaw from the E-resources portal is not always completely accurate, click here for the list of abstracted and full text journals available on Westlaw (to see only the full text journals, select 'Full text only' from the drop down menu), and click here for the list of full text journals available on Lexis+ UK.

Why use journals?

Use journals to find:

useful information and discussions on legal issues, cases and legislation.
different view points from different authors
current information as journals are published quicker than books.

International journals and articles

Westlaw This link opens in a new window
To access international journal articles, login to Westlaw and select 'Westlaw International' or 'Westlaw US' under 'More resources' below the search box. Westlaw International include journals from a number of countries but especially from the US.
Please select De Montfort University from the Westlaw sign in screen. You will then be asked to enter your DMU Single Sign On credentials. You will also be asked to enter additional personal information when you log into Westlaw for the first time, including an email account. This is a one-time action.

International and US materials on Westlaw
A guide to accessing Westlaw’s International and US materials

Lexis+ UK This link opens in a new window
To search international content on Lexis, click on the 'Sources' heading (on the top right of the screen) and then on 'International Content' below.

Legal abbreviations

Legal Abbreviations and Acronyms List This link opens in a new window
Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations This link opens in a new window
From the University of Cardiff, allows you to search from legal abbreviation to title as well as from title to abbreviation.