Guides: Secondary Sources Research Guide: Legal Dictionaries (2024)

FAQs

Is a legal dictionary a secondary source? ›

Secondary sources explain the law. They include legal dictionaries, legal encyclopedias, legal periodicals, annotations, and treatises. Primary sources are the law. They include codes and cases.

Secondary sources, such as Law Journals, Encyclopedias, and Treatises are a great place to start your legal research. Unlike primary materials (case law, statutes, regulations), secondary sources will help you learn about an area of law, and provide you with citations to relevant primary materials.

The FindLaw Legal Dictionary -- free access to over 8273 definitions of legal terms. Search for a definition or ... Lectric Law Library's Dictionary https://www.lectlaw.com/def.htm This is what many consider the Net's best law dictionary.

The use of dictionaries at the Supreme Court is increasingly popular for various reasons. Black's Law Dictionary is the most frequently used U.S. legal dictionary.

The two most commonly used legal dictionaries are Black's Law Dictionary and Ballentine's Law Dictionary. Print copies of Black's are located on dictionary stands on the fourth and fifth floors. For online access: Black's Law Dictionary (Westlaw)

A secondary source is one that was created later by someone that did not experience firsthand or participate in the events in which the author is writing about. Secondary sources often summarize, interpret, analyze or comment on information found in primary sources. Common examples of secondary sources include: Books.

Unlike primary legal sources, secondary sources are generally not binding on courts (for an exception see Restatements, below). You may cite secondary sources in a memorandum or article when you wish to provide the reader with a more in-depth explanation of a topic.

WestlawNext provides an extensive body of secondary sources.

More than a dictionary, the OED is a comprehensive guide to current and historical word meanings in English. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely accepted as the most complete record of the English language ever assembled.

What are the most reliable dictionaries online? ›

While some, like Black's, are considered very trustworthy, remember that the definitions in a legal dictionary are not official, authoritative statements of the law.

Merriam-Webster: America's Most Trusted Dictionary.

This is not only a standard reference tool for law, but an important supplement to all high school social studies courses. Also available in a 1992 abridged edition. First published in 1891, Black's is now in a 6th edition that reflects changes in tax, finance, commerce, health care, environmental and criminal law.

The US Government Glossary of Interagency and Associated Terms (USG Glossary) identifies standard terminology experienced in cooperation activities of the Federal branches of government and their components.

Examples of secondary sources include: journal articles that comment on or analyse research. textbooks. dictionaries and encyclopedias.

Tertiary sources are materials like encyclopedias (Oxford Reference/Wikipedia), dictionaries, and other reference works. These works compile and summarize primary and secondary sources.

Secondary Law sources means interpretations and references to those laws. They are sources like Legal encyclopedias and digests, manuals and guides on how to follow the law and other such sources.

In most cases you should avoid using dictionaries and encyclopedias as cited sources in your papers. However, there may be some cases where it would be appropriate.