Background Factual Research Online: Home

This guide provides information and resources to thoroughly research the background of a legal issue online.

The guide was designed for use in Professor Arnold's Environmental Field Study class, but includes information relevant to factual investigation in many areas.

For more information about any of the resources in this guide, or for help with your research, contact a law librarian.

Conducting background research online prepares you with the necessary information to be efficient, competent, and informed when conducting field research, interviews, and other practical work. While you may already feel familiar with online searching and using legal databases, there are some key research skills that can make your background research more efficient and effective. When conducting background research online, the first items in your results list may not always be the most relevant or useful, and it is important to know how to improve your search accuracy in order to gain a thorough understanding of your topic.

A useful tip: keep researching until you begin to see the same information reappearing in new results and then stop.

Several additional research guides which are likely to be useful for students in Professor Arnold's Environmental Field Study class are listed below, but research guides on many additional topics are also available. These guides provide an excellent starting point to find materials and research tips associated with databases and subjects outside the legal sector.