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Finding Legal Materials in PDF

NOTE: Due to the 2007-2008 renovation project, much of the Law Library book collection is in storage and inaccessible. Consult the online catalog to determine the availability of a particular title listed in these guides, or contact a reference librarian for assistance.

Download PDF version of guide for print

Legal publications are increasingly available in electronic formats. However, not all electronic databases provide these materials in Portable Document Format (PDF). Because PDF documents copied from original print publications reflect the original pagination, they are the preferred electronic source for Bluebook citation. This guide presents sources and strategies for locating common legal research materials in PDF.

Note: Resources marked with an asterisk (*) are available only by password to current Duke Law students, faculty, and staff.

I. Books/Treatises

Book titles which are available in electronic full-text will appear in a search of the Duke Libraries Catalog with the notation “[electronic resource]”. A link to the online version will appear in the item’s catalog record.

Some e-book publishers, such as NetLibrary and Oxford Reference Online, do not provide access to full text in PDF. In addition, some e-book sources may place restrictions on printing, due to copyright concerns. The most common sources for full-text e-books in PDF include:

  • Early American Imprints
  • Early English Books Online
  • Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO)
  • Gale Virtual Reference Library
  • HeinOnline (from main screen, scroll to Legal Classics)
  • Making of Modern Law

These databases can be reached through the Law Library’s home page, via the link labeled More Research Databases.

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II. Journals and Law Reviews

Most law journals and law reviews are available electronically in PDF, although the most recent issues may not be available. To determine whether a specific article citation is available electronically, use the Online Full-Text Journals link from the Law Library’s home page. Search for the title of the journal (not the individual article) to retrieve a listing of Duke databases which contain the full text of that journal title, as well as information about the years of coverage.

The list will not indicate whether the contents are provided in PDF; you will need to enter each database to determine in which format the articles are provided. The major sources for law-related titles in PDF are:

  • Academic Search Premier
  • HeinOnline (latest 1-3 years usually unavailable)
  • JSTOR (latest 1-3 years usually unavailable)
  • Project Muse

Current issues of academic journals are also frequently available as a sample from the individual journal’s web site; these samples are often published as PDF documents.

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III. Newspaper Articles

To determine whether a specific newspaper is available in full-text electronically, use the Online Full-Text Journals link from the Law Library’s home page. Search for the title of the newspaper (not the individual article) to retrieve a listing of Duke databases which contain the full text of that newspaper, as well as information about the years of coverage. The list will not indicate whether the contents are provided in PDF; you will need to enter each database to determine in which format the articles are provided.

Most full-text sources for newspaper articles, such as America’s Newspapers and InfoTrac Custom Newspapers, provide the full text of articles only in HTML format. However, some historical articles from U.S. newspapers may be available in PDF through the database ProQuest Historical Newspapers. This database includes PDF versions of:

  • New York Times (1851-3 years ago)
  • Wall Street Journal (1889-1989)
  • Washington Post (1877-1990)
  • Los Angeles Times (1881-1985)

America’s Historical Newspapers, 1690-1922 also offers downloadable facsimiles of many early U.S. newspapers. PDF versions of historical articles from selected British newspapers are also available in Duke’s electronic databases. The London Times is available in PDF through the Times Digital Archive (1785-1985). The Times Literary Supplement is also available in PDF in a separate database, TLS Centenary Archive (1902-1990). These databases can be reached through the Law Library’s home page, via the link labeled More Research Databases.

In addition to the Duke databases listed above, the free site Newseum: Today’s Front Pages provides PDFs of the front pages of many national and local newspapers for the current date. The Archive section maintains selected front-page PDFs for dates of historical interest (including the deaths of national figures, major terrorist attacks, and Hurricane Katrina).

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IV. Cases and Court Documents

Legal opinions and other court documents can be located in PDF format in several places. The available documents and their locations vary by the type of court.

United States Supreme Court

Official United States Reports

West’s Supreme Court Reporter

  • Westlaw*; (1920- ); recent cases not available in PDF until published in the permanent reporter volume.

Supreme Court Records and Briefs

  • Westlaw*, (Coverage varies. More PDF versions are available for notable cases and cases with 2004 docket numbers and forward. Look for the notation “Original Image of this Document (PDF)”.)
  • FindLaw Supreme Court Briefs; (Coverage varies. Look for Adobe Acrobat PDF symbol.)

Other Federal Courts

West’s Federal Supplement and Federal Reporter

Federal Court filings

  • PACER*; (Document availability varies by court. See a reference librarian for PACER access.)

State Courts

  • LLMC Digital, (Availability varies by court. Some volumes are available for all jurisdictions, with the exception of RI, SC, SD, TN, UT, VT, WA, WV, WI and WY. This resource is most useful for historical information.)
  • State Court Web sites, National Center for State Courts; (provides links to state courts; many publish their own opinions online in PDF)
  • Westlaw*; (Regional Reporter system volumes; 1920 – current)

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V. Statutes and Legislative History

Many federal legislative materials are available online in PDF for each stage of the law-making process.

Bills & Resolutions

Reports/Documents (“Serial Set”)

Committee Prints

Debates (Congressional Record and earlier titles)

Hearings

Enacted Public Laws (“slip laws”)

United States Statutes at Large (“session laws”)

The availability of state materials in PDF will vary by jurisdiction; consult the Cornell University Law Library Legal Research Engine to locate a state-specific library research guide to legislative history materials. Quick access to individual state legislatures is available through the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Internet Links .

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VI. Regulations and Administrative Materials

The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) can be found on GPO Access beginning in 1996 through the current year. Both text and PDF versions of the CFR are available. Please note that GPO Access is more easily navigated when you have a proper citation for a section. You may wish to use other resources to search and enter the citation you find into GPO Access to locate PDF versions of the documents. Be certain to use the “Quick Search” format given on the search page for the best results.

The Federal Register is available on GPO Access from 1994 forward in PDF format. Working with a complete citation will be most successful when using this resource. Also note that you may have to save a copy of the pages you recover to your hard drive before opening the document, depending upon your Internet settings, to access a PDF version of a Federal Register section.

Some issues of the Code of Federal Regulations can also be found on HeinOnline in the Federal Register Library:

  • Code of Federal Regulations (1938-1983)
  • Code of Federal Regulations - List of Sections Affected (1960-1980)
  • Code of Federal Regulations - Compilation of Sections Affected (1949-2000)

The HeinOnline CFR collection directs the user to the GPO Access page if the current issue is required.

The Federal Register, with the exception of the most current volume, may also be found on HeinOnline in its Federal Register Library.

Many federal administrative agencies include more recent agency decisions online. In some cases, these decisions can be found in PDF format. A good place to begin a search for agency decisions generally is the University of Virginia’s Government Info Virtual Reference Shelf, which provides a page with links to administrative agency opinions.

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VII. Treaties and International Law

U.S. Treaties

The HeinOnline Treaties and Agreements Library includes PDF versions of international treaties to which the United States is a party dating back to the mid 1800’s. Unofficial versions can be found on Hein dating even farther back. In addition, treaty finding tools are also available in PDF on Hein as well as Treaties in Force and secondary resources that support treaty research. There are also U.S. treaties available online in government databases.

Official Publications in HeinOnline

  • United States Statutes at Large, Vols. 7-8 (1848, 1867)
  • United States Treaties and Other International Agreements (UST), Vols. 1-35 (1950-1984)
  • Treaties and International Act Series (TIAS), TIAS 11060 to TIAS 12734 (1982-1996)
  • KAV Agreements (Recent State Department Agreements, Senate Treaty Documents, Trade Agreements and others), KAV 0001-7729 (1987-2006)

Official Publications on Government Sites

Treaty Guides and Indexes

  • Catalogue of Treaties 1814-1918 (1919)
  • Collection of Neutrality Law, Regulations and Treaties of Various Countries (1939)
  • Current Treaty Index (1982-1999)
  • Digest of the Published Opinions of the Attorneys-General, & of the Leading Decisions of the Federal Courts, with Reference to International Law, Treaties and Kindred Subjects (1877)
  • Guide to the United States Treaties in Force (1982-2006)

See the HeinOnline Treaties and Agreements Library for other unofficial treaty publications and secondary resources that support treaty research.

United Nations Treaties

UN Treaties to which the U.S. may or may not be a party can be located in PDF format using several free and subscription electronic resources.

Documents from International Organizations

United Nations documents (other than treaties) may also be found in PDF format in the United Nations Official Documents System collection.

European Union materials can be found, many in PDF, in Eur‑Lex, the European Union law portal. The Official Journal of the EU is available in PDF format as well as some of the documents in these collections:

  • Treaties
  • International agreements
  • Legislation in force
  • Preparatory acts

Documents from other IGOs can often be found in PDF format on the website of the organization. International Governmental Organizations, a guide from the Northwestern University Library, provides links to many IGOs.

Other International Resources

The HeinOnline Foreign and International Law Resources Database includes PDF versions of materials of varying scope on the following topics:

  • International Yearbooks and Periodicals
  • U.S. Law Digests
  • International Tribunals/Judicial Decisions

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Jennifer L. Behrens & Lauren M. Collins
12/2007