Contracts: Getting Started

Finding Books on Contract Law in the Library

 Materials in the Widener University Libraries are classed according to the Library of Congress classification schedule.  When performing a subject search in the online library catalog, use the subject heading "contracts" to find materials in the Widener libraries on Contract Law: 

You can also perform a keyword search using the word “contracts.”  A keyword search is a broader search and you will likely receive more hits than if you performed a subject specific search.  In order to limit the number of hits retrieved, you may wish to combine your keyword term with other search terms.

Finding Journal Articles

To locate articles on the topic of Contracts, perform a search in one of the databases listed below.  The following databases are listed on the library’s webpage under the Research Tools feature or by going directly to: http://law.widener.edu/LawLibrary/Research/aspxDatabases.

Use the databases to search for articles on your topic.  Some databases provide full-text display of articles while others only provide citations to, or abstracts of, articles:

BNA Legal Research Databases

CCH IntelliConnect

EbscoHost--Scholarly, business, health and other journals. Also includes newspapers and general magazines.

Index to Legal Periodicals and Books--Index to law reviews, journals and books. Some full text available.

JSTOR--JSTOR is an online collection of journals in the arts, humanities and social sciences.

LegalTrac--Index to legal journals and newspapers, includes selected full-text articles.

Lexis

ProQuest--General magazines and periodicals online. Including historical New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

WorldCat--Search for books, journals, videos, and other items available in libraries worldwide.

SSRN Social Science Research Network(Locate SSRN by searching in the library catalog where Title = SSRN)

SSRN's objective is to provide worldwide distribution of research to authors and their readers and to facilitate communication among them at the lowest possible cost.

Westlaw

Obtaining Books and Articles through InterLibrary Loan

If none of the Widener libraries owns the book or article you need, you may request it through Interlibrary loan.  ILLiad is the Interlibrary loan service used by Widener.  Please note that you must register for ILLiad before you can request materials through InterLibrary Loan.  To register, click on the Interlibrary Loan link listed under the “Library Services” section on the Library’s homepage.

Next, click on Interlibrary Loan Form, select the campus on which you are located, and click on "First Tiime Users."   If you are a registered user of ILLiad simply enter your username and password to continue.

Once you have registered, fill in as much of the request form as possible. The more information that you provide, the easier it will be for your request to be processed and fulfilled.

Most photocopies will be delivered electronically. You will be notified via your Widener e-mail account with a link to your article which will be in .pdf format.

All interlibrary loan items, except copied articles, must be returned to the Information Desk by the due date.

Some of the databases linked to in this Guide are subscription databases. Access is available to these databases on the Widener campus and off.

Lexis & Westlaw - all Widener students have an individual Lexis & Westlaw password. If you have trouble with your password please contact Lexis or Westlaw.

IntelliConnect - Before using IntelliConnect you must register for a username and password.

Other databases - When using other databases off campus you may be prompted for your name and library barcode number. The library barcode number is printed on the back of your student ID.