LibGuides: 4-Step Legal Research Process: Encyclopedias

Encyclopedias Overview

Types of Encyclopedias:

Texas Jurisprudence (Tex. Jur.)
- A comprehensive statement of Texas law in the light of current authorities and modern developments. The encyclopedia contains more than 400 separate titles on a broad range of legal topics which, taken together, systematically describe the entire field of Texas legal doctrine. TexJur is available on both Westlaw and Lexis.
Corpus Juris Secundum (C.J.S.)
- Corpus Juris Secundum is a legal encyclopedia covering nationwide state and federal legal topics. The CJS database is updated weekly with relevant new statutory, rule, regulation, and case notes, and monthly with topics revised during the month. CJS is available on Westlaw.
American Jurisprudence (Am. Jur.)
- An encyclopedia containing over 400 separate titles on a broad range of legal topics. Like CJS, it has a nationwide coverage. AmJur is available on Lexis and Westlaw.

Encyclopedias are a great first step:

Encyclopedias aid you in finding background information on an area of law with which you're unfamiliar. Like other secondary sources, encyclopedias are convenient because they provide citations to primary authority for a topic.
When possible, use a jurisdictionally-specific legal encyclopedia. The primary authority citations in these will be to sources that are persuasive if not binding in your jurisdiction.