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Environmental Law

Guide to Environmental Information and Law

Google Scholar Search

Google Scholar Search

Search papers and articles on the web.  See also the tabs for SSRN and BePress for the latest and most downloaded papers and articles.

Google Scholar Search

Using Westlaw's Legal Resource Index

Rather than running exhaustive searches on Lexis, Westlaw, Bloomberg Law or Hein Online, it can be helpful to narrow your results on a topic by using an abstract service like Westlaw's Legal Resource Index.  The difference with an abstract service is that human beings have summarized articles in select journals.  Searching those summaries is more likely to find a solid article on point.

In the image below, the Legal Resource Index is located to the right on the Westlaw's Secondary Sources page.

Location on Westlaw of Legal Resource Index

Select terms for your search that are sufficiently narrow.  In this case, I want articles at the intersection of the "Endangered Species Act" and "climate change."

Searching "Endangered Species Act" and "climate change"

The thirty-three results are ranked by relevancy (with the best documents on top).  

Results from search

Searching all of the law reviews and journals on the other hand produces 2,732 results (far too many for effective review).

Finding the Best Environmental Law Journals

Washington and Lee University has a tool for ranking law journals by speciality at http://lawlib.wlu.edu/LJ/index.aspx.  You usually can't access articles directly, but you can get an idea of where to start.

View of Washington & Lee's Ranking of Environmental Law Journals

Using SSRN to Research Scholarly Articles on Environmental Law

Using the tool below you can view SSRN's eJournal depositories for Environmental Law. Note that for the first choice, Environmental & Natural Resources Law eJournals (which includes all of the different journals), you can change the order in which articles are presented from the most recent, to the oldest, by the most cited, by the name, etc.

Environmental & Natural Resources Law eJournals Climate Change Law & Policy eJournal Energy Law & Policy eJournal Environmental Justice & Sustainability eJournal Environmental Law & Policy eJournal International Environmental Law eJournal Natural Resources Law & Policy eJournal

Go to SSRN Legal Scholarship Network eLibrary

Using BePress Digital Commons Network to Research Environmental Law

Like SSRN, BePress provides a repository for legal scholars.  

BePress Environmental Law Commons

Go to website for BePress Environmental Law