Georgetown Law
Georgetown Law Library

International Commercial Arbitration Research Guide

This guide introduces researchers to primary and secondary sources for international commercial arbitration research.

Print Resources for Arbitral Awards & Court Decisions

The print resources described below selectively publish 1) arbitral awards entered in transnational commercial disputes or 2) court decisions interpreting the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration or the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG).  Most of the print sources that publish arbitral awards focus narrowly on awards issued in disputes administered by a particular arbitral institution or within a specific geographic region.

With the proliferation of online platforms that focus on international arbitration, many print sources for arbitral awards have ceased publication in print and migrated online.  If a source that was formerly published in print is available electronically, a link to the online resource, along with the dates of coverage, is provided.  Note carefully the dates of coverage for online access.  For some older arbitral awards and court decisions, a print source may be the only option.

Print Resources

  • Arbitral Awards of the Cairo Regional Centre.  Vol. I (1984-1996); Vol. II (1997-2000) K2400 .A54 2000
    Provides English translations or summaries of awards, plus commentary. Coverage is selective, and the awards are arranged topically. Volume I and Volume II also are available on Kluwer Arbitration.  The most recent volume, published in 2014, is only available on Kluwer Arbitration.
     
  • ASA Bulletin. Volumes 1-23 (1983-2005) K2400 .A13 B8
    This quarterly journal publishes court decisions from Switzerland and landmark court decisions from other jurisdictions.  It also publishes some arbitral decisions and awards, along with news and commentary.  Much of the commentary is in English, but most awards and court decisions are in French or German.  Online access via Kluwer Arbitration (1983-present).
     
  • Digest of Case Law on the Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration. K2400 .U18 2012
    Contains summaries of court decisions from jurisdictions that have enacted the UNCITRAL model law.  A digitized, searchable copy of the digest is available on HeinOnline and also is available for download in PDF format.
     
  • UNCITRAL Digest of Case Law on the Convention for the International Sale of Goods. K1028.3198 .U53 2008
    Contains summaries of court decisions from multiple jurisdictions involving the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. Updated editions compiled in 2012 and 2016 are available on HeinOnline (scroll down through the alphabetical list of titles).  The updated edition from 2012 also is available for download in PDF format.
     
  • ICC Int'l Court of Arbitration Bulletin. K2400 .A13 I57
    This ICC publication includes extracts from significant awards issued under the ICC's arbitration rules in their original language. Awards are arranged by ICC case number. Party names are omitted, but descriptions of the parties are provided along with a brief factual summary in English.  The Library has the ICC Bulletin in print from 1990-2014

    The ICC Dispute Resolution Library (ICC DLR) provides electronic access to all issues of the ICC Bulletin (1990-present).  From the ICC DLR homepage, use the "Explore the Resources" menu and select either Search All Bulletins (to search within the full texts) or See Full List of Bulletins (to browse chronologically by year and volume number). 

     
  • Int'l Arbitration Court Decisions. K2400 .A54 I573 2011
    This resource reprints extracts and summaries of significant national court decisions previously published in The Stockholm International Arbitration Review and its predecessor, The Stockholm Arbitration Report. Each extract or summary is accompanied by commentary and analysis.  All content is in English or English translation and is arranged alphabetically by jurisdiction.
     
  • International Commercial Arbitration & the Courts. (4th edition) K2400 .I588 2004 
    Provides citations to court decisions concerning international commercial arbitration. Content is organized by subject, with Part A focusing on procedural matters, Part B focusing on the setting aside of arbitral awards, and Part C focusing on the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards. Use the citations to search for the full texts of decisions in the electronic resources listed elsewhere in this guide.
     
  • Lloyd's Arbitration Reports. (1988-1992) K2400.A495 L569
    Selectively publishes the full texts of arbitral decisions and awards, as well as court opinions.  Focuses primarily, but not exclusively, on maritime disputes.  Includes both private party and investor-state disputes. 
     
  • Mealey's International Arbitration Report. KZ200 I.5 
    This monthly publication provides news and commentary about recent developments in international commercial arbitration. In addition, it selectively publishes arbitral awards and court decisions concerning the enforcement of arbitral awards.  Also available on Lexis.
     
  • Selected Works of China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission Awards. Vol. I K2400.A54 C48 1963-1993; Vol. II K2400.A54 C48 1998
    Each volume provides English translations of selected arbitral decisions and awards issued by the CIETAC during a specified date range.  Each volume also includes a table of cases and a subject index.
     
  • World Trade and Arbitration Materials. Volumes 6-22 (1994-2010) K2400 .A715.  Online access via HeinOnline (1989-2015) and Kluwer Law Online Journals (2000-present).
    Selectively publishes the full texts of arbitral awards and court decisions, as well as WTO panel and Appellate Body reports. Most of the arbitral awards selected for publication involve investor-state disputes, but many of the court decisions involve commercial disputes between private parties.
     
  • Yearbook: Commercial Arbitration.  Volumes 1-36 (1976-2011) K2400.A53 Y4.  Electronic access: Kluwer Arbitration (1976-present).
    This annual publication includes summaries of court decisions and arbitral awards, as well as news and commentary on recent developments in international commercial arbitration, including changes to arbitration rules and national arbitration laws.

Print Collections of ICC Arbitral Awards

The volumes listed below include extracts from decisions and awards issued by the Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), along with commentary in English or French.  Each volume covers a specified date range and includes both a chronological index and an analytical table, which allow you to browse for awards by date or by subject.  Note that ICC arbitral awards from 1975-2004 are available on Westlaw.

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