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Tools for Finding Journal Articles
Journal articles can be an excellent source for researching narrower, more specialized legal topics. Articles published in law journals include extensive footnotes with citations to primary and secondary sources that are relevant to the topic. Two types of tools for conducting journal article research are described below.
- Journal indexes include bibliographic information about an article, such as the title, the name of the author, and the name of the journal, as well as one or more subject descriptors. Searching in a journal index usually retrieves more relevant articles than searching in a full-text database because the searches are run only on the bibliographic data and the subject descriptors.
- Full-text journal databases allow you to search within the entire text of an article. Most of them also include bibliographic information, as well. It is easier to run searches in full-text databases, but they tend to retrieve many irrelevant articles in addition to relevant articles.
For more information on how to use indexes and full-text databases for journal article research, consult the following library research guide: Articles for Legal and Non-Legal Research.
Journal Databases & Indexes for International Commercial Arbitration Research
You will find citations to articles written about international investment law topics in frequently used law journal indexes, such as LegalTrac and Legal Periodicals and Books; and in frequently used full-text law journal databases, such as those available on HeinOnline, Lexis, and Westlaw. To broaden your search, use the specialized journal databases and indexes described below.
Databases & Indexes Focusing on International Arbitration and/or International Economic Law
- Kluwer Arbitration
Click on the Journals tab on the homepage to access 12 specialized arbitration journals, some of which are published in languages other than English. Dates of coverage vary by journal. Note that some of these journals are only available on the Kluwer Arbitration platform and cannot be accessed via Kluwer Law Online Journals. (See below.)
- Kluwer Law Online Journals
This full-text database includes articles from 18 specialized English language journals that focus on various aspects of international economic law. Older issues of most of these journals are available on HeinOnline.
Databases & Indexes Focusing on Journals Published Outside the U.S.
- Cambridge Core
Search for all types of content, including journal articles, published by Cambridge University Press. After running a search, use the filters on the left to limit by content type, subject, journal name, and date.
- Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals
For best results, search for one or more keywords in combination with one or more subject headings. To browse the alphabetical list of subject headings, click on the "Subject" tab. When you find a relevant subject heading, enter it in the search box and select "Country/Subject Heading" as the search field from the menu before running the search.
- Legal Journals Index.
This Westlaw database indexes articles published in more than 320 law journals based in the U.K. and elsewhere in Europe. If an article is not available in full-text on Westlaw, use the Search by Citation tool to see if the article can be retrieved from another platform. Or search for the title of the journal in the Journal Finder to see if the journal is available elsewhere.
- Oxford Journals Online
Full-text database for journals published by Oxford University Press. To limit searches to articles published in law journals, open the Advanced Search template (link to the right of the basic search box) and select "Law" as the subject.
How to Retrieve an Article If You Already Have a Citation
If you already have a citation to a journal article, use the resources described below to retrieve the full text. Keep in mind that electronic access to full-text articles varies by journal. Some journals are available on multiple electronic platforms, but the dates of coverage often vary. If the article you are seeking falls outside the dates of coverage for electronic access, you will need to access the journal in print, if available, or request a copy of the article via Inter-Library Loan.
- Search by Citation
If the article you are seeking is available in an electronic format from any Georgetown University library, you should be able to quickly retrieve the full text of the article by entering the citation information into this online form.
- Journal Finder
If the Search by Citation tool fails to retrieve the full text of the article you are seeking, search for the name of the journal in which the article was published in the Journal Finder. If the Georgetown Law Library has the journal in print, the Journal Finder will display print holdings and dates of coverage. It also willing display electronic holdings for the journal, along with the dates of coverage, for all Georgetown University libraries.
- Inter-Library Loan
If the article you are seeking is not available print from the Georgetown Law Library, or in an electronic format from any Georgetown University library, you may request a copy of the article from another library by using the Inter-Library Loan (ILL) service.
Specialized Journals Focusing on International Arbitration or Investor-State Arbitration
Listed below are journals in the Georgetown Law Library's collection that focus primarily or exclusively on international and investor-state arbitration. For additional journals, including some published in languages other than English, click on the Journals tab on the Kluwer Arbitration platform.
- The American Review of International Arbitration. K1 .M85 (in print); Also available online.
Quarterly journal publishes scholarly articles, commentary, and case notes on arbitrations throughout the world.
- Arbitration International. K1 .R17 (in print, 1985-2009); Also available online (1996-present).
Quarterly publication features articles written by practitioners and scholars, case notes, and book reviews.
- European International Arbitration Review. K5 .U7212 (in print).
This biennial journal, available only in print, publishes articles on topics related to both international commercial arbitration and international investment arbitration. Articles typically include excerpts from recent arbitral awards or court decisions, along with substantive commentary. Formerly published as the Stockholm International Arbitration Review (2005-2009) and the Stockholm International Arbitration Report (1999-2004), also available only in print.
- Global Arbitration Review. K2400 .A15 G56 Also available online.
Practitioner-oriented bi-monthly journal focusing on current developments and trends in international commercial arbitration and investor-state arbitration. Includes summaries of recent arbitral awards and courts decisions.
- ICSID Review: Foreign Investment Law Journal. K9 .C55 Also available online.
Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ICSID, this journal features articles, case notes, commentary, and book reviews devoted exclusively to foreign investment law and investor-state dispute settlement.
- International Arbitration Law Review. K9.N7525 (in print).
Includes summaries of arbitration cases from around the world, expert commentary, and news about legislative developments and court decisions. Although the journal is only available in print, articles published therein are indexed in Westlaw's Legal Journals Index.
- Journal of International Arbitration. K10 .03955 (in print, 1984-2009); Also available online.
Bi-monthly journal focusing on the economic aspects of arbitration.
- Journal of World Investment & Trade. K10 .08997 Also available online.
This peer-reviewed journal publishes articles on investment treaties, investor-state dispute settlement, domestic law governing foreign investment, and related aspects of trade law.
- Transnational Dispute Management.
This online-only journal, accessible via the TDM website, publishes peer-reviewed articles on all aspects of international commercial dispute resolution. To access journal content, click on the Journal tab in the menu bar in the center of the homepage. Search by keyword or browse chronologically, by category, and by author name.
- World Arbitration & Mediation Review. K2400.A13 A7 (in print).
This quarterly journal, written by experienced practitioners, is available only in print. One issue per year is devoted to transcripts and commentary from the annual workshop sponsored by the Institute for Transnational Arbitration. Formerly published as the World Arbitration & Mediation Report, also available only in print.
