Online Library skills videos: HASS

After we’ve looked at how to analyse your topic and select search terms, you should:
Appreciate the importance of taking time to understand your topic or question
Recognise the need to identify appropriate search terms (or keywords), and
Know how to do this in a systematic way.

Here we will look at how to find the best sources to search for information by accessing subject databases and subject guides.

After we’ve looked at planning and undertaking searches, you should:
Understand the importance of planning your searches.
Know how to identify the content and coverage of a database.
Be aware of some of the ways you can effectively construct searches to reduce or expand the number of results and so find relevant material for your research.
And appreciate the need to understand the results you retrieve and recognise the ways you can use functions to work with your results and access supplementary information.

After we’ve looked at evaluation, recording and referencing, you should:
Recognise key points to consider when evaluating material you find in your research,
Understand the importance of recording your research as you go along, and
Understand the importance of referencing of sources you draw on in your own work.

Here we will introduce key elements of finding and using legal information.
After we’ve looked at these key elements you should be able to:
Name the main primary and secondary sources of legal information, state the key characteristics of legal information, and
distinguish between free, publicly accessible, sources of legal information and commercial services to which the Library subscribes.
You should also begin to develop an awareness of the wide range of resources available to you through the Library.

First we will consider the nature of legal research and the sources and characteristics of legal information.
Then we will look at some general issues you need to think about to make effective use of our Library and its resources.

After we’ve looked at how to analyse your topic and select search terms, you should: Appreciate the importance of taking time to understand your topic or question; Recognise the need to identify appropriate search terms (or keywords); and Know how to do this in a systematic way.

Here we will look at how to find the best sources to search for information by accessing subject databases and subject guides.

After we’ve looked at planning and undertaking searches, you should:
Understand the importance of planning your searches.
Know how to identify the content and coverage of a database.
Be aware of some of the ways to can effectively construct searches to reduce or expand the number of results and so find relevant material for your research.
Appreciate the need to understand the results you retrieve and recognise the ways to can use functions to work with your results and access supplementary information.

After we’ve looked at evaluating, recording and referencing, you should:
Recognise key points to consider when evaluating material you find in your research,
Understand the importance of recording your research as you go along, and
Understand the importance of referencing of sources you draw on in your own work.

Here we will take an introductory look at case law in Scotland and some other UK jurisdictions. We will briefly consider case law or “precedent” as a source of law and look at where you can find case law online and in print.
After we have introduced case law, you should be able to:
Describe how case law can change over time, name the principal resources where you can find reports or transcripts of Scottish cases and understand the structure of a law report.

After we’ve looked at how to find case law, you should: Know the main sources where you can find case law from Scotland and other parts of the UK. Know how to use legal databases to find a case by: case name, citation, or by topic; and Know how to find supplementary information about a case – in particular how to check its status, including whether it has been overruled or reversed.

Here we will introduce legislation as a source of Scots law. Our focus is on Acts of the Scottish and UK Parliaments.
After we have looked at legislation as a source of law, you should be able to:
State the main types of legislation affecting Scotland;
Describe the structure of an Act of the Scottish or UK Parliaments;
Understand how a piece of legislation can be amended over time; and
Know where you can find legislation online and in the Library.
First we will look at the various types of legislation affecting Scotland, how legislation is structured and the way in which legislative provisions can change over time.
Then we will look briefly at where you can find legislation from both online and print sources.

After we’ve looked at how to find legislation, you should:
Know the main sources where you can find legislation from Scotland and other parts of the UK.
Know how to use legal databases to find legislation by: title, year and chapter, asp, or statutory instrument number, and also by specific provision (for example a section) within the legislation.
Know how to find supplementary information about legislation– in particular how to check its status, including whether and when it came into force, whether it is still in force or whether it has been amended, which parts of the UK it a section extends to, and whether a section has been judicially considered.

We will first look at the various types of book you may encounter what you might use each for.
Then we will look at legal journals as a source of legal information.
Finally we will take a brief look at some other secondary sources of legal information.
So after we’ve looked at secondary legal sources, you should be able to:
State the main secondary sources of legal information;
Understand what type of information you might find in each;
Recognise key features of secondary sources of legal information – including editions of books and the peer-review process – which will help you assess the value of using the source in your research;
Explain what references (or citations) to books and journal articles mean; and
Know where you can access books and journals online and in print.

After we’ve looked at how to find law on a topic, you should:
Be aware of some of the key ways to help you identify the law on a topic
Know how you can use the Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia to find a summary of the law
Know how you can use Westlaw to find ‘Overview’ articles on legal topics, and
Recognise how you can follow references to primary materials such as case law and legislation.

After we’ve looked at finding legal journal articles, you should:
Be aware of some of the ways you can find and access legal journal articles,
Know how to use Westlaw’s Journals Search to find: a known article, articles on a topic, articles referring to a case and articles referring to legislation.

After we’ve looked at how to find a legal definition, you should:
Be aware of some of the key ways to help you find the definition of a legal term.
And find how a term has been defined in law
You should also know how to use Westlaw’s Index of legal terms to find the definition of a legal terms and how a term has been defined in law.

After we’ve looked finding books and journal articles and after you have tried some searches yourself, you should know how to use SUPrimo to find: a book, a chapter in an edited book, and a journal article.

After we’ve looked at how to find information on a topic, and after you have tried a few searches yourself, you should understand the key stages in searching for information.
These include: Analysing your topic or question, selecting search terms or ‘keywords’, selecting appropriate search tools (for example subject databases), and using functions within these databases (such as Boolean operators) to search effectively.

An introduction to the videos covering finding books and articles.

After we’ve looked at how to find non-UK legal materials, you should:
Be aware of some of the main subscription and publicly accessible sources of foreign and international law.
Know how to access non-UK materials on the databases Westlaw and Lexis Library.
Know how to use publicly accessible online ‘Legal Information Institute’ sites to access law from specific countries.

(N.B. The link to OSCOLA website has changed since recording. It is now: https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/oscola.)
After we’ve looked at OSCOLA, you should:
Understand the key principles of OSCOLA as a footnote style with minimal punctuation, including how to include subsequent citations and incorporate quotations.
Recognise how to cite key sources including case law, legislation, books and journal articles.
Know where to look for information to include in the citation or reference.
And know where to look for more detailed guidance on using OSCOLA – including guidance on how to use OSCOLA with reference management software.
For more information take a look at the University's OSCOLA LibGuides page: https://guides.lib.strath.ac.uk/referencing_guide/referencing/oscola

Recorded August 2023.
An introduction to the legal database Westlaw UK. This covers accessing: Westlaw; the home page and general search; searching for cases; searching for legislation; searching for journal articles; terms and connectors; Westlaw Books; the Index of legal terms; Westlaw International; and further help.

This covers the main features of the legal database service Lexis+ UK Legal Research.
Recorded August 2023.
Captions automatically generated.

This is an introduction to vLex provided by a vLex training executive in October 2023.
vLex Justis is a legal research platform. Our access to content is limited to Session Cases Archive (1821-1872) and Immigration Appeal Reports. In addition, the search and analysis tools enable you to find case law and legislation content from across other services and publishers

This site is designed to help students and researchers of all levels develop their legal research skills. Topics cover the main sources of legal information, how to use these sources and how to develop an effective research strategy.

The University of Strathclyde's virtual learning environment (VLE)

After we’ve looked at how to access subject databases and guides you should:
Understand the importance of selecting appropriate search tools and some of the advantages of using subject databases.
Know how to find and access subject databases through the Library’s webpages.
Be aware of some key databases relevant to research in Social Work & Social Policy.
And know where to get additional help with undertaking research.

Here we will look at how to find the best sources to search for information by accessing subject databases and subject guides.

After we’ve looked at planning and undertaking searches, you should:
Understand the importance of planning your searches.
Know how to identify the content and coverage of a database.
Be aware of some of the ways to can effectively construct searches to reduce or expand the number of results and so find relevant material for your research.
Appreciate the need to understand the results you retrieve and recognise the ways to can use functions to work with your results and access supplementary information.

After we’ve looked at evaluation, recording and referencing you should:
Recognise key points to consider when evaluating material you find in your research,
Understand the importance of recording your research as you go along, and
Understand the importance of referencing of sources you draw on in your own work.

After we’ve looked at APA 7, you should:
Understand the key principles of APA 7 as an author-date style with short in-text citations referring to a reference list, including how to incorporate quotations.
Recognise how to cite key sources including, books, chapters in edited books and journal articles.
Know where to look for information to include in the citation or reference.
And know where to look for more detailed guidance on using APA 7 – including guidance on how to use APA 7 with reference management software.