Library guides: Legal Research Skills: Secondary sources

What are secondary sources?

Secondary sources are those that evaluate, explain or define the law and include:

Dictionaries: define key terms
Encyclopaedias: provide an overview of a legal topic
Books: discuss and analyse legal topics or issues
Commentary: update and comment on legal topics
Journal articles: provide original research and scholarly analysis of the law

It is often best to use secondary sources at the beginning of your research to get a good overview of your legal topic. Secondary sources will also reference the key primary materials.

Key databases for secondary sources

Westlaw Australia This link opens in a new window
Provides Australian case law (including the case citator KeyCite), legislation, journals and commentary (including the encyclopaedia 'Laws of Australia').
Lexis+ (Australia) This link opens in a new window
To be used exclusively for academic research only.

Provides Australian case law (including the CaseBase case citator), legislation, journals, commentary (including a comprehensive legal dictionary & the Halsbury's legal encyclopaedia), and practical guidance modules. Some international content (NZ, UK, US, Canada & Hong Kong) is also included.

View the Lexis+ (Australia) Help pages to get started.
View list of all sources or follow the instructions in the Legal Research Skills guide to access content from the different jurisdictions.
CCH iKnowConnect This link opens in a new window
Provides subject-specific Australian commentary, legislation and case law, with particular strengths in commercial, competition & consumer, contract, corporations, employment, family, IP, commercial property, taxation, and torts law.
To learn more about using CCH iKnowConnect, attend free live webinars run by CCH staff or read the training guides.
Note: SCU does not currently have access to the personalisation features such as saving favourites, shortcuts, email alerts, folders or search history.
InfoRMIT This link opens in a new window
Search across all full-text and abstract/index databases, or select AGIS Plus Text and Australian Public Affairs Full Text for a more focused search. AGIS includes over 140 law journals in all subject areas, indexed from 1975.
AustLII This link opens in a new window
Freely available Australian database containing full-text secondary sources across all subject areas, including journals, law reform papers and and subject specific collections.
Select Journals and scholarship

Legal Education & Research Books

The Bugmy Bar Book
The Bugmy Bar Book is a free, evidence-based resource for lawyers and legal decision-makers, as well as policy-makers and other professionals. The chapters are accessible summaries of key research about the impacts of experiences of trauma, socioeconomic inequality, structural disadvantage and strengths-based rehabilitation. Chapters may provide an evidence base to support legal advocacy and decision-making, and are intended to promote improved understanding of the experiences of people who are brought into contact with the legal system.

Nemes and Coss' Effective Legal Research by Bruce Bott & Ruth Tallbot-Stokes
Publication Date: 2021
A current, comprehensive and informative approach to legal research.
Laying down the law by David Hamer, Judith Jones, Patrick O'Mara, Belinda Smith, Tristan S. Taylor
Publication Date: 2024
Laying Down the Law provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the study of law. Essential foundation topics covered include Australia's legal system and sources of law, while discussion of current issues highlights the context in which our legal system operates and the role and responsibilities of the legal profession.
Legal research skills: an Australian law guide
Publication Date: 2025
Updated in 2025, this edition of the guide is designed to support students undertaking Australian legal studies and contribute to the development of research skills in Australian law schools. An exciting feature of this edition includes a brand new chapter on Legal Research using Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI).
A practical guide to legal research by Sanderson, Jay & Kelly, Kim
Call Number: ebook
Publication Date: 2017
A Practical Guide to Legal Research, 4th Edition, is a concise and accessible guide to legal research. It presents the essential skills of legal research in Australian Law and International Law, and provides focused examples that allow readers immediate practice.
A guide to writing in law school by Steven Tudor & Stephanie Falconer
Publication Date: 2024
This freely available and openly accessible guide is intended to help law students to develop their writing skills. Writing clearly and effectively is a vital legal skill. Lawyers use this skill daily. Law graduates need, therefore, to have a solid competency in clear and effective writing. This book aims to help students improve their writing by presenting various pieces of advice, tips, warnings and encouragement. It contains general chapters on planning, clear writing, and acknowledging your sources, as well as dedicated chapters on some of the specific writing tasks that law students undertake: case briefs, legal problem-solving, essays, and law reform submissions.
Connecting with Law 5e by Michelle Sanson & Thalia Anthony
Publication Date: 2022
This book introduces students to the foundations of law in a thought-provoking way, challenging them to think critically, question ideas and connect with the law.
Mastering Law Studies and Law Exam Techniques by Richard Krever
Publication Date: 2022
Successfully navigating the particular requirements of law school and legal study can be challenging, even for the most capable of students. In the new edition of this indispensible guide, Richard Krever and a team of contributors de-mystify the process of studying law and provide the foundations for law school success.
Legislation and statutory interpretation by Kath Hall & Claire Macken
Publication Date: 2021
This text provides readers with an up-to-date analysis on the process and principles of statutory interpretation in Australia, together with a discussion on the Australian legislative process and how legislation operates.
1. Introduction to this guide, legislation and statutory interpretation -- 2. Legislation as a source of law -- 3. Legislative process -- 4. Statutory interpretation -- 5. Answering problem questions on statutory interpretation -- 6. Researching legislation.
Principles and Practice of Australian Law by Jennifer Greaney
Publication Date: 2020
The fourth edition of Principles and Practice of Australian Law maintains the emphasis on context and skills as keys to understanding law in its practical operation. Within this framework, the new edition expands and updates existing material by reference to a range of important contemporary issues and cases.
Context and method in Australian law by Russell Hinchey
Publication Date: 2019
This textbook takes an innovative and novel approach to the teaching and learning of first-year law students. It is underpinned by active student learning though an inquiry-guided learning approach.
Learning Law by Anthony Marinac; Brian Simpson; Caroline Hart; Rhianna Chisholm; Jennifer Nielsen; Michael Brogan
Publication Date: 2018
Learning Law provides the foundational knowledge and skills required for the study and practice of law, and also instils in students a passion and excitement for the law. This text challenges students' traditional notions of the law and encourages them to think critically. This text is an essential and comprehensive resource that can be carried as a practical reference throughout a student's law studies.

Finding books in the library

Type author, title or keywords into the library collections search box below:

This short video demonstrates how to find a copy of a particular textbook.

Tutorial: Updating the law using secondary sources

Complete this tutorial to learn about the different types of secondary sources that can you update the law. Click at the bottom-right corner to expand to full size.