Journals and Periodicals – Periodicals: In-depth Articles with a Particular Focus
Legal journals and periodicals are publications that consist of a collection of scholarly articles.
- They are generally issued on a monthly or quarterly basis and are therefore the most up-to-date source of legal commentary.
In general, periodical articles:
- describe and explain a particular legal topic;
- analyse jurisprudence and legislation;
- offer unique perspectives on a discrete legal topic;
- provide explanations and critiques of particular judgments; and
- discuss, and/or speculate about emerging legal issues.
There are several different types of legal periodicals.
- Some cover legal issues of general interest (e.g., Canadian Lawyer Magazine), and others cover topics of special interest (e.g., Canadian Journal of Women and the Law).
- Many bar associations and law schools also publish their own legal journals (e.g., Canadian Bar Review and the Ottawa Law Review).
- Knowing which journals are likely to publish articles relevant to your topic(s) can save hours of research time browsing and searching periodical indexes!
