LibGuides: International Materials: Home

About International Legal Materials

The CCLA Library has access to international legal materials through various databases. You can find which databases are available for different countries by using the sub-pages in this section. Please note that secondary materials (such as text books) are limited within these services. If you require secondary materials, please speak with the CCLA Library staff member for assistance.

Free legal information websites, including those similar to CanLII in Canada, are available throughout the world. We have linked those websites under each country listed as well.

Deciphering Legal Citations

Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations
If the citation you have for a case doesn't bring back any results in your Westlaw, Quicklaw, or CanLII searches, it may be because the case is not from Canada. One way to find out is to look to the case citation. By deciphering where the citation for the case came from, you may be able to chose the correct international database to search within.

The Carfiff Index database allows you to search for the meaning of abbreviations for English language legal publications, from the British Isles, the Commonwealth and the United States, including those covering international and comparative law.

A wide selection of major foreign language law publications is also included. Publications from over 295 jurisdictions are featured in the Index.

The database mainly covers law reports and law periodicals but some other legal publications are also included. The Index is under continuous development with new abbreviations and titles being added on a regular basis.