Whether you are knowledgeable about the subject matter or completely new to a legal research topic, consult secondary sources for:
Search full-text journals on Lexis, Westlaw, and HeinOnline as well as journal indexes. Journal indexes give you access to a broader range of journal literature.
Most of the indexes are also available from the "Top Databases" dropdown on the Library's homepage
Other Working and Policy Papers
Google and Google Scholar are also good for locating commentary and analysis. However, not all materials are freely available.
The Law Library has a tremendous amount of valuable print resources related to refugee law. Use the online catalog, LawCat, to locate relevant books and materials. While keyword searching is a good way to begin one's research, subject searching is also valuable. Relevant subject headings include:
Refugees -- Legal status, laws, etc
Political refugees -- Legal status, laws, etc.
Asylum, Right of --
Women refugees -- Legal status, laws, etc
Forced migration
Refugees -- Protection -- International cooperation
Freedom of movement
Basic Documents on International Migration Law (3rd rev. ed., The Hague; Boston: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers; Cambridge, MA: Sold and distributed in the USA and Canada by Kluwer Law International, 2007).
Critical Issues in International Refugee Law (James C. Simeon ed., Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010).
Francis M. Deng, Internally Displaced Persons: Compilation and Analysis of Legal Norms (New York; Geneva: United Nations, 1998).
Ann Vibeke Eggli, Mass Refugee Influx and the Limits of Public International Law (The Hague; New York: Nijhoff; Norwell, MA: Distributed in North, Central, and South America by Kluwer Law International, 2002).
Agnes Hurwitz, The Collective Responsibility of States to Protect Refugees (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2009). Also available online.
Human Rights and Forced Displacement (Anne F. Bayefsky and Joan Fitzpatrick eds., The Hague; Boston: M. Nijhoff Publishers, 2000).
Human Rights Protection for Refugees, Asylum-seekers, and Internally Displaced Persons: A Guide to International Mechanisms and Procedures (Joan Fitzpatrick ed., Ardsley, NY: Transnational Publishers, 2002).
Guy S. Goodwin-Gill & Jane McAdam, The Refugee in International Law (3rd ed., Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2007).
International Refugee Law (Farnham, England ; Burlington, VT : Ashgate, c2010).
Refugees, Asylum Seekers and the Rule of Law: Comparative Perspectives (Susan Kneebone ed., Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009).
Refugee Law Reader: Cases, Documents, and Materials (7th ed., Rosemary Byrne ed.).
Refugee Protection in International Law (Feller et al., eds., Cambridge, UK ; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003). Available on the UNHCR web site.
Thomas Spijkerboer, Gender and Refugee Status (Aldershot, Hants, England; Burlington, Vt., USA: Ashgate/Dartmouth, 2000).
Mark Von Sternberg, The Grounds of Refugee Protection in the Context of International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law: Canadian and United States Case Law Compared (The Hague; New York: M. Nijhoff Publishers, 2002).
