Legal Research Methods  

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There are two distinct types of legal information.

1. Primary Sources - Primary sources of law are the authoritative publications of law made by parliament and the courts. Parliament in each Australian jurisdiction makes legislation and courts decide on legal issues

2. Secondary Sources - Secondary sources of law are used to find and explain primary sources of law. Secondary sources include legal encyclopedias, case citators, case digests, text books, specialist commentary services and journal articles. Government documents are also a major source of secondary legal information and include those documents written in the course of making legislation such as second reading speeches, explanatory memoranda and parliamentary reports.