Primary legal sources
Printed sources available in the library, as well as digital databases and portals for Norwegian and international case law, legislation and preparatory works.
On the shelves in the library
In the library you will find printed editions in the source collection (L13–16.5):
- Legislation (L13.1–14.9), Norwegian (L14.1) and foreign
- Case law (L 15.1–16.4), Norwegian (L 15.1)
- Parliamentary proceedings (L 16.5)
See Law Library for a general overview of the library.
Norwegian legal sources
- LovdataPro – Norwegian legal sources and international legal sources with effect in Norway; legal articles; free account for UiB students
- Rettsdata – annotated legislation, case law, standard contracts, journals and books from Gyldendal
- Scandinavian University Press (SCUP) – commentaries on legislation, regulations and agreements; Universitetsforlaget's annotated editions
- Europalov – EEA and Schengen legal acts from the proposal stage to entry into force in Norwegian law
- UiO's overview of Norwegian laws translated into English
International legal sources
- Juno – Swedish annotated statutes, preparatory works and judgments
- Karnov Danmark – Danish annotated statutes, preparatory works and judgments
- EFTA Court – case law
- ESA – ESA's public database (opinions and decisions)
- EUR-Lex – the EU's Official Journal L (legislation) and C (information)
- InfoCuria – Case law from the Court of Justice of the EU
- HUDOC – the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)
- UN documents – UN documents in full text
For a full overview, see: Database register for law (Oria)
Databases for specific areas of law
- Jus Mundi – international database for arbitration cases
- EUCOJUD – European Competition Law Judgements Database
- Kluwer Competition Law – EU and international competition law
- Kluwer IP Law – intellectual property law
- Kluwer International Tax Law – international research platform for tax law
- IBDF – Tax research platform
- Arbeidsrett.no
Literature
Legal literature and other relevant resources: the book collection (including festschrifts), e-books and journal articles.
Books in the library (the book collection)
On shelves 1–28 you will find the library's book collection.
For a historical overview of the contents of festschrifts:
- Norwegian legal festschrift bibliography (1998–2002) by Kongshavn
- Norwegian legal festschrift bibliography (1870–1997) by Kongshavn and Strømø
See Library of Law (under "Shelf overview") for an overview of where the books are located on the shelves in the library.
E-books
Search in Oria using the "e-books" filter in advanced search. Because of a backlog in registration, it can also be worth searching directly in the databases:
- Rettsdata – academic books and annotated editions
- Juridika – academic books and annotated editions
- The National Library – books
- Projekt Jurabog – academic books and other publications in Danish
- Ebook Central
Articles
Legal articles are found in journals, anthologies and festschrifts (see the book collection). Not all are registered in Oria – some you have to find via the book or journal they are printed in.
- Lovdata's literature database – Norwegian legal articles and book chapters
- Scandinavian University Press – Nordic legal journals
- JUNO – Swedish journals
- Karnov Danmark – Danish journals
- NORLAW – in particular chapters on Norwegian law in English
- HeinOnline – large database of legal journals
- Westlaw UK
See BrowZine under the "Law and Legal Studies" tab for a visual overview of most of the journals the library provides access to within law.
Newspapers
- PressReader – Norwegian and international newspapers/magazines of recent date
- The National Library – newspapers
- Atekst (Retriever)
Suggest a purchase
Citing in law
About source references
Good source references are part of the research ethics requirements for academic work. As a student, you are expected to respect the work of others and to cite in an academically honest way.
Referencing is not only about avoiding plagiarism, but first and foremost about the fact that good academic method relies on others being able to verify your interpretations of other people's texts. This also applies to direct quotations, because a reader should be able to find their way back to the original context.
Reference styles
Many disciplines have fixed "styles" for references, but that is not the case in law. You are relatively free in how you handle references, as long as your referencing practice is consistent and your choices fulfil the central purposes of source references: attribution and verifiability.
There are certain traditions within legal scholarship. Examples of citation and reference styles used in law include:
- Guide to referencing in legal texts (pdf, in Norwegian)
- Author guidelines for Lov og Rett (external link, in Norwegian)
If you need someone to discuss different solutions with, feel free to contact us at the library.
Attribution
When it comes to attributing the work of others, it is common to limit this to the author's own contribution. Common knowledge restated by the author therefore does not require references. Where the line goes can be unclear and may require independent judgement. Citing correctly can therefore be a sign of academic independence.
Attribution is not only about the reference itself, but also about the way you write. When it is clear what is others' contribution, it also becomes clearer what is your own contribution.