Start your research by consulting a secondary source, such as a book, treatise, or law journal article, to familiarize yourself with your topic and identify the relevant sources of international law. Use a research guide to assist you with finding the sources of law.
Use NUsearch to search for books available through the Northwestern Libraries system. For books not available at NU, use WorldCat and submit an interlibrary loan (ILL) request.
Suggested Keywords:
European and International Media Law by
"This book is the first to incorporate current academic literature and case law on European, transnational, and international media law into a comprehensive overview intended primarily for students. It introduces the legal framework for globalised communication via mass media, and considers the transformative effect globalisation has had on domestic media law." - Publisher
The Internet and Constitutional Law by
"This book analyses emerging constitutional principles addressing the regulation of the internet at both the national and the supranational level." - Publisher
Freedom of Expression and the Internet by 
Freedom of Expression and Religious Hate Speech in Europe by
"This book uses the case law of the European Court of Human Rights to provide a comprehensive analysis of the questions: whether legal prohibitions of religious hate speech violate the right to freedom of expression; and, whether such laws should be used to prosecute politicians and others who contribute to current debates when they use anti-Islam rhetoric." - Publisher
To find additional books beyond these suggested starting points, visit the shelf and look at the surrounding books or click on links to the subject headings in the catalog records of relevant books. An example of a subject heading is: Freedom of expression -- Europe.
Journal articles can be found through various subscription databases or in print. Articles on international law topics may be published in law or law-related journals as well as in multidisciplinary journals. You can search for the title of the publication in NUsearch to see whether you can access it through an electronic database or can find it in print at one of our campus libraries.
Research guides frequently include a bibliography of recommended secondary sources.
Encyclopedias provide a surface-level overview of a topic and usually are accompanied by a bibliography of additional primary and secondary sources.
Publications and reports from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), and state governments are useful sources to help you understand international law topics and situations in specific countries. Examples of NGOs include Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Examples of IGOs include the United Nations or the African Union.
Google Advanced allows you to run targeted searches across regular Google and limit your results to certain file types (e.g., .pdf) and/or search across a particular website (e.g., https://www.hrw.org) or domain (e.g., .edu, .org, .gov). The .int domain is reserved for international treaty-based organizations, UN agencies, and organizations or entities with observer status at the UN. The .org domain is often used by non-profit organizations, but can now be used by anyone. Using Google Advanced is particularly helpful when searching across government or NGO websites because these type of websites often lack great search functions.
Selected IGO Publications
Selected NGO Websites