Getting Started - Human Rights Research - The Basics - LibGuides at University of San Francisco School of Law

About This Guide

The sources and research tips covered in this guide are geared to USF's International Human Rights Clinic. Because Clinic students appear before U.N. bodies, this guide emphasizes the U.N. system and U.N. documents.

For more detailed advice about human rights research, see the Places to Start section below.

For a very basic treatment of human rights in Europe, see the Human Rights section of the Zief Law Library's guide European Legal Research - The Basics.

For international law generally, see the Zief Law Library's Public International Law Research - A Brief Guide.

Good Places to Start

These free sites are some of the best places to start your research.

Human Rights "Online Research Hub" - International Justice Resource Center
Very helpful introductions to human rights law and mechanisms, and to the various human rights courts and tribunals, oversight mechanisms, and monitoring bodies. Great "Research Aids" with links for finding treaties, jurisprudence, books, articles, and other material.
Encyclopedia of Human Rights - Edited by David P. Forsythe
Concise yet scholarly essays, with suggested sources for further research. Covers concepts, key documents, countries, and people. Use the "Search within work" box on the left side of the page to search within the Encyclopedia. (This encyclopedia is also available in print. See item below.) [Remote access available for USF students, faculty, and staff.] [On-campus link for the Encyclopedia of Human Rights.]
Fact Sheets - UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Detailed overviews of specific rights and issues (e.g., the right to food; enforced disappearances), or of procedures and mechanisms.
Special Issues - UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Publications on specific topics (such as sexual orientation and gender identity, or corporate responsibility) and on enforcing and implementing human rights generally. The latter category includes the 2012 Human Rights Indicators (on measuring realization of human rights).
International Human Rights Law - by Marci Hoffman
This in-depth guide describes methods and resources for human rights research, and links to a vast variety of helpful sites. It is part of the American Society of International Law's Electronic Resources Guide.
Human Rights Law Research Guide - Georgetown Law Library
Another guide full of helpful advice and links to useful sites and sources. (Many of the sources listed as "Georgetown only" are also available at the Zief Law Library. Check the Zief Library's A-to-Z Databases list to see what's available.)
Human Rights Library - University of Minnesota
Links to primary documents. Also includes resources for researching country conditions [in progress] and research guides.

Useful Books

Encyclopedia of Human Rights by David P. Forsythe, ed.
Call Number: JC 571 .E673 2009 Law Reference
Publication Date: 2009
Five volumes of concise yet scholarly essays, with suggested sources for further research. Covers concepts, key documents, countries, and people. (Also available online. See above.)
International Human Rights Law: An Introduction by David Weissbrodt & Connie de la Vega
Call Number: K 3240 .W45 2007 Law Stacks
Publication Date: 2007
Concise and scholarly coverage of: history; rights and responsibilities; groups at risk; institutions and procedures.
Human Rights: A Very Short Introduction by Andrew Clapham
Call Number: JC 571 .C596 2007 Law Open Reserve
Publication Date: 2007
Covers the major human rights topics in less than 200 pages. (A replacement for the Zief Library's lost copy is on the way.)

IMPRINT Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press,
International Human Rights Law: Six Decades After the UDHR and Beyond by Mashood A. Baderin & Manisuli Ssenyonjo, editors
Call Number: K 3240 .I5795 2010 Law Stacks
Publication Date: 2010
30 chapters covering the development of international human rights law from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights until the present.
International Human Rights in a Nutshell, 4th ed. by Thomas Buergenthal, Dinah Shelton, David P. Stewart & Carlos Vásquez
Call Number: KZ1266 .B84 2017 Law Open Reserve
ISBN: 1634605985
Publication Date: 2017
A typical quick overview from West's "Nutshell" series

Search Engines

Alternatives to Google
Don't put all your eggs in one Google basket! These alternative search engines can help when you need specialized information or when Google disappoints.

Prof. de la Vega Recommends...

Professor de la Vega has suggested these sites, which otherwise might go unnoticed, for some of the issues the Clinic has addressed in recent years.

Women's United Nations Report Network
Documents in its WUNRN Releases section cover diverse topics related to women's human rights. To search within the Releases, try a Google search like this:
education site:wunrn.com/news
Plan International
An NGO "promoting child rights to end child poverty." Useful for its reports and campaigns, such as Because I Am a Girl and reports and campaigns, such as Girls Get Equal.