This guide is designed for students studying European Union Law at the University of San Francisco. The focus is on the European Union, but there is also a brief section on human hights that deals primarily with the Council of Europe system and the European Court of Human Rights.
This guide emphasizes internet, Lexis, and Westlaw resources. The guides listed below in the "Learning More about European Legal Research" section have more detailed research advice and list additional research resources.
For advice specific to your research, speak to a librarian at the Zief Law Library Research Desk, or call 415-422-6773.
One useful way to start your European Union research is to look first for relevant scholarly books and articles. Good books and articles will supply you with introductions to and overviews and analyses of the law. They will also give you citations to treaty provisions, regulations, directives, decisions, case law, etc.
These sites have good background about the EU and its legal system.
These books — all introductory study guides for law students — will get you off to a quick start in understanding the European Union and its legal system. See the "Books" page of this guide for more book suggestions, and for tips on finding books.
Understanding European Union Law, 7th ed. by 
European Union Law Including Brexit in a Nutshell, 9th ed. by 
Principles of European Union Law, 4th ed. by 
Concentrate, Q&A: EU Law, 2d ed. by 
European Law, 2d ed. by These are sites for the European Union as a whole, for some of its constituent bodies, and for its laws and legislation.
Westlaw has extensive collections of European legal materials. Some of the major sources for legislation and case law are covered and linked to in this guide.
Lexis's EU materials are available via the "International" tab in the "Explore Content" section of Lexis Advance.
For more extensive, detailed advice on researching European law, consult the following sources.