Human Rights Research Bibliography

  1. Introduction
  2. Where to Start
    1. Bibliographies and Research Guides
    2. Online Catalogue
    3. Periodical Indices
  3. Background and General Information
    1. Country and Regional Reports
    2. News Sources
    3. African and Human Rights Periodicals
  4. Meta Sites
  5. International and Regional Organizations
  6. Document Databases and Publications
  7. Treaties
    1. UN Treaties
    2. Regional and Other Compilations of Treaties
  8. Decisions, Opinions and Reports from Human Rights Bodies
  9. National Legal Materials
  10. Miscellaneous

I. Introduction

Researching international human rights issues requires using a variety of primary and secondary sources which are not necessarily well organized. Another important aspect of researching this topic its interdisciplinary nature and the complexity of the subject matter and the materials. Thus, one must use materials from several disciplines and from a variety of organizations ranging from well known international governmental organizations with established publishing programs to organizations issuing ephemeral materials. Although much of the more recent primary materials and reports are available electronically, a vast body of important material still exists only in print. Thus, a researcher must be creative and resourceful and must become familiar with the large universe of print and electronic materials.

II.  Where to Start

A. Bibliographies and Research Guides

Research guides and bibliographies exist both for human rights in general and for specific topics, countries and regions. These sources can be useful both for orienting one’s research and for locating relevant materials. The Human Rights Library maintains a comprehensive collection of links to internet guides and bibliographies.The following is a list of a few of the major sources available either on the web or in the UIUC Library.

  • Bibliography: Human Rights in the African Context.
  • Center for African Studies-human rights page.
  • Germain, Clair. Transnational Law Research: A Guide for Attorneys.
    Ardsley-on-Hudson, NY: Transnational Publishers, 1991-
    K85.G47 1991 (law reference)
  • Guide to International Legal Research (4th ed.).
    Charlottesville, Lexis Law Publishing, 2002. [Contains sections on human rights]
    KZ 1234.G85 2002 (law reference)
  • Lawson, Edward. Encyclopedia of Human Rights (2d ed.).
    Washington D.C.: Taylor & Francis, 1996.
    JC571.E621996 (law reference)
  • LLRX.com International Law Guides.
    These include "Human Rights, Country and Legal Information Resources on the Internet" and "Guide to Country Research for Refugee Status Determination" as well as several guides to international criminal law and treaty research.
  • Tobin, Jack & Jennifer Green. Guide to Human Rights Research.
    Cambridge, MA: Harvard Law School Human Rights Program, 1994.
    K3236.T63 1994 (law reference).
    Also available here
    • .
  • United Nations Documentation, Research Guide: Special Topics: Human Rights.
  • Weissbrodt, David & Marcie Hoffman, "Bibliography for Research on International Human Rights Law"
    6 Minn. J. Global Trade 200 (1997).
    K13.I53
    Also available through the Human Rights Library.

B.  Online Catalogue

Human rights research is interdisciplinary and several non-legal journals and books may provide relevant information. Many of these materials are located in other libraries on campus. These can be searched via the library’s online catalogue linked on the left tool bar and available here.

C.  Periodical Indices

Both legal and non-legal periodicals include articles on various human rights topics. The library subscribes to several indices and full text journal databases which are available on the Library's "Online Research Resources" page.
Some journals are full text, most of the others are available somewhere on campus. To determine if a journal is available and where it is located do a search for the journal title on the online catalogue. The library online research resources page has an alphabetical list of periodicals with online content.

  • African Studies Centre (Leiden) database
  • CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online)--good source for institute and "think tank" publications.
  • Ebsco - a general full text database which includes several human rights periodicals.
  • Hein OnLine - full text of selected law reviews with range of coverage varying by title. It provides full text of older materials not included in Lexis or Westlaw.
  • LegalTrac
  • Public Affairs Information Service--indexes political science and international relations periodicals.
  • Quarterly Index of African Periodical Literature
  • Quarterly Index Islamicus
  • Sociological Abstracts
  • Worldwide Political Science Abstracts

In addition, Legal Journals Index, which indexes primarily European publications, is available via Westlaw (database is LJI). The Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals is in print and is located in the reference area.

2. Article Indices available on the Internet:

III. Background and General Information

A. Country and Regional Reports 

B. News Sources 

  • allAfrica.com
  • IRIN News, from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, provides information for African countries.
  • ISI Emerging Markets includes a news service for Sub-Saharan Africa. (On the ORR page type the title in the search box.)

Other good sources for current information are the news databases on Lexis and Westlaw, the newspaper databases linked from the library’s electronic resources page and on the internet. The Paperboy site provides links to most newspapers with an internet presence.

The World News Connection provides translations and English language news items from non-US media sources. This is available by password in the Government Documents Library.

C. Periodicals With African and Human Rights Focus (short list)

Note that most of these titles are indexed in Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals, PAIS and/or the African Studies Centre database. Few are included in LegalTrac and most of these journals are not available in Lexis/Westlaw.

  • Africa Confidential
    Print version from v. 10 (1969)-date: 320.9605 AF (main library stacks)

  • Africa Today
    Online since 1998; print version from v.2 (1955)–date: 305 AF (main library stacks)

  • African Affairs
    Online since 1944; print version from v.1(1901)-date: 905 AFR (main library stacks)

  • African Human Rights Law Journal
    K1.F754

  • African Journal of International and Comparative Law
    Comp.L. K1.F68 (law stacks) (has suspended publication)

  • African Studies Quarterly: The Online Journal for African Studies

  • African Yearbook of International Law
    KZ21.A35 (law stacks)

  • Buffalo Human Rights Law Review,
    v. 4 (1998)–date
    K2.U339 (law stacks)
    Available on Hein Online (1995-1999), Westlaw (1994-) and Lexis (1995-)

  • Comparative and International Law Journal of Southern Africa,
    Comp.L. K3.O4 (law stacks)

  • European Human Rights Law Review
    Westlaw (EHRLR)

  • Harvard Human Rights Journal
    v. 3 (1981)-date
    K8.A76 (law stacks)
    Also available on HeinOnline (1988-) , Westlaw (1994-), and Lexis (1993-)

  • Human Rights Brief

  • Human Rights in Africa
    K8.U45339 (law stacks)
    consolidated version available for 1996-1998

  • Human Rights Quarterly
    Online since 1994; print from v. 3 (1981): JC585.H84x (law stacks)

  • Human Rights Review
    K8.U4575 (law stacks)

  • International Journal of Human Rights
    Online since 2000 (with a 12 month delay); print from v. 5 (2001): JC571.I593 (law stacks)

  • Journal of African Law
    K10.O838x (law stacks)

  • Journal of Modern African Studies
    Online from volume 1 (linked from the articles database page); in print from volume 1-date: 960.05 JOU (main library stacks and undergraduate library)

  • Journal of Refugee Studies
    Online in full text since 1999 (abstracts for 1996-1999); in print from v. 3(1990)–date: 325.2105 JO (main library stacks; current in history library)

  • Penant: Revue de droit des pays d’Afrique
    Comp.L. K16.E3x (law stacks)

  • Recht in Afrika/Law in Africa
    K18.E265

  • South African Journal on Human Rights
    K23.O68 (law stacks)

  • South African Yearbook of International Law
    JX21.S69x (law stacks)

  • Yale Human Rights & Development Law Journal
    Available on Westlaw (1998-) and Lexis (1998-)

  • Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law
    KZ6442.Y43 (law stacks)

IV. Meta Sites

The Electronic Information System for International Law (EISIL) is a comprehensive portal to international law materials on the web. It is arranged into broad subject categories and provides links to primary materials, web sites, and other materials relating to international law.

V. International and Regional Organizations

VI. Document Databases and Publications

VII. Treaties

Treaties are among the primary sources of international law. The UN publishes most treaties but there are some exceptions. Various IGO’s such as the European Union, Council of Europe, Organization of American States, the African Union plus national governments are repositories for treaties within their respective jurisdictions. In addition, various hosts have posted treaties on the internet.

The ASIL has a good introduction to treaty research

A. UN Treaties 

The United Nations Treaty Collection is a subscription databases which can be searched both by subject/keyword and status of an international instrument. The print collection is under the call number JX 170.U35.

B. Regional and Other Compilations 

The US Treaty Series is not available on the internet but various treaties can sometimes be located with an internet search. Treaties from 1783 are on Lexis, on Hein Online since 1789, and on Westlaw from 1979.
The print collection, US Treaties and Other International Agreements, is under the call number JX 231.A34.

Other compilations of human rights treaties are the "international human rights instruments" from the UNHCR, human rights materials from the University of Minnesota and the human rights section from the multilaterals project at the Fletcher School.

VIII. Decisions, Opinions & Reports from Human Rights Bodies

African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights -
The print version,"Decisions of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (1986-1997)", is located under the call number KQC573.A53L39.

Council of Europe, European Court of Human Rights
Also available on Lexis (Eurcom;cases) and Westlaw (EHR-RPTS) - The print version of the court’s decisions, Reports of Judgments and Decisions, is located under the call number JX1991.E925.

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Inter-American Court of Human Rights

United Nations Human Rights Documents
This service from the UN High Commissioner consists of two databases. One provides documents from the treaty based bodies and the other database contains documents from the treaty based bodies. Selected decisions from these bodies may be published in International Human Rights Reports, v. 1(1994)–date (K3239.I58). International Law Reports (JX68.A65) also prints selected public international law decisions from international bodies and from national tribunals

IX. National Legal Materials

Some references to national legislation are included in sources listed in II above. Most African jurisdictions do not have legal materials readily available either in print or on the internet. More African primary legal information is appearing on the internet but most sites are not comprehensive or are not available in English.

X. Miscellaneous