Dictionaries
'Among the publications which are valuable starting points for research purposes, and which are clearly important secondary sources, the principal tools are legal dictionaries, especially if you know nothing or very little about a topic. A standard legal dictionary will usually provide a paragraph summary of the relevant term along with primary sources references.'
- Bruce Bott and Ruth Talbot-Stokes, Nemes and Coss' Effective Legal Research (LexisNexis, 8th ed, 2021) 127.
Citing dictionaries in AGLC4
See Rule 7.6 in the AGL4 for rules and examples on how to cite dictionaries.
Legal dictionaries - online
- Encyclopaedic Australian Legal DictionaryThe encyclopaedic Australian legal dictionary is a unique reference work containing over 25,000 definitions. Terms are presented in an Australian context and are supported by Australian legislative and judicial authority, wherever it exists. The definitions cover every subject area of law.
- Australian law dictionaryThe Australian law dictionary is a key reference for those who need familiarity with, and knowledge of Australian legal terms. Designed for students in response to research, the ALD is structured to ensure comprehensive coverage of core legal content (Oxford Reference Online).
- Macquarie DictionaryThe Macquarie Dictionary is a general dictionary, not a law specific one.
However, according to the AGLC4, Rule 1.9, spelling and hyphenation should comply with the Macquarie Dictionary.
Law: secondary sources