You are expected to use high quality, reputable and scholarly information sources throughout your university study. In the law discipline, information may be classified into primary or secondary sources of law.
'Primary sources of the law are the laws created by Parliament and the courts'.¹
Primary sources of law include legislation, case law and treaties. Cite primary sources as authorities for legal principles in preference to secondary sources. Primary sources are discussed in the sections on Australian case law and legislation.
Secondary sources of law provide background and contextual information, overviews of legal topics and concepts, expert analysis, and references to key primary sources. These sources include books, journal articles and other legal commentary.
Secondary sources are a useful starting point for information about a specific area of law or legal concept. See the next section for a detailed discussion.
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¹ Jay Sanderson, Drossos Stamboulakis and Kim Kelly, A Practical Guide to Legal Research (Lawbook, 5th ed, 2021) 5.