The objective of this research guide is to identify print and electronic resources relevant to the search for international contracts and agreements. The guide lists useful contract law treaties, printed indexes needed to search for official treaty texts, and databases that provide access to thousands of full-text international agreements. The following is intended to serve as a basic guide for citing treaties and other international agreements. More information can be found in the Bluebook, Rules 20.1-20.4.5, pages 140-144. A treaty is an international agreement concluded in writing between two or more sovereign States and subject to international law, whether enshrined in a single legal act or in two or more related instruments. Treaties have many names: conventions, agreements, alliances, pacts, charters and statutes, among others. The choice of name has no legal significance. Contracts generally fall into one of two broad categories: bilateral (between two countries) and multilateral (between three or more countries). Click on the image below for more detailed search strategies and information on international treaties and agreements.
Below are the abbreviations used to cite contractual sources. For more information, see the Bluebook. Treaties are one of the main sources of international law. Indeed, international legal research almost always involves finding a treaty at some point, whether bilateral or multilateral. Bilateral treaties are treaties concluded between two States or organizations and multilateral treaties are those concluded between more than two States or organizations. Treaties are a kind of international agreement and can also be referred to as things such as agreement, agreement, pact, agreements, protocol, pact, convention or pact, etc. WRLC is the Washington Research Library consortium, which consists of about 13 local libraries (we have a rapid loan agreement between this group of institutions). Look for your greatest reach here. `treaty` means an international instrument concluded in writing between States and subject to international law, whether contained in a single legal act or in two or more interconnected conventions, whatever their particular name. . . .