This guide is intended for students and researchers studying international human rights (IHR) at the University of Oxford, although students and researchers from any field may find it useful.
Use this guide to find out about sources and commentary for international human rights including ebooks, ejournals, and databases.
The Bodleian Law Library's collection on human rights law includes international and regional treaties, national legislation, case law from international and national courts and commentary both online and in paper format. The collections cover theoretical and philosophical aspects of human rights law, and topics ranging from civil rights to crime and punishment and from medicine to genocide.
Printed Materials
For printed materials within the Bodleian you will find a large section contained within Public International Law at Internat 570 but if you are looking for material concerned with specific countries then you will also find material shelved within the collection of that jurisdiction. For example Public Law after the Human Rights Act, Tom Hickman (OUP, 2010) is shelved with the UK monographs at KM201.HIC.2010 as it is a book regarding the human rights legislation within the UK. There are also some materials held within the General and Comparative Law and Jurisprudence collection.
Online Resources
If are looking to find information online then there are a number of resources that are available. Some of these are freely available web resources such as the United Nations website and a selection of these are included in the web links box on the left. There are a number of subscription databases that cover public international law and are available to OU members.Two of the most useful resources to start with are below.
Oxford Reports on International Law & Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law This encyclopedia covering all public international law. It has updated articles on a number of broad topics which provides background information, links to documents, a selected bibliography and selected links to primary sources.
For more specific information regarding human rights in different jurisdictions and different types of materials then use the tabs at the top of the page.
The United Nations and Human Rights: A Critical Appraisal by 
The Customary International Law of Human Rights by 
The Making of International Human Rights: the 1960s, decolonization, and the reconstruction of global values by Below are links to take you to other Bodleian guides which may help you with your studies in this area.
Below is a list of links to general guides to researching human rights law produced by external organisations.
