BLS Library provides many resources to research the World Trade Organization.
For information about upcoming WTO conferences and summaries of recently issued WTO panel/appellate body reports, subscription BNA-ALL database provides the WTO Reporter. Link “Recent Topics” categorizes articles in WTO Reporter by subject. One can also search for articles in WTO Reporter by keywords. Articles in WTO Reporter sometimes link to the text of WTO reports, agreements or jurisprudence.
Trade law experts also discuss WTO developments in International Economic Law and Policy Blog. Justia Blawg Search links to many other international trade blogs.
The WTO’s website provides a free Trade Topics Gateway which contains overviews of subject areas ranging from anti-dumping to TRIPS and public health. These overviews frequently link to full-text documents. The WTO’s website also is useful if a researcher has a cite to a specific WTO document symbol. One can search the Documents Online Gateway by WTO document symbol. TIP: Because the WTO uses “cookies,” one might need to click twice on my links to either Trade Topics Gateway or Documents Online Gateway.
The subscription component of WorldTradeLaw.net website offers helpful commentaries about WTO panel decisions, appellate body decisions and arbitrations. WorldTradeLaw.net also provides a status table about ongoing WTO dispute proceedings and a subject index to WTO dispute proceedings. The free component of WorldTradeLaw.net website provides the text of WTO panel decisions, appellate body decisions and arbitrations.
Subscription TradeLawGuide database is an excellent source of GATT and WTO agreements, as well as WTO jurisprudence.
Tab: “Documents” > subtab: “WTO Agreements & Instruments” includes the text of GATT 1994, WTO-era agreements and Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
Tab: “Article Citator” identifies the paragraphs or footnotes in WTO jurisprudence that discuss specific articles of WTO agreements.
Tab: “Jurisprudence Citator” accepts a citation to a specific WTO panel report (example: DS114) or appellate body report and identifies WTO jurisprudence that has cited to DS114.
The Bluebook (19th ed.) rule pertaining to the World Trade Organization is rule 21.11. This semester, there are three copies of the Dictionary of International Trade Law in the Course Reserve bookcase behind the BLS Library’s Circulation Desk.
Jean Davis, Librarian and Adjunct Professor of Law
