# About This Site

This site contributes to ongoing worldwide initiatives to increase access to educational resources for students through [open educational resources (OER)](#user-content-fn-1)[^1]. Among a number of other advantages, OER (a) help mitigate some of the perpetually increasing costs of education, (b) allow educators the flexibility to provide materials customized to their students' needs, and (c) are easy to update.\*[^2] (After all, instructors and students alike have experienced the student’s dilemma of whether to pay the premium price of a required textbook's "new edition" or save money with a potentially outdated older edition. And let's face it, students have no realistic way of determining whether there are any meaningful differences between a "new edition" and a previous version. Sometimes, there are, sometimes, there aren't.)

[Studies De Jure](https://studies-de-jure.gitbook.io/learn) hosts a collection of [openly licensed](https://studies-de-jure.gitbook.io/learn/glossary#open-license) and free to be reused, redistributed, [adapted, and/or remixed](https://help.oercommons.org/support/solutions/articles/42000046860-remix-a-resource). The Sourcebooks section of the site contains primarily content for undergraduate legal courses. Complying with copyright licensing terms, I have adapted, remixed, and/or incorporated other creators' work into these materials to avoid reinventing the wheel, as well as integrated content that I authored, for a customized and interactive experience. Attributions and licensing details for adapted/remixed works appear on each page.

Finally, a note about generative AI: If I used the assistance of text or image generation tools, that will be clearly noted in the Attribution and Licensing section at the bottom of the relevant page(s). Any stylistic elements that are commonly associated with generative AI output (such as emojis[^3], [em dashes](#user-content-fn-4)[^4], bullet point lists, etc.) are my independent and intentional stylistic choices.

I hope these resources are helpful!

\~ *Matt Mac Kelly, JD, EdD*

## Navigation Tips

Use the table of contents in the left sidebar to browse through the resources. Click on any section or subsection to view its content. Scroll down to read the entire page.

{% hint style="info" %} <mark style="color:$primary;">**Pages with multiple headings/subsections have their own table of contents on the right side of the page.**</mark> (For example, see the right side of this screen.) The table on the right might not appear on smaller screens, such as phones and small tablets.
{% endhint %}

### Interactive Elements

Engage with any interactive elements such as links, [annotations, expandable widgets](#user-content-fn-5)[^5], videos, and other embedded content that may be included in the sourcebook. This can help you better understand the content, and you can receive additional insights. Make sure to spend adequate time on these interactive features to fully benefit from the sourcebook.

<details>

<summary><mark style="color:$primary;"><strong>How Annotations Work in This Sourcebook</strong></mark></summary>

The sourcebook's text includes many annotations, which are indicated by text with a dotted underline like this: [This text is annotated.](#user-content-fn-6)[^6] To read the annotation, hover over the underlined text and click/tap. A bubble will appear and display the annotation. These annotations provide additional context and information while also decluttering the main reading area.

Also, instead of traditional footnotes or endnotes, many references and citations to original source content are located in these annotations.

</details>

### **Search Functionality**

#### Search and Quick Find

To find specific topics or keywords within the sourcebook, use the **Ask or Search** bar, usually located in the banner at the top of the page.

{% hint style="info" %} <mark style="color:$primary;">**Click the link to learn more about using GitBook's**</mark> [<mark style="color:blue;">**Search & Quick find**</mark> <mark style="color:$primary;">**tool**</mark>](https://docs.gitbook.com/content-editor/searching-your-content/quick-find)<mark style="color:red;">.</mark>
{% endhint %}

#### AI Functionality

To use GitBook's AI tool, type your question into the **Ask or Search** bar, usually located in the top-right corner of each page. This can help you find exact matches and provide other relevant responses based on the sourcebook's contents.

{% hint style="info" %} <mark style="color:$primary;">You may also quickly access this tool by pressing</mark> <mark style="color:$primary;"></mark><mark style="color:$primary;">**Ctrl + K**</mark> <mark style="color:$primary;"></mark><mark style="color:$primary;">on a PC or</mark> <mark style="color:$primary;"></mark><mark style="color:$primary;">**⌘ + K**</mark> <mark style="color:$primary;"></mark><mark style="color:$primary;">on a Mac.</mark>
{% endhint %}

### Day/Night Mode

At the bottom of the page, usually in the lower-right side, you may toggle between day and night displays, depending on your viewing preferences.

<figure><img src="https://1975576868-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FGadqYnQq6nrcfzJhclgF%2Fuploads%2FrU4ZQSc1TTTzD3t370BH%2FScreenshot_18-6-2024_172012_prof-mackelly.gitbook.io.jpeg?alt=media&#x26;token=84032adf-16f8-48e2-a926-c9ff8b329c6c" alt=""><figcaption><p>Toggle screen display between day and night</p></figcaption></figure>

## Legal Notice

{% hint style="danger" %}
***The content on this site contains legal information intended for educational purposes only and not to be construed as legal advice. Please consult a qualified legal professional before making legal decisions.***
{% endhint %}

<details>

<summary>Other Attributions and Licensing</summary>

This page is marked with [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/?ref=chooser-v1). No copyright or license is claimed for the content on this page other than those claimed/reserved by [GitBook](https://www.gitbook.com/?utm_source=content\&utm_medium=trademark\&utm_campaign=NkEGS7hzeqa35sMXQZ4X).\
\
This site's [scale/books](https://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/laws_1728907?term=scale+book\&page=1\&position=1\&origin=style\&related_id=1728907) favicon by [monkik](https://www.flaticon.com/authors/monkik) is used under the [flaticon attribution license](https://media.flaticon.com/license/license.pdf?_ga=2.69178129.1656656520.1770129443-1915078148.1769719266&_gl=1*ea791g*test_au*MTY2MzIzMTUzNC4xNzY5NzE5MjY2*test_ga*MTkxNTA3ODE0OC4xNzY5NzE5MjY2*test_ga_523JXC6VL7*czE3NzAxMjk0NDMkbzQkZzEkdDE3NzAxMzE1NDAkajYwJGwwJGgw*fp_au*MjAzMTQ1NjI0Mi4xNzY5NzkwMTMw*fp_ga*MTkxNTA3ODE0OC4xNzY5NzE5MjY2*fp_ga_1ZY8468CQB*czE3NzAxMjk0NDMkbzQkZzEkdDE3NzAxMzE1NDAkajYwJGwwJGgw).

</details>

[^1]: Free educational material that is openly licensed to enable reuse and redistribution by users ([Elder, 2019](https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/oerstarterkit/chapter/introduction/)).

[^2]: See, e.g., M'hammed Abdous, [*Unlocking the Potential of Open Educational Resources: Trends, Benefits, and Challenges in U.S. Higher Education*](https://www.odu.edu/facultydevelopment/article/unlocking-the-potential-of-open-educational-resources-trends-benefits), Old Dominion University (Oct. 17, 2024); Lindsay Josephs, [*The Future of OER in Higher Education*](https://www.aacsb.edu/insights/articles/2024/05/the-future-of-oer-in-higher-education), Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (May 7, 2024).

[^3]: No apologies. They're fun, and they're at the center of a [number of legal issues](https://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/category/emojis).

[^4]: Generative AI seems to have given the em dash a bad name. Not only are em dashes actually commonly seen in legal writing and textbook publishing, but they have also been used in [literary writing no later than the 17th century](https://publishingstate.com/who-first-used-the-em-dash-a-short-history-of-a-long-mark/2025/#early-typographic-roots).

[^5]: Such as this: [**How Annotations Work in This Sourcebook**](#how-annotations-work-in-this-sourcebook), below. Click the caret (**>**) on the left side of the widget to expand and reveal its contents.

[^6]: This is the annotation.
