Find new topics before they are even published in journals and law reviews. Authors submit their papers in these pre-publication databases while they wait to get published. Browse recent papers to get ideas about what topics are hot and how issues are presented.
Working papers, technical reports, conference procedings, and government documents, traditionally were called gray literature and before the web, these were very difficult to locate. Not so anymore!
Open Web. Social Science Research Network (SSRN) is devoted to the rapid worldwide dissemination of social science research (includes law) and is composed of a number of specialized research networks in each of the social sciences. The University of Akron School of Law posts faculty publications on SSRN. The database is free to use. You do not need to login to search the database. You can also use Google Scholar to search this database.