HeinOnline’s ScholarCheck is a series of tools which help researchers locate and access related material  from inside HeinOnline and via Fastcase. ScholarCheck also keeps track of the number of times articles are cited by other articles and cases. One of the more recent metrics tracked by ScholarCheck is the number of times articles have been accessed within a rolling 12-month period by other HeinOnline users. The HeinOnline development team recently ran a report of the articles which had the greatest increase in the number of times accessed between January 2016 and now, and some trending topics are discussed below.

Peer-to-Peer Marketplace

Companies such as Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb continue to grow the peer-to-peer marketplace addressing ride-sharing, lodging, cooking, delivery and other services. The quick and unexpected rise of these companies has presented new and unforeseen issues to pre-existing statutes and regulations. HeinOnline has experienced increased access to content covering this subject. 

• Ridesharing in the Sharing Economy: Should Regulators Impose Uber Regulations on Uber (101 Iowa L. Rev. 405) was accessed more than 500 times this year and is currently cited by 3 articles in HeinOnline.
• Self-Regulation and Innovation in the Peer-to-Peer Sharing Economy (82 U. Chi. L. Rev. Dialogue 116) was accessed 500 more times this past year and is cited by 9 articles in HeinOnline.
• Does Sharing Mean Caring? Regulating Innovation in the Sharing Economy (16 Minn. J.L. Sci. & Tech. 413) was accessed 430 more times this past year and is currently cited by 19 articles in HeinOnline.
• Airbnb: A Case Study in Occupancy Regulation and Taxation (82 U. Chi. L. Rev. Dialogue 103) was accessed 330 more times this past year and is currently cited by 8 articles in HeinOnline.

Race and Ethnicity

Race continues to be a leading topic in the legal world in relation to many different areas including civil rights, the criminal justice system, and education, just to name a few.

• Rights and Status of Indigenous Peoples: A Global Comparative and International Legal Analysis (12 Harv. Hum. Rts. J. 57) was accessed 1,010 more times than the previous year and is currently cited by 119 articles in HeinOnline.
• The New Jim Crow Symposium: Mass Incarceration: Causes, Consequences, and Exit Strategies (9 Ohio St. J. Crim. L.  7) was accessed 680 more times than the previous year and is cited by 20 articles in HeinOnline.
• Becoming the Mainstream: Merit, Changing Demographics, and Higher Education in California (10 La Raza L.J.  645) was accessed 390 more times than the previous year and is cited by 7 articles.
• Emotional Competence, Multicultural Lawyering and Race Therapeutic Jurisprudence Symposium (3 Fla. Coastal L.J. 219) was accessed 300 more times than the previous year and is cited by 29 articles in HeinOnline.

United States Constitution

The meaning and interpretation of the United States Constitution has been studied throughout the history of the nation, and this year was no different.

• Does the Constitution Mean What It Says? (129 Harv. L. Rev. 1) was accessed more than 1,800 times this year and is cited by 8 articles in HeinOnline.
• A New Birth of Freedom?: Obergefell v. Hodges (129 Harv. L. Rev. 147) was accessed more than 370 times this year and is cited by 14 articles in HeinOnline.

After reviewing the article A New Birth of Freedom?: Obergefell v. Hodges, don’t forget to view the controversial landmark case regarding same-sex marriages of Obergefell et al. v. Hodges available in the U.S. Supreme Court Library.

United States Supreme Court

The United States Supreme Court is the highest federal court of the United States and has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all federal courts and over state court cases involving issues of federal law. The Supreme Court is the final interpreter of federal constitutional law, acting within the context of the case. The HeinOnline Supreme Court Library includes comprehensive coverage of U.S. Reports, which are the official full text of all decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States and the official record of its rulings, orders, case tables, and other proceedings. The Preliminary Prints and Slip Opinions are also included to ensure no lack in coverage. 

U.S. Supreme Court cases which have experienced substantial increase in citations by articles and articles include:

• Grutter v. Bollinger et al. (539 U.S. 306) explores affirmative action and whether the use of race as a factor in student admissions is unlawful. This case was cited by 150 more articles than the previous year and is currently cited by 3,864 articles, 369 cases, and 4 American Law Institute articles.
• Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (558 U.S. 310) dealt with the regulation of campaign spending by organization.  This case was cited by 350 more articles than the previous year and is currently cited by 1,423 articles, 713 cases, and 11 ALI articles.
• Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (438 U.S. 265) was a landmark case regarding affirmative action in relation to college admission policies. This case was cited by 170 more articles than the previous year and is currently cited by 7,420 articles, 987 cases, and 4 ALI articles.
• Washington et al. v. Glucksberg et al. (521 U.S. 702) was a landmark case regarding assisted-suicide. This case was cited by 131 more articles than the previous year and is currently cited by 3,171 articles, 1,556 cases, and 1 ALI article.

These articles and cases show some correclation between race, regulations, and civil rights.  It will be interesting to see what similar and new topics will be trending in the future.  Be sure to check back in HeinOnline for more and updated information!

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