Running an Advanced Search 1. 2. 3. 4. Type ADV: in front of your search Run a search that includes a proximity connector (/5, /S, /P) or quotation marks After a natural language search, narrow your results with Search within Results. Click on Advanced to the right of the search bar. Fields Fields are used to limit a search to certain parts of a document to increase the relevance of search results. • Commonly used case law database fields: SYNOPSIS(SY), HEADNOTE(HE), DIGEST(DI), HOLDING(HG), OPINIONS(OP) • Commonly used statutes database fields: PRELIMARY(PR), CAPTION(CA), STATUTORY TEXT(TE), HISTORICAL NOTES(HN) Singular/Plural cat = cat, cat’s, cats, cats’ cats = cats, cats’ goose = goose, geese, goose’s, geese’s geese = geese, geese’s Truncation • • bite = bite, bites bit! = bit, bite, bites, biting, bitten • bre*ch = breach or breech SYNOPSIS Search Example: • SY(“summary judgment /15 den!) = documents with the terms within in synopsis, background, and holding parts of a case Noise Words To search for unsearchable noise words such as at, or, with, use quotation marks or a hypen “at will employment” at-will-employment Remember a Few Simple Search Structures • • • • • • • • police /5 dog /S bit! police /S dog /S bit! /S suspect police OR sheriff /5 dog OR canine /S bit! OR attack! /P suspect dog OR canine OR “german shepherd” /S bit! OR scratch! /S suspect OR felon police OR sheriff /5 dog OR canine /S bit! OR attack! /P suspect AND “wrongful death” blind! OR sight! OR “impaired vision” OR “vision impairment” /S pedestrian /S hit! OR struck! blind! OR sight! OR (impair! /5 vision) /S pedestrian /S hit! OR struck! blind! OR sight! OR (impair! /5 vision) /S pedestrian /S hit! OR struck! BUT NOT manslaughter Westlaw Advanced Searching/Terms and Connectors Tipsheet Connectors “summary judgment” = summary judgment (phrase) summary judgment = summary or judgment* summary OR judgment = summary or judgment summary AND judgment = summary and judgment police /5 dog = police within 5 words of dog police /S dog = police within the same sentence as dog police /P dog = police within the same paragraph as dog r.i.c.o BUT NOT “puerto rico” = R.I.C.O. (but not Puerto Rico) fda = fda f.d.a. = f.d.a. or fda or f d a roadblock = roadblock road-block = roadblock or road-block or road block atleast5(dog) = dog (at least 5 times in the document) atleast10(“police dog”) = police dog (at least 10 times in the document) *A space is interpreted as an OR, but you can still type in ORs if you wish. Concepts Lexis Advanced Searching Variations A concept is a general idea that can be expressed with many different keywords. • • • Concept Example: short young person Keywords for Concept Example: child, girl, boy, minor, youth, toddler, baby, etc. Just ask yourself, what are the different words that a JUDGE might use when writing an opinion, or a LEGISLATOR might use when writing a law. No quotation marks needed for phrases ORs must be typed in Singular/Plural cat = cat, cat’s, cats, cats’ cats = cat, cat’s, cats, cats’ Avoid remember differences by following these rules for both systems! 1. 2. 3. Always type in ORs Put phrases in quotation marks Use singular form of words Order of Operation Connectors of the same type (OR, AND, proximity connectors) operate from left to right. OR Proximity connectors (/15, /S, /P) AND NOT Parentheses change the order of operation so that connectors inside parentheses operate first. You don’t need to remember anything about the order of operation for a simple search using alternatives terms/phrases separated by ORs with a proximity connector or two. blind! OR sightless OR “impaired vision” /S pedestrian /S accident = documents with any of following: • • • blind! within a sentence of pedestrian within a sentence of accident sightless within a sentence of pedestrian within a sentence of accident impaired vision within a sentence of pedestrian within a sentence of accident If you wish to search for different variations of expressions using a proximity connector, use parentheses to change the order of operation so that the connector in the parentheses operates first. blind! OR sightless OR (impair! /5 vision) /S pedestrian /S accident = documents with any of following: • • • blind! within a sentence of pedestrian within a sentence of accident sightless within a sentence of pedestrian within a sentence of accident impaired vision/vision impaired/vision impairment/vision that was impaired within a sentence of pedestrian within a sentence of accident Search: police OR sheriff AND dog Order: Operates 1st: OR Operates 2nd: AND Results: - documents with police and dog - documents with sheriff and dog Search: police OR (sheriff AND dog) Order: Operates 1st: AND (order changed by parentheses) Operates 2nd: First OR Results: - documents with police - documents with sheriff and dog Search: police OR sheriff /5 dog OR canine Order: Operates 1st: First OR Operates 2nd: Second OR Operates 3rd: /5 Results: - documents with police within 5 words of dog - documents with police within 5 words of canine - documents with sheriff within 5 words of dog - documents with sheriff with 5 words of canine Excluding Most of the Relevant Documents Example You wish to retrieve all documents in the Westlaw’s State Cases database containing any of blind!/sightless/vision impairment/vision impaired/impaired vision/vision that was impaired/etc. within a sentence of pedestrian . blind! OR sightless OR (impair! /5 vision) /S pedestrian = 517 state cases (as of 1/27/2021) with any of the following: • • blind! within a sentence of pedestrian impaired vision/vision impaired/vision impairment/vision that was impaired/impairment of vision within a sentence of pedestrian blind! OR sightless OR impair! /5 vision /S pedestrian = 35 state cases (as of 1/27/2021) with any of the following: • • • blind! within 5 words of vision within a sentence of pedestrian sightless within 5 words of vision within a sentence of pedestrian impaired vision/vision impaired/vision impairment/vision that was impaired within a sentence of pedestrian Note: The second search excludes most of the relevant documents since it excludes all documents with blind! or sightless unless they happen to be within five words of vision.
