Q UICK R EFERENCE C ARD ( WWW. LOISLAW. COM ) Connectors Search Tips There are five logical connectors you can use to search for two or more words in the same field. You can mix or match multiple connectors in a search expression to make it more specific. Use either the connector word or the symbol. Do not use both. 1. Start Simple Connector Symbol Searches For Examples AND OR NOT & | % Both terms in the document field Either term in the document field First term, but no term following “NOT” must be present in the document field employer and harassment automobile or vehicle pistol not rifle NEAR NEARX / /X modification near contract estate near5 decedent “x x” “ Both terms within 20 words of each other Both terms within a specified number of words (x) Two or more words as a phrase “adverse possession” Parentheses and Multiple Connectors Parentheses can make your search expressions even more specific. Use them to combine similar terms or to establish the order of priority when using multiple connectors. Search Expression Employ near2 (terminate or discharge) Result Employ will appear “ within two words of terminate or employ will appear within two words of discharge. Search Expressions Single-Word Expressions Loislaw.com automatically retrieves most variant forms of words of more than three letters. e.g. Murder finds murders, murdered and murderer Asterisks The asterisk can be used as a word expander to retrieve all possible endings of a word. e.g. librar* finds library, libraries and librarian; 198* finds documents dated from 1980 to 1989 Question Mark The question mark (?) can be used as a word expander to retrieve all possible forms of a word. e.g. s?nk finds sink, sank and sunk SM - Loislaw.com’s Citation Checking Service When viewing the full text of any case, statute or regulation in the Loislaw.com database, “click” the GlobalCite button located in the lower left corner of your screen to access all Loislaw.com documents which cite the document you are viewing. Tips For Using Citation Numbers SelectCite To find a known case opinion by citation, select only the single database containing that case, choose the SelectCite option on the Search Page, enter the citation volume and page number and "click" Run Search. You may locate up to 5 case opinions in any given database in each SelectCite search. When entering the official or parallel citation number, pay close attention to the spacing and internal periods. Tip Use a space between citation segments Use a space after a period when it appears at the end of a citation segment Don’t use a space when a period comes in the middle of a citation segment Use a period to separate terms within a publication Correct Incorrect 317 ark. 374 317ark374 317 ark. 374 317 ark.374 877 s.w.2d 921 877 s. w. 2d 921 616 n.e.2d 464 616 ne2d 464 (Use the “near” connector to avoid many punctuation problems and variations. i.e. 317 ark. 374 = 317 near2 374. See the tutorial sections Searching for Cases and Searching for Statutes for additional assistance.) The on-line tutorial is located on the tool bar at the top of the user’s Loislaw.com screen. ©Copyright 2000, Loislaw.com, Inc. ® Start with just a few terms. Do not include every possible word in your search, only the most important or unique words for your topic. 2. Be Careful with Phrases When searching for a well-known topic like child custody, you will get better results if you broaden your search with the NEAR operator to find all the uses of the words. e.g. child near custody finds: the mother had custody of her child as well as child custody 3. Use NEAR for Names Proper names are not used consistently in the law. Therefore, when looking for a person’s name or any proper name, use the NEAR connector to find all forms of that name. e.g. paul near2 jones finds paul d. jones and paul david jones 4. Be Broad When Searching Statutes, Codes and Regulations Individual sections in statutes and regulations generally have only a few words, so searching for them is a more concise process than case law. e.g. first and murder finds the first degree murder statute 5. Use the Power of Field Searching Loislaw.com divides a document into fields so you can find what you want quickly. Field searching lets you use bits and pieces to get to the law. Perhaps you know that the case you are looking for was a Supreme Court case decided in the 1980’s that dealt with tenant damages in a rental property and a rental deposit. You would search: e.g. “Appellate Court Field” = supreme “Year of Opinion Field” = 198* “Majority Opinion Text Field” = tenant? and deposit? and damage? Refining Results Too many documents found Too many results usually means your search criteria are too broad. You can narrow your search by: • Adding another term to your search expression, using the and, Refine not, or near connector Your Search • Exchanging one or more of your search terms with new terms • Replacing the and connector with near • Excluding a term using the not connector • Entering search criteria in multiple fields Not enough documents found If your search found too few documents, it usually means your search criteria are too narrow. You can broaden your search by: • Adding an * to your search expression to find variations of your search terms Expand Your Search • Using synonyms for appropriate search terms • Removing a search term • Inserting the near connector between words in a phrase Need Help? There are three easy ways to get help. 1. Comprehensive tutorial. We strongly recommend that any new user take 20 to 30 minutes to go through the tutorial. Loislaw.com and the tutorial can be open at the same time to speed up the learning process. NOTE: This option is not available without version 4.x of Microsoft® Internet Explorer with Service Pack 2 or higher or Netscape Navigator 4.05 or higher. 2. Built-in help aids. Screen Overview, FAQ and Help are available. 3. Unlimited toll-free technical support call 1-877-471-5632 or e-mail tech@loislaw.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 11/00 QUICK REFERENCE CARD (CD-ROM - PITA98) Search Tips Connectors There are five logical connectors you can use to search for two or more words in the same field. Refer to the sample searches for suggestions on using these terms. Connector Symbol AND OR NOT & | % NEAR / “x x” “ Searches For 1. Start Simple Examples Both terms in the document field Either term in the document field First term, but no term following “NOT” must be present in the document field Both terms within a specified number of lines of each other such as “near2” or “near4” (near=same paragraph) Two or more words as a phrase employer and harassment automobile or vehicle pistol not rifle modification near contract N P ESC Book List Saved Searches Toggle between open PITA windows Next Hit Previous Hit Close Window Start with just a few terms. Do not include every possible word in your search, only the most important or unique words for your topic. 2. Be Careful with Phrases When searching for a well-known topic like child custody, you will get better results if you broaden your search with the NEAR operator to find all the uses of the words. e.g. child near2 custody finds: the mother had custody of her child as well as child custody 3. Use NEAR for Names “adverse possession” Proper names are not used consistently in the law. Therefore, when looking for a person’s name or any proper name, use the NEAR connector to find all forms of that name. e.g. paul near2 jones finds paul d. jones and paul david jones 4. Be Broad When Searching Statutes, Codes and Regulations PITA98 Keyboard Commands F2 F4 F10 CTRL T CTRL C CTRL V CTRL PGDN CTRL PGUP Home End Search for highlighted text Copy Text Paste Text Next Document Found Previous Document Found Top of Document End of Document Search Expressions Question Mark The question mark (?) can be used as a word expander to retrieve all possible endings of a word. e.g. librar? finds library, libraries and librarian; 198? finds documents dated from 1980 to 1989 Tips For Using Citation Numbers Tip Use a space between citation segments Use a space after a period when it appears at the end of a citation segment Don’t use a space when a period comes in the middle of“a citation segment Use a period to separate terms within a publication Optional period to separate the publication from the page number Individual sections in statutes and regulations generally have only a few words, so searching for them is a more concise process than case law. e.g. first and murder finds the first degree murder statute 5. Use the Power of Field Searching Loislaw.com divides a document into fields so you can find what you want quickly. Field searching lets you use bits and pieces to get to the law. Perhaps you know that the case you are looking for was a Supreme Court case decided in the 1980’s that dealt with tenant damages in a rental property and a rental deposit. You would search: e.g. “Appellate Court Field” = supreme “Year of Opinion Field” = 198? “Majority Opinion Text Field” = tenant? and deposit? and damage? Refining Results Too many documents found When entering the official or parallel citation number, pay close attention to the spacing and internal periods. Correct Incorrect 317 ark. 374 317ark374 317 ark. 374 317 ark.374 877 s.w.2d 921 877 s. w. 2d 921 616 n.e.2d 464 616 ne2d 464 416 mass 20 416 mass. 20 If your search produced too many results, do not panic. Too many results usually means your search criteria are too broad. You can narrow your search by: Refine Your Search Need Help? There are four easy ways to get help with your LOIS CD. 1. LOIS CD guide. 4. Unlimited toll-free technical support call 1-877-471-5632 or e-mail tech@loislaw.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. • Exchanging one or more of your search terms with new terms • Replacing the and connector with near • Entering search criteria in multiple fields Not enough documents found If your search found too few documents, it usually means your search criteria are too narrow. You can broaden your search by: 2. Comprehensive tutorial. We strongly recommend that any new user take 20 to 30 minutes to go through the tutorial. The LOIS CD and the tutorial can be open at the same time to speed up the learning process. (NOTE: This option is not available without version 4.x or higher of Internet Explorer.) 3. Built-in help aids. Screen Overview, FAQ and Help are available. • Adding another term to your search expression, using the and, not, or near connector • Excluding a term using the not connector (Use the “near” connector to avoid many punctuation problems and variations. i.e. 317 ark. 374 = 317 near2 374. See the tutorial sections Searching for Cases and Searching for Statutes for additional assistance.) The on-line tutorial is located on the tool bar at the top of the user’s Loislaw.com screen. ©Copyright 2000, Loislaw.com, Inc. ® • Adding a ? to your search expression to find variations of your search terms Expand Your Search • Using synonyms for appropriate search terms • Removing a search term • Inserting the near connector between words in a phrase 11/00