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Introduction to Online Legal Research  (Westlaw and Lexis)
Professors Healey, Callister, Johnson, Williams & Ribstein & Ms. Denslaw

Session: Fall - Spring

How to conduct searches within a searching using Lexis Focus and Weslaw Locate.How to use preformulated terms and connector searches on given topics using Westlaw Keysearch.Practice problems for the Fall Session of Westlaw and Lexis instruction.line
How to register your ID and login.How to find the appropriate database to search.How to retrieve a document by its citation or name.How to print, download and email documents.How to construct terms and connector searches.

Westlaw:  Terms & Connector Searches


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In Westlaw, most of the terms and connectors commands are similar or identical to commands in Lexis.  Notable exceptions are that Westlaw uses "but not" instead of "and not" and has no "not /n" (not within so many words) command as in Lexis.  Consequently, if you wish to review an example of a terms and connectors search, refer to the example in the preceding tutorial pages for Lexis.

If you forget how to use Westlaw commands, use the Connector/Expanders menu below or click the Connectors/Expanders link for a complete list of connectors and expanders.  Like Lexis' Suggested Words and Concepts, Westlaw has a Thesaurus  to help users think of synonyms and similar phrases.  The Date Restrictions option is used to limit your search to documents from a specific period, and the Dates link lets you pick specific dates.  You will learn more about Fields restrictors in the instructional sessions conducted during the Spring semester.
Note the "Connectors/Expanders" and "Dates" links below the search query box. Also note the "Thesaurus" to the right of the search query box.  

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