Introduction to Online Legal Research  (Westlaw and Lexis)
Professor Callister


Session: Fall - Spring
Working with databases with tables of contents.Using clip and alert services to stay current.Keeping track of your searches.Practice problems for the Fall Session of Westlaw and Lexis instruction.
Segment and restricted field searching.Natural language search on both Lexis and Westlaw.How to find similar documents using Lexis More Like This searching.How to searcher for similar cases using West Key Numbers.How to check status with Shepards and KeyCite.
Westlaw:  Key Number Searches
Field-Restricted Key Number Searches		  
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Note that after selecting the  icon button, some of the information available under "Searching and Fields" includes descriptions of the various fields.  Westlaw has some powerful choices for field-restricted searching: 
  • "TO" field focuses on West case's Topic and Key Numbers
  • "HE" focuses the search on the West headnotes (i.e., the descriptions appearing after an individual Topic and Key Number entry at the beginning of a West case)
  • "DI" combines the "TO" and "HE" fields
  • "SY" covers a case's synopsis (the summary of the case prepared by West editors)

© 2002, Paul D. Callister