
| Advanced Legal Research |
Robert Harrison, Blair Kauffman, Lisa Spar |
| Spring 1998 |
|
CASES - PART 2
I. Standard Search Strategies
A. Westlaw
- scope - to determine what database/file contains
- search
IDEN database - for availability and coverage
- fields
sy,di - synopsis, digest fields will not search whole case but summary and
headnotes, [e.g. sy,di(software)]
B. Lexis
.gu - to determine what database/file contains
search GUIDE:GUIDE - for availability and coverage
segments - .se
II. Search strategies for Cases
A. Westlaw
- find or fi - find specific case when you have the cite on Westlaw, [e.g. fi 400 US 1]
- key number search on Westlaw - combine topic and key number with search terms
Use KEY services
B. Lexis
- lexsee - find specific case when you have the cite on Lexis [e.g. lexsee 400 US 1]
- atleast#(term) on Lexis - require term to appear atleast # times [e.g. atleast3(software)]
III. Some Relevant databases
A. Westlaw - allfeds, allstates, sct, , sct-old, cta, dct, xx-cs(where xx is a state postal
code)
B. Lexis - genfed:courts, states:courts, genfed;us, genfed:usapp, genfed:dist, states:xxxx
(where xxxx is a state's abbreviation)
IV. Sample searches [in italics] (used in class)
A. Westlaw
- fi 400 us 1
- allfeds - 99k1
This is a key number search on the nature of statutory copyright - (99 is the number
assigned by Westlaw for the topic Copyright and 1 is the key number for nature of
statutory copyright)
- allfeds - 99k! and software and crim! and"bulletin board" internet "world wide web"
- allfeds - copyright! /p software and crim! and "bulletin board" internet "world
wide web"
- allfeds - 99k! and sy,di(software)
- natural language search
allfeds - Is it criminal to post copyrighted software to a "bulletin board" (internet
"world wide web")
B. Lexis
- genfed;courts - lexsee 400 us 1
- genfed;courts - copyright! /p atleast3( software) and crim! and bulletin board or
internet or world wide web
- freestyle search
genfed;courts - Is it criminal to post copyrighted software to a "bulletin board"
(internet "world wide web")
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