The Upper Level Writing Requirement (ULWR): Stage 3: Researching for the Paper

Obviously, choosing a database that isn’t likely to have what you need would not be wise.

But, Capital provides access to a variety of databases that, in turn, provide access to a plethora of resources dealing with all kinds of subjects, including non-law subjects.

All can be found on the Law Library’s Databases webpage.

Advanced Electronic Research is all about:

• Precision
• Quality of Results (Cutting Down on Mis-Hits)
• Efficient Use of Time

To achieve these goals:

• DON’T just use the Search Bar on the Home Page; instead, drill down to more specific sources
  • The initial Search Bar searches most available information, but not all of it
  • If you are looking for something specific, why waste time searching in sources you know it won’t be in
• And use the other tools available to you

A Frequency Command requires that the subject search term appear at least N number of times within the retrieved document.

E.g., ATLEAST10(incarceration) requires that the term “incarceration” must appear a minimum of 10 times in each document retrieved.

• Reduces mis-hits
• Documents retrieved are really discussing your terms not just merely mentioning them

Use Quotation Marks [“ “] to require an exact term or phrase

• “ “ turns OFF any automatic pluralization or other equivalencies
• “ “ also turns ON the ability to search for Noise Words
  • Noise Words are words so common they are usually not searchable as themselves unless within “ “: the, a, an, and, or, of, at, as, if, is, it, [etc.]
• On Westlaw, motor vehicle would look for motor OR vehicle
  • A space is generally treated as an OR unless the terms are in “ “: “motor vehicle”

Use Parentheses [( )] to alter the Order of Operations or identify the subject of a frequency or field/segment command

Besides Westlaw Precision and Lexis+, you should consider researching in:

• HeinOnline
• ProQuest Congressional (federal legislative information)
• Legislative Insight (federal legislative information)
• Regulatory Insight
• Edward Elgar Law Collection
• Edward Elgar Open Access Titles (access to non-law titles as well)
• Trends and Policy: U.S. Environment and U.S. Immigration
• Homeland Security Digital Library
• Capital University Blackmore Library Databases
• OhioLINK Central Catalog and Databases

• Connectors (such as AND, OR, /N, % [the NOT connector])
• Wildcards: Root Expanders (!) and Universal Characters (* or ?)
• Frequency Function/Command: ATLEASTn(xxxxxxxxx)
• Fields/Segments
• “Quotation Marks” and (Parentheses)

†Not necessarily available in all databases

Each document is broken down into various pieces

• Westlaw calls them Fields
• Lexis calls them Segments

Which Fields/Segments are available differs depending on the type of document and the service being used

• The label for the Field/Segment becomes a command to search only in that part of the document

To determine what Fields/Segments are available (and what labels to use for them), click Advanced Search [Lexis] or Advanced [Westlaw] at the right side of the Search Bar after narrowing to your desired source.

1. Wildcards
2. “ “ [exact term or phrase]
3. Frequency Commands
4. Field/Segment Restrictions
5. OR
6. Number-based proximity connectors: /N, PRE/N, +N, NOT/N  [smaller number processed first]
7. Sentence-based proximity connectors: /S, PRE/S, +S, NOT/S
8. Paragraph-based proximity connectors: /P, PRE/P, +P, NOT/P
9. AND
10. AND NOT, BUT NOT, %

[Identical connectors are processed left to right]