Florida State University College of Law Research Center

Database Searching:Super Searching

TechniquesElizabeth FarrellFSU College of Law Research Center

February, 2008

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Designing Better Searches

• WHY? – Well crafted searches = more precise– Better Results, Higher Confidence

• The Good & Bad News– Good: Robust, sophisticated search

engines in many commercial databases– Bad: Fewer features and some

limitations for web search engines

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Why Super-Searchers Prefer Terms & Connectors

• High level of search precision

• High confidence in search results

• Lots of control over search input

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Using Terms & Connectors

• Also known as “Boolean” searching• Uses connectors like OR, AND, NOT

between search terms• Can specify:

– mandatory terms– alternate terms– terms to exclude– terms in specific parts of the document– terms appearing X times– terms within a certain proximity of other

terms

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Designing an Effective Search – Step by Step

• Step 1: Gather Enough Information• Step 2: Frame and Articulate the Issue• Step 3: Determine Key Search Terms• Step 4: Add Alternate Terms• Step 5: Determine Relationships between

Terms• Step 6: Use Fields/Segments to Add

Precision• Step 7: Use Advanced Boolean Features

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Step 1: Gather Enough Information

• What are you trying to find?– Jurisdiction– Types of materials

• Is a database search the best option?

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Step 2: Frame and Articulate the Issue

Consider…• The information as if you were

briefing a case• Searching the opposite side of the

issue• Imagining how the ideal document

might discuss the issue

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Step 3: Determine Key Search Terms

A well-framed issue will usually make the key search terms easy to see.

Examples:• Elements required to prove malice• Relied on a misrepresentation of the

facts

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Step 3: Determine Key Search Terms

• Good search terms…– Carry meaning – Are essential to the issue

• Be cautious of…– Superfluous or incidental terms– Alternate phrasing

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Step 4: Add Alternate Terms

• Synonyms are critical to good searches

damag! or destroy! or total! w/10 car or automobile or vehicle

• Antonyms can also be helpful

admit! or admiss! or inadmiss! or relevan! or irrelevan! w/5 evidence

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Step 5: Determine Relationships between Terms

The purpose of connectors is to show the desired relationships between terms.

Examples:•fraud AND insurance•tax! w/3 income•damages w/25 negligen!•res judicata

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Step 6: Use Fields/Segments to Add Precision

Online documents are divided up into searchable segments (or fields). Users can specify where within a document a term should appear.

judges(o'connor) and court(eighth circuit) and drugs or narcotics

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Step 7: Use Advanced Boolean Features

Specify… • Singular/plural word forms• Upper/lowercase characters• Number of times a word/phrase

appears• Terms to exclude

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Searching Outside Lexis & Westlaw

• Other subscription databases (BNA, CCH, Hein)– Many have boolean and/or advanced search

capabilities – use them!– Syntax may vary slightly, but the principles are

the same.

• Internet Search Engines– Understand the content and searching limitations– Explore advanced search features (if available).

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Questions?