Database Searching

Does anyone know what this means? (defin! OR constru! OR expl! OR exam!) w/2 “search” AND “fourth amendment”

Full-Text Searching There are two basic types of full-text searching methods: Natural language searches Boolean searches a.k.a. terms and connectors searches

Terms & Connectors a.k.a. “Boolean” searching Full- Text Searching Natural Language Terms & Connectors a.k.a. “Boolean” searching “Plain English” style search, similar to a google search Enter keywords, phrases, sentences or questions in any sequence Limited number of results (100-250) Results ranked by relevancy Not an excuse for sloppy/lazy searches! More precise than natural language searching. “Terms” are the words and phrases you select to express the legal concept you’re looking for Connectors” are operators a researcher places between these words and phrases to relate them to one another Example of connectors: OR, AND, NOT

Which search method to choose Natural Language Unfamiliar with the issue’s key terms & vocabulary Need a starting point for research Terms & Connectors When trying to be comprehensive If you need to know every time a word or phrase occurs in a set of materials, or for specific facts When trying to be precise If you are looking for a particular terms or document, statute or regulation, key number, a specific company

Terms Root Expander (!) retrieves all extensions of words with variant endings (up to 16 characters). Drunk! Retrieves drunk, drunken, and drunkard. Be careful not to truncate your root term too severely. Depo! Retrieves not only forms of deposition, but also deposit, depositor, deposited, deport, deportation, etc. The Universal Character (*) is used in place of a letter (like a wild card or a blank tile in Scrabble). dr*nk retrieves drank, drink, and drunk. The universal character cannot be used in place of the first letter of a word.

Connectors AND means the search will retrieve documents containing the terms on both sides of the connector. Use for distinct concepts. Ex: divorce AND insurance OR means the search will retrieve documents containing either of the terms on both sides of the connector. Use for synonyms/like terms. Ex: “car” OR “automobile” OR “vehicle” /p means the search will retrieve documents containing the terms within the same paragraph Ex: host! /p intoxicat! dr*nk! Alcohol! /s guest /s means the search will retrieve documents containing the terms within the same sentence

Steps in Constructing a Search: ITAC Method (Issue, Terms, Alternatives, Connectors) Step 1: Clearly state the ISSUE, using legal terminology when possible. Stating your issue as a question is a good way to clarify your thoughts. Example: Is a social host liable for injuries caused by his intoxicated guests?

Steps in Constructing a Search: ITAC Method Step 2- Select a few key TERMS from your issue. (Using three to five key terms works well for most issues.) For example: host, injury ,intoxicated, guest

Steps in Constructing a Search: ITAC Method Step 3: Enter reasonable ALTERNATIVE terms for your key terms. Use acronyms and antonyms as well as synonyms.) A term that may seem to have little relationship to a key term may be a reasonable alternative. For example: The host of a party could be a corporation, an association, or a club. host intoxicated guest hostess drunk attendee corporations D.U.I. invitee association D.W.I. sober

Steps in Constructing a Search: ITAC Method Step 4: Add appropriate CONNECTORS to specify the relationship you want each term and its alternatives to have to the other terms and their alternatives. For example: host hostess /p intoxicated or drunk or alcohol /s guest

Evaluating Your Results If you recover too few results: Make sure you’ve crafted your search to pick up different word forms of search terms. Try broadening your search by adding additional terms after an OR. If you recover too many results: Consider separating issues you may not have separated before. Rethink your connectors, leaning more toward AND as well as proximity connectors.