Searching Case Law
Searching U.S. Code
Citing Sources

Prior to using LexisNexis Academic, consult a legal encyclopedia to determine the concept you will be researching, as well as fuel the terminology for your search.
American Jurisprudence KF65.L3(Reference) includes a multi-volume, softback General Index. Proceed from the index to the selected topical entry (an alphabetical range of topics appears on spine), which includes a topical scope note, references to aspects of the topic that are treated elsewhere and a general topical outline, followed by a more detailed one.  Since the print subscription was canceled in 2003, you may want to access the electronic version on Westlaw Campus for a more up-to-date edition.

Searching Case Law

To search by party name or legal citation:

1. Select LEGAL button in menu bar.
2. Select FEDERAL & STATE CASES (far-right column).
3. Click on SEARCH button at top right.

Sample searches:

Case Name     Jones v. Trump

Case Name     K Mart Corp. v. Cartier

Citation Number     239 F.3d 1004

To search by keywords:

1. Click first on  LEGAL button in menu bar and next on FEDERAL & STATE CASES (far-right column).
2. Select TERMS AND CONNECTORS.
3. Enter search term(s): drug w/5 test*** w/30 employ! and court(Massachusetts) and opinion(constitutionality)
   
   

   The word drug will appear within up to 5 words of the word test (with up to 3 letter place savers to retrieve test, testing...), which will appear within up to 30 words of employ and all its variant forms (employee, employer...); the words are not in any prescribed order.  Cases are limited to the Massachusetts state courts.  The word "constitutionallity" appears in the opinion written by the presiding judge.
   
    

4. Click on SEARCH button at upper-right.
5. To more easily see your search terms, set  VIEW box to Expanded List or KWIC (Keyword-n-context).
6. Notes: Click on [+]SHOW for other SECTION options. 

   Another sample keyword search: pray! pre/2 school

   This is a strict word order search.  Pray! (prays, prayed, prayer, praying....) precedes school, with no more than two intervening words.

Searching the U.S. Code

When you need to use the U.S. Code

1. Click first on LEGAL in menu bar and next on  FEDERAL & STATE CODES  (on far right).
2. When the legal citation is known, enter cite(18 uscs sec 371).
   
   18 is the code title; uscs is the abbreviation for United States Code Service and sec 371 refers to the code section.
   
3. Click on SEARCH button.
4. Note In addition to cite, other field options are available by clicking on [+] Show.

When you want to link the case citation to the appropriate code section:

1. Follow Step #1 (above)
2. Enter casenotes(410 us 959).
3. In order to view your search terms in the text, set View box to KWIC (Keyword-in-context) or Expanded List.

The legal news and law reviews sections provide secondary sources of information and are helpful for background information (see LAW research guide for sample searches), but the main emphasis is on searching primary law sources, i.e. the actual text of the law.