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American Jurisprudence 2nd
West KeySearch
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The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation in Bieber's Dictionary of Legal Citations style examples for a law case and article:

Personal Financial Services, Inc. v. General Motors Acceptance Corporation, 169 F. Supp. 2d 49 (D. Conn., Sep 28, 2001), available in WESTLAW CAMPUS.

Marshall H. Tanick, The Lore of Hockey in Minnesota Law: The Puck Starts Here, Again, BENCH AND BAR OF MINNESOTA, November, 2000, available in WESTLAW CAMPUS, 57-NOV BBMN 32.

For MLA examples, visit the MLA site.

To do a search using natural language:

1. Type in your search using plain English to describe your topic. (A sample search follows these search steps.)
2. Pull down on the date box to set the time frame, if desired.
3. Select the database you would like to search by clicking on the preceding circle from selections under the three major categories of resources: encyclopedias and law reviews, cases, or statutes & legislative materials.
   (The system will retrieve a maximum of 100 matches; for search results greater than 100, use the advanced search mode.)
4. Click GO.
   Note: If you are searching for cases, you may narrow your search by clicking on the Field Restrictions arrow and entering any of the following: Court, Attorney or Judge.
   
   Example: money laundering 
   Database: All Federal Cases 
   Date: year to date
   

Use these search templates if you know either the citation or title of a case.

To do a search using keywords and connectors:

1. Enter search using appropriate connectors from the table below.
2. Follow steps #2-4 above under Basic Search.
3. See table of connectors and search formulas after the examples.
   
   Example: "flag burn!" /s free speech (S = in same sentence.)
   Database: All state cases
   Date restrictions: Unrestricted

To browse an alphabetical list of topics on American Jurisprudence 2nd:

1. Cursor down to American Jurisprudence 2nd and click on Table of Contents to display all topics.
   
2. Cursor down to desired topic and place a checkmark next to it.
3. You may expand a category in one of two ways: click on the + for step-by-step expansion or clicking on Expand selection(s) (at bottom) for total expansion. 
4. Drill down to blue link level; clicking on it will open dialog box to encyclopedia.

While there are similarities between the West digest system and KeySearch, the two are not synonymous; KeySearch on Westlaw Campus is more comprehensive and finer-tuned than what appears in the digests.

1. Click on GO under KeySearch.
2. To scan a topic, type in a search. (You may use all West connectors - see Advanced searching table - except /p.)
3. Click on the link containing your search terms.
4. Select the database content that you would like to search.
   
5. Typing in a search is optional at this stage. (If you would like to focus your search, you may add search terms.) Click Search.
6. Click on the link to display the full text of the case. On the left-hand are links to the case history and citing references.
7. If you opted not to include a search before clicking in Step #5, you will be given another opportunity to search (both at the results screen and at the full text display). Click on Search in Results (at top of page). Alternately, you can use this feature to do a second search (search within a search) to provide even more focused results.

• For further help click on the HELP/FAQ at the top of the screen.

Icons appearing in the upper-right corner of the fulltext document control pringing, emailing and downloading.

1. Quick print prints out the entire document you are viewing.
2. Print, email and Download  enable you to customize output according to the criteria you select.

Westlaw Campus provides access to both primary (cases, statutes, codes, constitutions) and secondary publications (dictionary, encyclopedia, legal commentary, journals and guides) in law.  More specifically, access federal and state case law, the United States Code Annotated (USCA), the Code of Federal Regulations (CFRs), the Federal Register (July, 1980-present), state administrative codes and statutes, American Jurisprudence 2d (law encyclopedia), American Law Reports (ALR) & index covering 2nd-5th and federal series, and 900+ current law journals and reviews, as well as the European Union Library.

Additional features include ten legal guides that provide an introduction to various areas of law, the text of the U.S. Constitution and all state constitutions, and pre-law topics providing information on what to expect at law school.

Updated July 27, 2007
By  Mary Gavett-Orsi