Research Tip: Use an Index

Westlaw and LexisNexis are great resources for doing legal research. They have thousands of databases of full-text documents, including statutes, regulations, cases, and articles from law reviews and other legal periodicals.

But searching a full-text database can be time-consuming and frustrating. How many times have you run what seems like a very precise search in a full-text database of journals and law reviews, and ended up having to sort through hundreds of articles in which your search terms appear only in the footnotes.

One way to improve the relevance of your search results is to use a legal periodical index such as LegalTrac or WilsonWeb. Because these indexes typically search just the most important parts of articles, like the title and abstract, they are much more likely to retrieve articles you can use. You can use LegalTrac from any computer on the SIUC campus network, but you must be connected to the law-school network to use WilsonWeb.

Westlaw and LexisNexis also have legal-periodical indexes: both systems have Legal Resource Index, the database that LegalTrac searches, and Westlaw has Index to Legal Periodicals, the WilsonWeb database. The indexes link you to full-text articles available on the system you are using.

Indexes can save you time and improve the relevance of your search results. For more information see:

• Using WilsonWeb to Find Legal Articles;
• Using LegalTrac to Find Legal Articles.

Westlaw & LexisNexis: Summer 2007 Access

Westlaw & LexisNexis: Summer 2007 Access
Unless you qualify (and register) under one of the categories below, your access to LexisNexis and Westlaw will be limited during Summer 2007 as follows:

Westlaw: Students will have 2 hours of access in June and 2 hours of access in July.
LexisNexis: Students’ LexisNexis IDs will be limited to career materials (as of June 1, 2007).
Full access to both services will generally resume August 1st, 2007.

Full Summer 2007 Access: You may be granted full access to LexisNexis and/or Westlaw during Summer 2007 if you meet one of the following criteria and register.

LexisNexis
To register, go to LexisNexis. Click on "Summer Access" and choose one of the following criteria:

• Summer School
• Moot Court Research
• Law Journal research
• Research Assistant for Law Professor
• Non-Profit Externship (includes Public Interest position)
• Unpaid Internship/Externship (or small stipend)

Westlaw
To register, click on the "Need Summer Access" link on the right when you sign-on to Westlaw. Register for Summer access online by May 31, 2007. After May 31 you will have to call Westlaw (800.850.9378).

For full access, you must be doing one of the following:

• Summer School
• Moot Court Research
• Law Journal research
• Law Journal research
• Research Assistant for Law Professor
• Public interest intern/externships

Questions? Contact Kara Grimme (SIU Westlaw Account Representative, kara.grimme@thomson.com) or Marantha Beatty-Brown (SIU LexisNexis Account Representative, marantha.beatty-brown@lexisnexis.com).