Database Searching Does anyone know what this means

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

Full- Text Searching Natural Language • “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! Terms & Connectors a. k. a. “Boolean” searching • 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, 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: 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.