Search with Terms and Connectors
Terms and Connectors is a Boolean search method in Westlaw
Edge
Precision
. You can search for particular terms or retrieve all documents containing your search terms.You can use the Terms and Connectors search method to enter a key terms from your issue. Additionally, you can use connectors to specify the relationships between those terms.
Choose search terms
Choose terms significant to your issue to run a Terms and Connectors search.
Consider the various forms the search terms might take. For example, when you search for the term "liable," you may also want to search for "liability." If you don't search for all variations, you may miss relevant documents.
- Root expander (!)
- Use to search for words with multiple endings.
- For example, enter "object!" to retrieve "object," "objected," "objection," and "objecting."
- Universal character (*)
- Use to search for words with variable characters.
- For example, enter "withdr*w" to retrieve "withdraw" and "withdrew."
- Search exactly as typed (#)
- Use to search for a word exactly as you entered it, use the pound symbol (#).
- For example, enter "#damage" to retrieve "damage" but not "damages."
note
Use Advanced Search if you want to add alternative terms to your query or search for a phrase in Westlaw.
Choose Boolean connectors
In addition to choosing terms for your Terms and Connectors search, you must also choose proximity connectors to specify the relationships between your search terms.
- Grammatical connectors
- /p
- Search terms must appear in the same paragraph (ex: hearsay /p utterance).
- +p
- The first search term must precede the second term in the same paragraph (ex: ti(burke +p burke)).
- /s
- Search terms must appear in the same sentence (ex: design /s defect).
- +s
- The first search term must precede the second term in the same sentence (ex: attorney +s fee).
- Numerical connectors
- /n
- Search terms must appear within "n" terms of each other, where "n" is a number from 1 to 255 (ex: personal /3 jurisdiction).
- +n
- The first search term must precede the second term by "n" terms, where "n" is a number from 1 to 255 (ex: capital +3 gain).
- BUT NOT connector (%)
- You can exclude documents that contain certain terms by using the BUT NOT connector (%). Westlaw excludes everything that follows the BUT NOT connector in your search.
- For example, the query "tax taxation % income /3 tax taxation" retrieves any document that contains the terms "tax" or "taxation," but excludes documents where those terms appear within 3 words of "income."
note
Use Advanced Search if you want to use an AND connector (&) or an OR connector (represented by a space) in Westlaw.
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