WESTLAW INTERNATIONAL
USER MANUAL
Westlaw International Quick Reference Guide ®
Using Westlaw International The Essential Tasks Beginning Your Research You can access Westlaw International from your Web browser at www.westlawinternational.com. Choose Sign onto Westlaw International, then type your password in the Westlaw Password text box, and a client identifier in the Client ID box. A client identifier should identify the research session to you. It is typically the name of the client or the file number for which you are doing research. After entering your password and client identifier, click GO.
Westlaw International is available on the Web at www.westlawinternational.com
For assistance Customers in Europe, Middle East, and Africa:
Selecting Your Tabbed Page Your tabbed page makes it easy to access the Westlaw features and content you frequently use. To add a page to your westlawinternational.com interface, click My Westlaw. The Welcome to My Westlaw page is displayed. Choose any page, such as WLI General Subscription, or European Union, by selecting the check box next to the name of the page, or on the page name. Click Next, and select a page to be the first tabbed page you see when you sign on to Westlaw International. Then click Save.
Customers in Asia and the Pacific Rim: international@thomson.com.au
Find additional customer support options at
Retrieving a Document by Citation When you know a document’s citation, use the Find service. Type the citation in the Find by citation text box on your tabbed page or, for more help finding a document by citation, click Find on the toolbar at the top of the page. The Find a Document page is displayed. Click Find Tips on the left frame for useful suggestions and examples. Click Find for additional help finding a document using its citation.
customer.service@westlaw.co.uk
www.westlawinternational.com
Click My Westlaw to select tabbed pages.
Type a citation and click GO to retrieve a document. No punctuation is necessary.
Searching for Documents The Quick Search section of your tabbed page enables you to type a query, select one or more databases, and run the search from the same page. Westlaw International provides two search methods, Natural Language and Terms and Connectors, so you can search the way that is most effective for you. The Quick Search section displays your default search method in black type; to select a different method, click the appropriate link. When you search using Natural Language or Terms and Connectors, several tools are available to help you retrieve the most relevant documents quickly: • Recent Searches and Locates saves the last 20 searches you have run. • Select a date restriction allows you to find the most recent cases on your research topic. • The online thesaurus can help you find related terms to expand your search. TM
Natural Language Natural Language searching is quick and easy, and allows you to use plain English. Simply enter a description of your issue in sentence form or just use key terms to describe its main concepts. After you run your search, the documents most closely matching the concepts in your description are displayed. Choose your search method using these links.
Use the online thesaurus to select related terms. Click Thesaurus after you type your query.
Terms and Connectors Terms and Connectors searching allows you to enter a query that contains key terms from your issue and connectors specifying the relationship between those terms. For example, you can specify that your search terms occur in the same sentence (/s) or same paragraph (/p). Formulate your query by choosing terms significant to your issue and deciding which connectors to place between your terms. Consider using alternative terms like synonyms and antonyms. To retrieve a phrase, place quotation marks (“ ”) around the phrase.
Use the root expander (!) to find all words that share the same root, for example, compensate and compensation, and terminate and termination.
Click Connectors/Expanders Reference List to view descriptions of connectors you can place between search terms.
Click GO to run your search after you select a database.
Choosing a Database After you formulate your search, you must select at least one database in which to run your search. A list of databases is displayed in the Quick Search section. You may select one or more check boxes next to the databases you want to search. If the material you wish to search is not listed on the page, you can find additional databases by clicking Directory at the top of the toolbar, or by choosing a different tabbed page. After you select the database you wish to search, click GO.
Browsing Documents in a Result The citations of the documents retrieved are displayed in the result list. To display the full text of a document, click its number on the result list. When viewing a document, use the Term arrows at the bottom of the frame to view the next or previous search term. You may also use the Document (Doc) arrows to view the next or previous document. When using Natural Language, you may also use the Best arrows to view the next or previous best portion of the document, so you can easily view the text that most closely matches the concepts in your search.
PDF published 8/05. Export #1-5288-5 © 2005 West, a Thomson business The trademarks used herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. West trademarks are owned by West Publishing Corporation.
For free reference materials, visit west.thomson.com/westlaw/guides.