Primary Differences
- For searches, Lexis assumes a phrase, Westlaw assumes “or.” (e.g., Statute of Limitations - Lexis looks for the phrase, Westlaw looks for statute or of or limitations.) Westlaw will only read a phrase if you put it in quotes.
- Lexis and Westlaw use different indicators for segment searches. (e.g., for case name: Lexis: Name(roe and wade) ; Westlaw: ti(roe and wade).
- Lexis does not allow using /n in the same search as /s or /p, but Westlaw does. (e.g., unnatural /3 accumulation /s snow).
Search Techniques
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LexisNexis |
Westlaw |
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Connectors |
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both terms must be present |
& or and |
& or and |
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either term must be present |
or |
space between words |
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terms must be in same sentence |
w/s or /s |
/s or w/s |
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terms must be in same paragraph |
w/p or /p |
/p or w/p |
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terms must be within n words |
w/n or /n |
/n or w/n |
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combine /n with /s or /p in the same search |
Does not allow (e.g., unnatural /3 accumulation /s snow) |
Allows (e.g., unnatural /3 accumulation /s snow) |
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search for exact phrase |
written normally (Lexis assumes a phrase) or in quotations |
must be in quotations |
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exclude a term or terms |
and not ; not w/# |
% ; but not |
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Truncation |
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any number of letters (at end) |
! |
! |
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any single letter or letters |
* or ** (e.g., g**se would find goose or geese) |
* or ** |
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plurals |
plural forms are searched automatically (e.g., lawyer, lawyers); irregular plurals are not (e.g., goose, geese); to stop Westlaw from adding an s to your search term, add # before the word (e.g., #lawyer) |
plural forms are searched automatically (e.g., lawyer, lawyers); irregular plurals are not (e.g., goose, geese) |
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hyphenated words |
hyphen is read as a space, so hyphenated words are seen as two words (e.g., pre-trial = pre-trial or pre trial but not pretrial) |
hyphenated form retrieves all variations of compound words (e.g., pre-trail = pre-trial, pre trial, pretrial) |
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abbreviations, acronyms |
recognizes all variations of state abbreviations and many acronyms. Must type I.R.S. or IRS |
use periods and no spaces to retrieve all variations (e.g., i.r.s. = IRS, I.R.S., I R S, I. R. S. |
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Search within a Search |
Focus |
Locate |
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Find a Known Citation |
Get a Document |
Find |
Content Differences
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LexisNexis |
Westlaw |
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Citator |
Shepard’s—has ALR annotations and law reviews (the latter as far back as 1957) |
KeyCite—has ALR annotations and law reviews available online; usually has more extensive coverage of recent law reviews as well as legal encyclopedias and treatises |
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United States Code (USC) |
No, but has annotated United States Code Service (USCS) (numerous cases only appear here) |
Yes, unannotated and annotated United States Code Annotated (USCA) (usually have more extensive annotations) |
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Slip Laws & Session Laws |
USCS Advance |
United States Code Congressional and Administrative News (USCCAN) |
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Organization |
Not numbers like West but subject headnotes |
Headnote and Key Number system |
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Supreme Court Opinions |
Supreme Court Reporter |
United States Supreme Court Reports, Laywers’ Edition |
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Legal Encyclopedias |
American Jurisprudence |
American Jurisprudence & Corpus Juris Secundum |
Finding the Right Database
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LexisNexis |
Westlaw |
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Comprehensive Outline of Databases |
First page is organized into 3 sections: Legal; News & Business; Public Records |
Click “Directory” in the top header |
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Custom Research Tabs—Show Databases for a Jurisdiction or Topic |
“Add/edit Subtabs” |
“Add a Tab” |
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Search for a Database or Source |
“Find a Source” under the Search tab |
Type a database identifier or source description into the “Search these Databases” box |
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Use a template to identify appropriate databases for popular resources or search tasks |
Guided Search Form |
Available templates vary by resource type |
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