Problems of Boolean Searching

1
Problems of Boolean Searching

• Inverse relationship between precision and recall
• Definitions of precision and recall
• Synonymous words
• Ambiguous words
• Contextual problems
• Analogy
• Search example
• Dog w/25 sniff! and school(Westlaw)
• Dog w/25 sniff! and school and student and locker
  (Westlaw)
• Dog w/25 sniff! and school (Lexis)
• Dog w/25 sniff! and school and student and locker
  (Lexis)

2
Natural Language Searching

• Assigns weights to the terms in your search
  expression on the basis of the significance of
  those terms.
• Cases are returned in order of relevance
• Strips out stop words and initial phrases
• Stemming program
• Indentifies legal phrases 78,000 in the DB so
  dont need to use
• Applies equivalencies ave will get you avenue
• Example Can sniff dogs be used to search student
  or school lockers
• stems sniff and gets sniffer, sniffing

3
Where?
4
Why?
5
Costs
The table below shows what you would pay per year
for a primary-law service covering California
state courts, Ninth Circuit federal courts, and
the US Supreme Court
Notes Loislaw prices include national state and
federal case law. Westlaw and Lexis prices
include annotated codes,others do not. Data From
John Derrick, Cal Law on 5 a day unpublished
pathfinder
6
Costs (2)

• Examples ( from 2002 so a little dated) of Lexis
  and Westlaw costs
• Lexis (word document)
• Westlaw (word document)

7
Terms - 1

• Truncation ! finds up to 16 characters
• sniff ! sniff, sniffer, sniffing, sniffy
• Universal character
• objectobject, objects, objected
• within a word knw
• Automatic plurals
• dog dog and dogs driverdriver drivers drivers
  drivers
• But plural only retrieves the plural
• Can turn off automatic plurals
• WL damage
• LX singular (damage)

8
Terms - 2

• Can use to search for stop words (Westlaw)
• at will
• Acronyms
• e.p.a.e.p.a. epa e p a (Westlaw)
• Compound phrases
• air-bagair bag airbag air-bag (Westlaw)
• Numbers (Lexis and Westlaw)
• Twelve12
• First 1st

9
Terms - 3

• Spelling variations and errors (Westlaw)
• Judgmentjudgement
• Can turn off equivalencies (Westlaw)
• S.E.C. will retrived SEC but not the word
  section
• Query term 415 retrieves 415.5 but query term
  415.5 doesnt retrieve 415

10
Connectors - 1

• PHRASE
• Lexis electronic mailelectronic mail
• Westlaw electronic mail electronic or mail
• Therefore must use , i.e. electronic mail
• OR (space in Westlaw)
• finds documents with any of the search terms
• e.g. doctor or physician

11
Connectors - 2

• PROXIMITY (1)
• Westlaw n - finds words within number of words
  in the order listed
• e.g. right 2 counsel
• Lexis pre/n
• e.g. right pre/2 counsel
• PROXIMITY (2)
• Westlaw /n - finds words within of words in any
  order
• e.g. video /4 surveillance
• Lexis w/n
• e.g. video w/4 surveillance
• General rules
• numbers up to 255
• n always processed before /n
• lower number processed before higher number

12
Connectors - 3

• SENTENCE
• Westlaw /s - finds words in the same sentence
  regardless of order
• e.g. child /s support
• Lexis w/s
• Child w/s support
• SENTENCE (2)
• Westlaw s specified order in same sentence
• e.g. child s support
• PARAGRAPH
• Westlaw /p - finds words in the same paragraph
• e.g. homeless /p shelter
• Lexis w/p
• e.g. homeless w/p shelter
• PARAGRAPH (2)
• Westlaw p specified order within the same
  paragraph
• homeless p shelter

13
Connectors - 4

• AND
• finds all documents that include all words
• e.g. search warrant
• BUT NOT (Westlaw)
• - finds all documents that include the first
  term but not the second term
• e.g. trust charitable
• AND NOT (Lexis)
• e.g. and not name (berring)

14
Order and Nesting (1)
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Order and Nesting (2)

• Dogs AND cats OR pets
• Looks for documents with the words cats OR pets
• Then narrows those documents to the ones
  containing the word dogs

16
Order and Nesting (3)

• (Dogs AND cats) OR pets
• first looks for documents with dogs AND cats
• then broadens search by looking for documents
  containing the word pets
• documents must meet the condition of containing
  both dogs AND cats, or alternatively the word
  pets
• You can change the order of processing by putting
  parentheses around terms to indicate those
  actions should be taken first

17
Order of Processing
18
Order of Processing Example
3
2

• electronic or artificial w/25 surveillance or
  monitor! /p employee or worker and invasion
  of privacy

1
4

• operation 2 within 25 words operation 3
• operation 5 within same paragraph operation 4
• operation 6 and operation 1
• electronic or artificial w/25 surveillance or
  monitor! /p employee or worker and "invasion of
  privacy" (Westlaw)

19
Fields and Segments (Westlaw)

• ti(o'connor and ortega)
• sy("reasonable expectation of privacy" /p worker
  employee)
• he("reasonable expectation of privacy" /p worker
  employee)
• Note
• Results Plus
• Add Related Search Terms
• Thesaurus

20
Westlaw Background and Holdings

• Example U.S. v. Hajduk,396 F.Supp.2d 1216,
  D.Colo., Oct 19, 2005
• Note background and holding information
• Note 28 headnotes

21
Westlaw Keynumber Searching

• Example U.S. v. Hajduk, 396 F.Supp.2d 1216
• 2KeyCite Notes 349 Searches and Seizures 349I
  In General    349k25 Persons, Places and Things
  Protected      349k26 k. Expectation of Privacy.
  

22
Westlaw Keysearch

• Browsable outline of legal topics
• Each topic has a pre-formulated query which
  incorporates the appropriate key number(s) and
  other relevant terms
• Search option You can also search the KeySearch
  topics and subtopics for specific terms. Type the
  terms in the text box in the left frame of the
  KeySearch page and click GO. A list of topics and
  subtopics containing the terms in their hierarchy
  is displayed.
• Example e-mail
• Examples
• All Topics gt Employment Law gt Employee
  Privacy gt Computer Files E-mail
• Click on View/Edit Full Query to see the West
  pre-written query.
• If you add search terms it will add them to the
  existing pre-written query

23
Westlaw Directory

• Use the online directory to locate smaller more
  specialized databases
• All Databases gt Topical Materials by Area of
  Practice gt Labor Employment gt Federal Cases
• Homeland Security and Anti-Terrorism - Cases
  (HOMELAND-CS)     
• Note the       

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Fields and Segments (Lexis)

• counsel ( davis polk )
• writtenby (mosk)
• ln-headnotes ("reasonable expectation of privacy"
  /p worker or employee)
• ln-summary ("reasonable expectation of privacy"
  /p worker or employee)

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Lexis Features

• electronic or artificial w/25 surveillance or
  monitor! w/50 employee or worker and invasion
  of privacy
• Syntax definition
• Suggest terms for my search (can also be used
  after running a search)
• Supervisor, co-worker, wiretap, oral
  communication, fourth amendment
• Check spelling
• Easy Search - google-esque search
• You are not required to enter your terms using
  terms and connectors or natural language
  guidelines, but if you do, the LexisNexis search
  engine automatically detects which type of search
  to perform

26
Lexis Headnotes/Search Advisor

• Headnotes identify the major points of law found
  in an opinion, expressed in the actual language
  of the court.
• Example Vega-Rodriguez v. Puerto Rico Tel. Co.,
  110 F.3d 174
• Note procedural posture, overview, outcome, core
  terms
• Headnote Constitutional Law Search Seizure
  Scope of Protection
• Takes you to Search Advisor

27
Lexis Headnotes/Search Advisor Contd

• In Search Advisor see scope note subset of
  documents
• Example
• Step One From 110 F.3d 174- Federal
  Constitutional Law Cases
• Step Two
• Either Retrieve all headnotes and additional
  cases on this topic
• OR
• Terms if left blank will use term outlined in
  scope note
• OR
• Terms "reasonable expectation of privacy" /p
  computer
• Or
• Natural Language
• You can limit by segment, date

28
Lexis Headnotes/Search Advisor Contd

• Can use Search Advisor through the tab at top of
  screen
• Option 1 Find a Legal Topic
• Example electronic mail takes you to Labor
  Employment Law gt Employee Privacy gt Invasion of
  Privacy
• Option 2 Explore Legal Topics
• Example Labor Employment Law
• (at this point you can search in the entire topic
  of labor and employment see Search within this
  source search for documents in this area of law)
• Drill further down to Employee Privacy gt Invasion
  of Privacy

29
Lexis Core Terms/Core Cites/More Like This/More
Like This Headnote

• Core terms are important words and phrases that
  appear within a document
• More Like This Lexis searches for documents with
  language patterns similar to the document from
  which you invoked More Like This
• also more like this headnote
• more like selected text
• These are natuaral language searches and will
  give you a default number of result set in your
  preferences
• Core citesSearches for other documents with
  citation patterns similar to the document from
  which you invoked More Like This

30
Lexis Directory

• Use online directory to find smaller and more
  specialized databases
• Legal gt Area of Law - By Topic gt Labor
  Employment gt Cases gt State gt CA Labor
  Employment Cases

31
Natural Language Searching

• Add field restrictions weight given to fields
  is increased.
• E.g. Smith in judge field it is given more
  weight than if it was just in the search
• Use the date field for updating research
• Control concepts (WL) or (Restrict Search Using
  Mandatory Terms in Lexis) can have required
  fields or excluded fields
• Theasaurus (WL) or Suggest Words and Concepts
  for Entered Terms (Lexis)
• Can sniff dogs be used to search student or
  school lockers
• Using WL thesaurus
• Can sniff dogs (CANINE) be used to search student
  (PUPIL) or school lockers
• And required term (control concept) - school
• Lexis can sniff or sniffer dogs be used to
  search student or school lockers  
• With suggested terms Can sniff or sniffer dogs
  be used to search student or school lockers,
  pupil, children
• If you repeat terms it increases their weight
• You can increase you search results from the
  default number

32
LoisLaw

• (employee or worker) and "invasion of privacy"
  near100 computer
• Search operators
• Lois Operators
• No headnotes
• Official pagination
• Links to Codes and State/Federal Cases

33
Free Websites

• Findlaw
• http//www.findlaw.com/casecode/
• Law Library
• http//www.law.berkeley.edu/library/online/federal
  Research/judicial/general.html
• Coverage varies
• No bells and whistles

34
Internet Searching and Search Tools

• Article
• Survey Searchers are Confident, Satisfied
  Clueless (SearchEngine Watch)
• Search Tools
• http//www.google.com
• http//www.a9.com
• http//www.yahoo.com
• http//www.askjeeves.com
• http//www.teoma.com
• http//www.alltheweb.com
• Problems?
• Coverage time, extent, depth
• Accuracy and reliablity
• Lack of sophistication in search tools

35
Internet Searching and Search Tools
36
Tips

• Come to Terms and Connectors search with jargon
  and specifics
• Use secondary sources treatise, ALR
• Use smallest database possible
• Use distinct terms if possible
• Use segments/fields similar rationale to using
  smallest database possible
• Utilize Lexis/Westlaw case-finding tools
• Topics/keynumbers custom digest
• Search Advisor (Lexis) KeySearch (Westlaw)
• More like this/More like this headnote
• Try Natural Language