Research Guides: Research Assistant Guide: Building and expanding your search

Keyword searching

Come up with search terms for your research question:

Write out your research question
Select the key terms from your question
Brainstorm synonyms for key terms & come up with alternative phrasings and word forms
As you perform searches and read articles, continue to note key terms used in the articles you find

Boolean searching

Use Boolean searching (available in most databases):

Combine concepts with "AND"
- Example: "artificial wombs" AND regulation
Combine synonyms with "OR"
- Example: "artificial wombs" OR ectogenesis OR "reproductive technologies"
Use quotation marks to search for exact phrases
- Example: "artificial wombs"
Create the order of operations with parentheses
- Example: regulation AND ("artificial wombs" OR ectogenesis OR "reproductive technologies")
Use proximity connectors to specify how closely words should appear
- /p - searches for terms in the same paragraph
- /s - searches for terms in the same sentence
- /3 - searches for terms within 3 words of each other (you choose the number)
  - Example: reproductive /3 technologies
Truncators will find the word root with various endings
- ! - Westlaw and Lexis
  - Example: reproduc! /3 technolog!
- * - HeinOnline
  - Example: reproduc* /3 technolog*

Tips and search strategy

Too many results?
- Tighten search with proximity connectors - /p, /s, /#
- Filter results by date, etc.
- Search within results
Too few or no relevant results?
- Go back to your synonyms & add alternate terms with "OR"
- Tease apart your quoted phrases by using proximity connectors
  - Before: "artificial wombs"
  - After: artificial /5 wombs
- Add truncators
  - Before: reproduction
  - After: reproduc!
The Advanced Search page usually has a search help feature with Boolean operators for that database. HeinOnline operators are similar to Lexis and Westlaw, except for the truncator "*" instead of "!"

Expanding your research

Once you find a relevant article, you can do the equivalent of Shepardizing to find additional authorities that cite your article

HeinOnline Law Journal Library
Use Advanced Search to find your article. Click on "Cited by" articles on the right side of your article.

Google Scholar
Find your article by entering your article title in Google Scholar. Click "Cited by." You can also search within cited articles by checking the "Search within citing articles" box and entering search terms.

Lexis
From the article, click "Shepardize this document." Click "Other Citing Sources" from the left-hand menu. Note: because Lexis & Westlaw have fewer journals, there will be fewer cited by articles.
Westlaw
From the article, citing articles will appear under "Citing References." Note: because Westlaw and Lexis have fewer journals, there will be fewer cited by articles.

Some databases have tools that allow you to find related or similar articles

HeinOnline Law Journal Library
Click "More like this" to find similar articles. Adjust the slider to weight terms or add additional terms.

Google Scholar
Retrieve the article. Click "Related articles"

Law review articles and scholarly articles from other disciplines are well researched and often include footnoted and other materials that can give you a head start in your research.

Look at the footnotes in your article to find other relevant articles, including seminal articles
Look at the references listed at the end of the article
Use the Journal Search tool to find the articles you have identified

Research Assistant Guide

Questions?

Accessing databases from off campus

Keyword searching

Boolean searching

Expanding your research