How to Use Westlaw Campus

Before You Begin

Learn to access the college's research databases or enter your college login at How To Access Library Databases.

Access

1. Go to the library homepage at www.esc.edu/library
2. Click "Journal Articles"
3. Look for "Westlaw" in the alphabetical list
4. Enter your college login and password
5. After login, you must agree to the Westlaw terms of agreement; after you read the terms, scroll to the bottom of the page, check "I Agree" and click "GO"

Search

Once in the search interface (below), you need to decide which search option to use (below), which will depend on what you are looking for and what information you have on hand to inform your search.

There are four main search elements/options in Westlaw Campus:

1. Find a Document by Citation:

   Most cases have a unique identifying citation, typically consisting of the volume number, the abbreviated name of the reporter it is printed in and the page number where the case is found.

   • Example: To retrieve the Supreme Court case Bush v. Gore, use the "Find a document by citation" box and enter 121 S. Ct. 525 (2000), type 121sct525
   For a tutorial on understanding legal citations, including abbreviations, go to http://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/.

2. Find a Document by Title

   If you know the title of a case, you can retrieve it using the names of the parties listed in the title.

   • Example: To retrieve Mapp v. Ohio, use the "Find a document by title" box and enter mapp AND ohio
     

3. Key Search

   Use KeySearch to locate cases, law reviews, etc. by browsing or searching a list of legal keywords and issues. Click "GO" within the KeySearch section on the left side of the search interface to view the list of keywords, as shown below.

   

4. Quick Search

   When you want to search for documents about a specific issue, especially one that may not be covered in the KeySearch listings, use the Quick Search feature in the middle of the page. This allows you to search via natural language, such as "what is the current status of tort reform?" or keywords, such as "tort reform," and status.

Steps to Search:

1. In the "Search for" text box, select "Natural Language" and type a description of your issue using terms that describe its main concepts.
2. Select a database to search. For example, to search for Supreme Court decisions only (if you want all Federal Cases, including the Supreme Court, select "All Federal Cases"), select "Supreme Court Cases after 1944" under "Cases" in the section below the search box.
3. Click GO.

Example of Natural Language Searches:

• To retrieve federal cases on whether burning the flag is constitutionally protected free speech, type, "is flag burning constitutionally protected free speech" (or try something simpler like: "flag burning" and "free speech") and select "All Federal Cases" as your database.
• To retrieve federal statutes on discrimination in the workplace, type "discrimination in the workplace" and select "United States Code Annotated" as your database.
• To retrieve articles from American Jurisprudence 2d about the Miranda warning, type, "miranda warning" and select "American Jurisprudence 2d" as your database.

Results Features

KeyCite Status Flags

Sometimes in your results lists, and when you view a specific case, you will see little colored flags or letters; these indicate "KeyCite Status." Use KeyCite to help you determine whether a case or statute is "good law" ( whether it has a negative history) and to see citing references. A KeyCite status flag immediately lets you know the status of a case, administrative decision, and statute or regulation (click the flag icon to see details):

• A red flag indicates that the case or administrative decision is no longer good law for at least one of the points of law it contains, or that the statute or regulation has been amended, repealed, superseded or held unconstitutional in part or in its entirety.
• A yellow flag indicates that the case or administrative decision has some negative history but hasn't been reversed or overruled.
• A blue H indicates that the case or administrative decision has some history.
• A green C indicates that the case or administrative decision has citing references, but no direct or negative indirect history, or that the statute or regulation has citing references.

 

Example of Supreme Court case display:

Useful Tips

• You can access the Help pages for this database using the "Help (FAQs)" link in the upper-right corner.
• Click "Research Trail" at the top of the display to view a history of the searches you have done in your current session. Click a link in the trail list to recreate the search or access a previously viewed document.
• When you do a "Quick Search" using keywords, those keywords will be highlighted in yellow within the text of each case when you view it.
• On results and case-display pages, use the arrow icons at the bottom of the page to navigate between results
• You can email any cases or results lists to an address of your choice for printing later. You also can download results in plain-text format with the "E-mail Doc" button in the bottom-left corner.