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LegalTrac on the Web
Contents
This is an overview
of the features of LegalTrac on the web.
To learn about
features not discussed here, and for help and advice specific to your research,
speak to a reference librarian or call 415.422.6773.
Coverage
and Content
LegalTrac on
the web covers 1980 to the present. (For periods between 1918 and 1980, use
ILP on the
web (http://www.usfca.edu/library/databases/legalindex.html) or in print.
For periods before 1918, use Index to Legal Periodicals in print
at K 33 .I54 LAW REFERENCE).
LegalTrac contains
citations to articles in law journals and other legal periodicals. Some recent
articles are available in full text.
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Access
LegalTrac on
the web is available to researchers using USF campus libraries, and to current
USF students, faculty and staff using remote logins.
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Login
Follow the Connect
to LegalTrac link at http://www.usfca.edu/library/databases/legaltrac.html.
[Follow the remote access instructions if you are logging in from off campus.]
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Search
Options
There are three
main options. "Advanced Search" is the default. Choose a search method,
enter your terms, and select "Search" to run your search. You may
change search methods by selecting the link for another method. All methods
rank results by date as the default. In "Basic Search" you can switch
to relevance ranking. The context-sensitive "Help" link appears on
each screen.
Advanced Search —
Allows searching by key word, title, author, etc. Allows use of AND, OR, NOT,
and "proximity operators" Wn and Nn (e.g., W3, N25). Allows you
to customize your search in a variety of ways.
Subject Guide
Search —
Allows you to search LegalTrac by the topics in its Subject Guide.
Basic Search —
Matches search terms in the article citations or text. Allows use of AND,
OR, NOT, and "proximity operators" Wn and Nn.
You can limit
all three types of searches by date or by the addition of other terms.
LegalTrac keeps
a search history, so you can return to previous search results. Select "Previous
Searches" to view the history. In "Advanced Search" mode you
can use the history to combine two or more previous searches to create a new
search without retyping.
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Display
of results
After completing
a search, LegalTrac displays results 20 citations at a time.
The default display
shows title, author, and source (journal name, volume, pages). Clicking on the
title displays more information about the article. A "full text" link
appears when the text is available.
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Printing
and E-mailing
You can use your
browser to print the current display. You can also mark citations for later
printing, e-mailing or downloading. Mark the desired cites, select "Marked
Items," and then select "Print," "E-mail" or "Download."
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Specific
Searches Useful for Legal Research or Preemption Checking
Subject
Search
Select the "Subject
Guide Search" link at the top of the screen.
Enter a valid
LegalTrac subject heading, e.g.,
right to
die
and click "Search"
(You can take
your best guess as to likely subject headings, you can scan the headings of
citations retrieved by other LegalTrac search methods, or you can ask a reference
librarian for advice.)
Key
Word Search
Select the "Advanced
Search" link at the top of the screen.
Enter any key
words, e.g.,
euthanasia
"trade
dress"
internet
and jurisdiction
Use *
to retrieve all endings of a word (e.g., discrim*). Use ? to retrieve
variant spellings (e.g., super?ede). Use ! to retrieve plurals
(e.g., lawyer!).
If your keyword
search finds useful citations, you can look for more by viewing any full citation
and following the links to view other articles on the same subject.
Author
Search
Select "Advanced
Search," then select "Author" from the pull-down menu next to
the search box.
Enter the author's
name, last name first, e.g.,
wildman,
stephanie
Case
Name Search (by key word)
The best way
to find citations to articles about a case is to search by key word.
Select "Advanced
Search," then select "Keyword" from the pull-down menu next to
the search box.
In the search
box, type:
oncale
[for one party's name.]
cruzan v.
director
[for two parties' names]
"compassion
in dying"
[for multiple-word parties' names]
Statute
Name Search (by subject)
Select "Subject
Guide Search."
Enter the name
of the act: e.g.,
"americans
with disabilities"
"communications
decency"
Limiting
by Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
searching on LegalTrac is nowhere near as effective as on Legal Resource
Index on LEXIS and WESTLAW and is not recommended. If you'd like to try
a jurisdiction limit anyway, follow these steps.
First, do the
substantive search (by subject or keyword). Next, do a second keyword search
for the jurisdiction's name (e.g., California or France). Finally, combine the
two searches as shown below.
Combining
Prior Searches Using the History
Select "Advanced
Search," then select "Previous Searches" from the pull-down menu
next to the search box.
Then, select
the "Browse Previous Searches" link.
Note the "R"
numbers of your prior searches, then close the "Browse Previous Searches"
window.
Back at the Advanced
Search screen, enter your previous searches' "R" numbers in the search
box as follows, choosing the relevant operator: AND, OR, NOT, e.g.:
R11
and R12
or
R7 or R10.
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Go to Finding
Law Review Articles
Go to Law
Library Research Guides
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