How Do I Use Terms and Connectors
in LexisNexis Academic?

Summary of Important Points


 

How can I find federal cases where a person displays an unloaded handgun during a robbery to find if the person would be guilty of assault?

Select LexisNexis Academic from the Library web page - http://library.chattanoogastate.edu.

Select the Legal tab.

Click on Federal & State Cases.

In the Sources drop-down box, highlight Federal Court Cases, Combined.


Search by Terms and Connectors

1.  Isolate the terms.  Note synonyms by linking with the “or” connector.

     unloaded

     handgun or gun

     robbery or rob

2.  Group terms and use some other connectors.  Example: unloaded within one word
     of handgun or gun can be expressed as: (unloaded w/1 (handgun or gun)). 

     Select Tips for using search connectors to see the different connectors.

     Searching with terms and connectors is more precise than using natural language
     searching.

     (unloaded w/1 (handgun or gun)) and (rob! and assault)

     The terms in parenthesis are searched first.

     Click on the case name and bring up the full text.

Important Further Help

     Developing a Search from LexisNexis.

     Case Law tips from LexisNexis.

     More Tips are available.


If you have questions please call the main library, 697-4436.

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Last Updated October 21, 2009