Question | Answer |
Categories of Information for generating search terms | * Parties
* Places and Things
* Potential Claims and Defenses
* Relief |
Search Terms: Increasing Breadth | Increasing breadth with synonyms and related terms:
title <> ownership <> possession |
Search Terms: Increasing Depth | Increasing depth with varying levels of abstraction:
intimate partners
unmarried cohabitants
boyfriend, girlfriend |
If you know the applicable legal rule: | * Prioritize terms describing the rule first.
* Narrow results with terms describing facts. |
If you do not know the applicable legal rule: | * Prioritize terms describing facts.
* Use search results to identify applicable legal rules. |
Two Search Approaches: #1 | Source-driven searching: Identify a source first, then search for content. |
Two Search Approaches: #2 | Content-driven searching: Search for content first, then narrow the results by jurisdiction and type of authority. |
What sources will be included in my search? | Only those you select. |
What content will the search identify? | * Documents that address the subject you select within the source
* Documents containing the words in a word search |
What sources will be included in my search? | All forms of authority |
What content will the search identify? | * Documents containing the words in a word search (with a literal search engine)
* Documents that appear relevant to the search terms (with a non-literal search engine) |
Search Approaches: #1 | Choose source-driven searching when you know the source of the information you need. |
Search Approaches: #2 | Search results will typically be narrower than with a content-driven search.
* Narrower search results can be easier to review.
* You may need to search multiple sources for complete information. |
Search Approaches: #3 | Use content-driven searching when you are not sure which source you need. |
Search Approaches: #4 | Search results will typically be broader than with a source-driven search.
* Results can include information from sources you would not have considered using.
* Broad search results make post-search filtering critical. |