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Westlaw Campus Research

General Search Tips

NU users have access to all subscribed content within Westlaw Campus Research. Any document selected that falls outside our subscription will be marked Out of Plan.

In Westlaw, you can conduct searches in natural language or by using Boolean terms and connectors. 

Boolean Operators and Connectors

  • & -  symbol for AND operator. Connects keywords together. 
    • Example: criminal & procedure
  • /s - specifies that the terms appear in the same sentence.
    • criminal /s procedure
  • +s - specifies that the first term must precede the second term within the same sentence.
    • criminal +s procedure
  • /p - specifies that the terms appear in the same paragraph. 
    • criminal /p procedure
  • +p - specifies that the first term must precede the second term within the same paragraph.
    • criminal +p procedure
  • /n  - specifies that search terms need to appear within a specified number of terms of each other.
    • breach /5 contract
  • +n - specifies that the first term must precede the second term by no more than the specified number of terms.
    • Ruth +3 Ginsberg
  • ! - symbol for root expander that searches for multiple endings.
    • object! retrieves object, objected, objection, and objecting. 
  • * - symbol for searching for words with variable characters.
    • withdr*w retrieves withdraw and withdrew. 
  • % - symbol for BUT NOT; excludes documents that contain the terms typed after this connector.
    • damages % negligence

 

 

Administrative Guidance & Decisions

Administrative and Regulatory Agencies draw authority from Congress. Congress delegates authority to these agencies through authority statutes or enabling statutes. Congress relies on these agencies to administer, interpret, enforce, and regulate federal laws. 

Each agency has a unique structure.

Examples of Agencies include:

  • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  • Department of Justice (DoJ)
  • Department of Defense (DoD)
  • Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
  • The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
  • The Securities Exchange Commission (SEC)
  • The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

While these agencies have the authority to define, interpret, and enforce rules and regulations, they are governed by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). These agencies are required to act within Constitutional and statutory limitations. The APA established the requirements, procedures, standards, and procedures for agency rulemaking, hearings, and adjudication. 

Administrative Decisions are searchable on Westlaw Campus Research. 

To access these decisions, click on the link for the Administrative Decisions & Guidance content page from the Westlaw home page. Using the search bar at the top page, you can search within all agency decisions. You can also select an agency and search that agency's decisions and guidelines. 

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Rules, Decisions, and Guidelines are also available directly on agency websites. When retrieving information from these websites, you should keep in mind that the website may not be current; the regulations on the website may not be codified; and the website may not provide full coverage of rules, decisions, and guidelines. 

Example:

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Agency manuals are also accessible via Westlaw Campus Research. 

From the Administrative Decisions & Guidelines content page, select the desired agency to view that agency's content page. Please note that not every agency listed will have a manual listed. 

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