Cost effective research_complete_show2

COST EFFECTIVE ONLINE RESEARCH
West‟s Instructional Aid Series

CONTENT
• Introduction
• Choosing the Best Pricing Option for Searching

• Formulating a Cost-Effective Search
• Choosing the Most Cost-Effective Database
• Choosing the Best Pricing Option for Printing

• Other Cost-Effective Services
• Conclusion

2

INTRODUCTION TO COST-EFFECTIVE
ONLINE RESEARCH
• With the Westlaw access that you enjoy as a
student, you may not be accustomed to thinking
about the efficiency of your online research.
• In the real world, whether you are a new associate,
a solo practitioner, or other legal professional, costeffective research is a necessary skill.

• There are many ways to save money and time
when searching on Westlaw and still getting the
results you need.
• Saving time is saving money.
3

THE BEST ADVICE WE CAN GIVE YOU!
• Call a West Reference Attorney before signing on
to Westlaw if you are unsure of:
– the steps you must take to retrieve the needed
document(s)
– the database(s) most likely to contain the documents or
information you need
– the database(s) that will be most cost-effective

– the most effective way to structure a search
– which printing option to choose
– which billing method to use

• Reach West Reference Attorneys at
1-800-850-WEST (1-800-850-9378)
4

KNOW THE TERMS OF YOUR EMPLOYER‟S
WESTLAW CONTRACT
• WestlawPRO plans are available to small firms,
government agencies, and state trial courts.
– There is a flat monthly rate for databases within the plan.
– WestlawPRO plans may be:
•
•
•
•

Jurisdictional
Topical
Analytical
News

• Accessing material in databases outside the
WestlawPRO plan incurs additional charges based
on regular hourly or transactional pricing.
• You may see a warning screen when attempting to
access a database outside your employer‟s plan.
5

KNOW THE TERMS OF YOUR EMPLOYER‟S
WESTLAW CONTRACT
• Other types of Westlaw plans include:
– Customized flat rate plans
• a flat-rate payment each month for access to Westlaw
• some databases are excluded
• some plans have upper limits on usage

– Traditional Subscription Plans
• pay standard transaction or hourly rate

• unlimited access to databases

• Ask your employer‟s librarian or administrator
about the terms of their plan.

6

USE PRINT RESOURCES TO SUPPLEMENT
ONLINE RESEARCH
• Use your library‟s print resources to help you refine
your issue(s) and determine which type of
document (e.g. case, statute, or law review article)
you need before going online.
• After running a search and retrieving relevant
documents online, print a list of citations and read
the documents offline in books.

7

USE „FIND BY CITATION‟
• Use „Find by citation‟ to retrieve a document when
you know its citation.
– Doing a “find” saves time: you don‟t have to access the
database and then formulate a search.
– Doing a “find” saves money: running a “search” in a
database is more expensive then performing a “find”.

8

FIND BY CITATION TEMPLATES
• If you don‟t know the correct citation format:
Type what you believe to
be the citation and a
template with the correct
format will appear; OR

Click „Find Using a
Template‟ for a list
of templates; OR
Type the name of the
document into the
„Find by citation box‟
to retrieve a list of
templates.
9

CONTENT
• Introduction
• Conclusion

10

TRANSACTIONAL v. HOURLY PRICING
• Westlaw has two different options for pricing
– Transactional Pricing: charges incurred by transaction.
– Hourly Pricing: charges incurred by the minute.

• Depending upon the type of research you are doing
one option may be more cost-effective than the
other.

• You may change your pricing option depending
upon the type of research you are doing to ensure
that you are conducting the most cost effective
research.

11

CHANGING YOUR PRICING PREFERENCE
Select „Preferences‟ from the top right side of the screen.
The „Location and Pricing‟ page will open and your
current „Pricing‟ options will be displayed.

NOTE: Any pricing changes will take
effect the next time you log into
Westlaw. You will need to sign off and
back on for the changes to take effect.

From the drop down
menu you can
change your pricing
preferences. Once
you have selected
your preference click
„Save Changes‟ from
the bottom of the
screen.
12

TRANSACTIONAL PRICING
• With transactional pricing you incur a charge for
each transaction that you complete.
• Transactions include
– running a search in a database, even if you retrieve no
results
– retrieving a document using „Find by citation‟
– retrieving a document using a hypertext link or a
„Next/Previous section‟ link
– using KeyCite and the Table of Authorities

13

TRANSACTIONAL PRICING CONT.
• Transactional prices vary depending on
– The type of transaction
• For example, a “find” is less expensive than running a “search”.

– The database you are using
• For example, a search in “New York State Cases” is less
expensive than a search in “All State and Federal Cases”
because the former is a smaller database then the latter.

• There is no charge for the following in transactional
pricing
– Using the „Locate in Result‟ feature

– Browsing the Table of Contents, Custom Digest, or Westlaw
Directory
– Viewing the Scope screen for a database
14

TRANSACTIONAL PRICING CONT.
• Benefits of transactional pricing
– It is predictable
– You can browse search results online for as long as you
like to determine which ones are relevant

• Use transactional pricing if you
– Plan to run only one or two searches
– Will spend time reading documents online
– Want to spend more than a minute or two in
•
•
•
•

the Westlaw Directory;
a Table of Contents;
the Custom Digest; or
a Scope screen for a database

15

HOURLY PRICING
• With hourly pricing you are charged by how much
time you spend searching or browsing within a
database.
• Pricing includes
– database charges, which depend on the database and
your Westlaw subscription plan. Most databases fall within
the $8 to $30 a minute range.
– connect time charges
– communication charges

16

HOURLY PRICING CONT.
• Use hourly pricing when you plan to:
– run multiple searches
– check a number of citations in KeyCite
– retrieve many documents using „Find by citation‟
– spend only a short time on Westlaw
– run your search in multiple databases

17

ASK AT SIGN ON
• From the Pricing options drop down menu, you
also have the option to „Ask at Sign On‟.
– This option will create a prompt every time you log on to
Westlaw to select either Hourly or Transactional Pricing
before continuing on to Westlaw.
– Choosing this option will remind you to think about which
method of pricing will be most cost-effective each time you
begin a new research project.
– You should choose „Ask at Sign On‟ if your pricing choice
will change often.

18

CONTENT
• Introduction


• Conclusion

19

CHOOSING A SEARCH METHOD
• Decide whether Terms and Connectors or Natural
Language searching will be more effective.
– Use Natural Language when:
• you are searching for broad concepts
• you are a new or infrequent user of Westlaw
• your Terms and Connectors search is not retrieving the information
you need

– Use Terms and Connectors when:
• you are searching for particular terms
• you need all documents containing specific information, such as
– all cases with a particular topic and key number; or
– all articles that mention a specific company name

• you need to search a database for which Natural Language
searching is not available
20

FORMULATING A COST-EFFECTIVE SEARCH
• Search Preparation
– Fully plan your search on paper before signing on to Westlaw.
– Articulate your issue, using concise legal terminology.
• For example: liability of a car manufacturer for defective tires

– Choose key terms.
• For the search above, key terms include: liability car defective tire

– Add reasonable alternative terms for your key terms.
liability

car
vehicle
automobile

defective
dangerous

tire

– If you are using the Terms and Connectors search method,
select appropriate connectors.
• For example: liab! /p car automobile vehicle /p danger! defect! /s tire
21

CONTENT
• Introduction


• Conclusion

22

CHOOSING THE MOST COST-EFFECTIVE
DATABASE
• Use the smallest database that contains the
documents you need.
– ALL as part of a database identifier indicates a large database
that contains more than one smaller database. For example:
• use the database New York Cases (NY-CS) rather than All State
Cases (ALLSTATES) if you only need cases from New York.
• use the database Environmental Law Reviews, Texts & Bar
Journals (ENV-TP) rather than All Texts & Periodicals (TP-ALL) if
you need only environmental articles.
• use the database for the New York Times (NYT) rather than All
News (ALLNEWS) if the article you need was published in The
New York Times.

– Both hourly and transactional rates are higher in the larger
databases.
23

SCOPE
• The Scope screen for a database provides descriptive
information on the contents of the database, dates of
coverage, and helpful search tips.
• Remember, in transactional pricing there is no charge to
view the Scope screen.

The Scope screen can be
accessed by clicking on the
icon. Once opened it provides
content, coverage and
searching information.
24

SUBSCRIBER
• Use the SUBSCRIBER database to check the cost
of searching in a database using hourly or
transactional pricing.
• There is no charge to view SUBSCRIBER in
transactional pricing.
• Law students cannot view the SUBSCRIBER
database.

25

ACCESSING SUBSCRIBER
Type “Subscriber” into a
„Search for a database‟ box
and then enter the database
identifier into the template.

Subscriber will then display
the hourly and transaction
rates for the database.

26

FINDING THE APPROPRIATE DATABASE
• If you don‟t know which database(s) might be
appropriate, use the Westlaw Directory.
– Access the Westlaw Directory by clicking „Directory‟ on the
toolbar.
– You can view the Directory in either a Tree view or Web View.
• In the Tree view, click either a plus (+) or minus (-) symbol to
expand a category and click the blue hypertext link to access a
search page for a database.
• In the Web view, click a yellow folder to expand a category or click
a blue hypertext link to access a search page for a database.

– You can change the view of your Directory from the
Preferences link at the top right side of your screen.
– No transactional charges are incurred by browsing the
Directory.
27

WESTLAW DIRECTORY

From „Preferences‟ click
„Document Display‟ to change the
Westlaw Directory display.

Tree View

Web View

28

SEARCH FOR A DATABASE
• You can also find the appropriate database by entering
a description of the material your searching for in the
‘Search for a Database’ box located on the left side of
most tabs on Westlaw.
Note: You incur no
transactional charges
for using Search for a
Database.

Enter the
description of what
you are searching
for in Search for a
Database.

A list of possible
database names and
their identifiers is
displayed.
Check the database
you need and click
OK at the bottom of
the screen.

29

FIND A DATABASE WIZARD
• In addition to the Westlaw Directory and „Search for
a Database‟, you can also find a database using
the Find a Database Wizard.
– The „Find a Database Wizard‟ link is located on the left
side of the Westlaw Directory, under the „Search for a
Database‟ box on a tab, or from the link „Find a Database‟
in „Find and Print‟.
– The „Find a Database Wizard‟ asks a series of questions
to guide you to a suggested database.
– The „Find a Database Wizard‟ is a good option when you
aren‟t sure where to go in the Westlaw Directory.
– No transactional charges are incurred by utilizing the „Find
a Database Wizard‟.
30

ACCESSING FIND A DATABASE WIZARD
Access the Find a
Database Wizard
from the left side of a
tab, left side of the
Westlaw Directory, or
from Find and Print.

Once within the „Find a
Database Wizard‟ answer
the template questions to
find the correct database.
31

CONTENT
• Introduction


• Conclusion

32

BILL BY LINE v. BY DOCUMENT
• Printing charges apply to a document when you:
– Print
– Download
– Email
– Export
– Fax

• You can pay for printing “By Document” or “By Line”
– You can change your pricing option from Preferences.
Note: You must log out
and log back in for
changes to take effect.
33

BILL BY LINE
• Bill by Line pricing is better for printing short
documents (less than five pages).
– Current Cost as of August 2010:
• 5 cents per line for most Westlaw databases or
• Up to 18 cents per line for selected databases
You can limit your
document to specific
fields by clicking
Tools in the lower
right corner of the
document display and
then print only those
fields.
Or, you can print just the page(s) containing
your search terms or a Result List rather than
printing entire documents.

34

BILL BY DOCUMENT
• Bill by Document pricing charges you a flat printing
rate per document transmitted offline, regardless of its
length.

• Each of the following print options is considered a
document when using bill by document pricing:
–
–
–
–

Full text or Statutory text only
Selected Star pages
First page only
the Result List

• Current Cost as of August 2010:
– $16.50 or $27.50 per document for most Westlaw databases

– Up to $55 per document for some databases
35

SAVE ON WESTLAW
• Using the Save on Westlaw print option, you can store
your print request for up to 30 days with no print
charges in the Offline Print Directory.
• At any time within the 30 days, you can access the
Print/Delivery Manager from the Site Map, and select
the document for printing, downloading or emailing or
delete the document altogether.

36

SAVE ON WESTLAW CONT.
Select Save on Westlaw
from the Other print option.

To later access the document and
change the delivery destination, click
on Print/Delivery Manager from the
Site Map. From there you can select
the document and print, email,
download, fax, save for additional
time, or delete the document.

37

PRINTING AT NO CHARGE
• There is no charge for printing information from the
following services:
– KeyCite list
– Westlaw Directory
– Scope

• In addition, there is no charge for using the
following functions while online:
– Print screen
– Internet browser print
– Copy and paste

38

CONTENT
• Introduction


• Conclusion

39

FIND AND PRINT
• The Westlaw Find & Print service can be accessed
from:
– findprint.westlaw.com
– the westlaw.com home page
– the westlaw.com sign-on page

• You can enter citations and automatically print up to 99
documents at one time.
• You can also check a list of cases with KeyCite.
• The current charge as of August 2010 can range from
$30.50 - $149.00 per document. There is no additional
charge for content within your firm‟s subscription.
40

You can access Find and
Print from westlaw.com‟s
home page.
Access from
findprint.westlaw.com.

Or access from
westlaw.com‟s
sign-on page.

From Find and Print
you can also retrieve
KeyCite information for a
list of citations.

41

THE KEY NUMBER SYSTEM
• West‟s Key Number System allows you to quickly
find other cases that discuss the same legal issue
as the case at hand.
• A unique key number is assigned to every point of
law.
– The key numbers are linked to every headnote in West‟s
National Reporter System that discusses that point of law.

• The next slide contains an example of a search in
West‟s Key Number System.

42

You can access the Key Number
System from the tool bar at the top of
the screen.

From this screen you
can search for a key
number by term or by
browsing the key
number digest.

If you search by term,
Westlaw will retrieve
key numbers based on
your terms and will
suggest related terms.
Click the hyper-linked
key number or check
the box to search that
topic.

From the Digest
Outline you can
expand and
collapse categories
to find relevant key
numbers. To
search a key
number check the
box to the left of the
number and click
Search selected.
43

On the next screen, check to ensure
that the key number you selected is
displayed and select the jurisdiction
you want search. You can also add
additional terms to your search from
this screen. Click Search.

You have now created a Custom
Digest of the headnotes from your
jurisdiction that address your issue.
44

KEYSEARCH
• Another way to find relevant key numbers is
through KeySearch.
– West attorney-editors have created logical topics and
subtopics that are arranged alphabetically.
– Links to popular subtopics are listed below each main
topic for quick retrieval.
Use KeySearch when you are unfamiliar with an
area of the law or are unfamiliar with the Key
Number System.

45

KEYSEARCH CONT.
• Clicking the yellow folder icons allows you to
narrow your subtopic further.
– A magnifying glass icon indicates that you are in the
narrowest subtopic.
– Clicking the magnifying glass, brings you to a search
screen that allows you to search cases with headnotes,
cases without headnotes, or secondary sources. You can
also include additional terms.

Note: the KeySearch
path is displayed at
the top of the page so
that it is easy to
navigate back to
larger categories.

46

RESULTSPLUS
• ResultsPlus appears on the results screen after you
have run a search on Westlaw.

Click „View All Results‟
for a complete list of
ResultsPlus results.

• ResultsPlus suggests additional relevant documents
from secondary sources, motions and briefs, and
suggests possible Key Numbers based upon your
search terms.
• Using ResultsPlus you can retrieve numerous
additional relevant materials with only one search.
47

STATUTESPLUS AND REGULATIONSPLUS
• The „Links for‟ tab, which is in the left frame when
viewing a statute or regulation, contains resources that
provide information and documents essential for
thorough statutory research.
• These resources expedite, expand and verify your
statutory or regulatory research.

• StatutesPlus and RegulationsPlus saves money
because it saves time.
• It‟s a one stop shop!

48

STATUTESPLUS CONT.
• „Links for‟ includes quick links to:
– KeyCite information
– Table of Contents
– Section Outline
– Notes of Decisions
– Historical Versions
– Analysis (Secondary Sources)
– Legislative History
– Administrative Materials
– Cross References
– 50 State Surveys
49

OTHER COST-EFFECTIVE SERVICES
• Locate in Results is a search within the results of a prior
search. Under transactional billing there is no extra
transactional fee for a locate search.

• Table of Contents browsing incurs no transactional or
hourly database charges. However, there is a charge if you
link to a particular document.
• KeyCite lets you quickly trace the history of a case(s)
through the appellate process and/or retrieve a list of cases
and secondary sources that cite the case.
• KeyCite Alert monitors and automatically delivers to you
any change in the status of a case or statute. Cost depends
on pricing plan.
50

OTHER COST-EFFECTIVE SERVICES
• WestClip allows you to stay up-to-date on legal issues
without spending unnecessary time online by running
searches automatically. Results can be automatically
delivered to the destination of your choice.
• WestCheck.com automatically extracts citations from
a word-processing document and runs them in KeyCite
to determine whether they are good law and/or to
retrieve a list of cases and secondary sources citing
the document.

51

CONCLUSION
• Don‟t forget the Westlaw Reference Attorneys!
–
–

Available to help you at no charge

–

There are licensed attorneys

–

They are fully experienced Westlaw users

–

•

Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week

They are a knowledgeable and friendly research resource

Call the Reference Attorneys at: 1-800-850-WEST

52

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