When starting your research it's a good idea to get an overview of your topic or area of law by doing a keyword search.
Use Boolean and other advanced search operators to improve keyword search results. Below are the most common operators.
Tip: If you get the search operators wrong, the database probably won't alert you to the error; instead your search will find no results. If you are not sure, check the help section of individual databases to find the specific operators used.
Operator |
Purpose |
Example |
Database |
| AND | Searches for both terms on either side of the operator | loss AND nuisance | Lexis, Westlaw, CCH, AustLII, Jade, InfoRMIT, HeinOnline, LawOne |
| OR | Searches for either term on either side of the operator | damages OR compensation | Lexis, Westlaw, CCH, AustLII, Jade, InfoRMIT, HeinOnline, LawOne |
|
NOT % |
Excludes the term on the right-hand side of the operator |
assault NOT battery
|
Lexis, CCH, AustLII, Jade, InfoRMIT, HeinOnline, LawOne Westlaw |
|
* ! |
Truncation - Searches for alternative term endings |
legislat* legislat! |
CCH, AustLII, Jade, InfoRMIT, HeinOnline, LawOne Lexis, Westlaw |
|
? * |
Wildcard - replaces 1 character, useful for spelling variations |
wom?n wom*n |
Lexis, CCH, AustLII, Jade, InfoRMIT, HeinOnline, LawOne Westlaw |
| " " | Searches for the term as an exact phrase | "economic loss" | Lexis, Westlaw, CCH, AustLII, Jade, InfoRMIT, HeinOnline, LawOne |
|
/n w/n |
Proximity - Searches for the first term within a nominated number of words from the second term Use 5 for same phrase; 15-30 for same sentence; 50 for same paragraph |
construction /5 contract construction w/5 contract |
Lexis, Westlaw, LawOne CCH, AustLII, Jade |
| " "~n |
Proximity - Searches for the terms inside the double quote marks within a nominated number of words Use 5 for same phrase; 15-30 for same sentence; 50 for same paragraph |
"construction contract"~5 | InfoRMIT, HeinOnline |