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LexisNexis Academic provides the complete text of resources in the areas of current news, medicine, business, finance, and legal information. It is the higher education version of the popular Lexis-Nexis service used by law schools and lawyers. The online version of LexisNexis Academic is available via the web, at: http://searchtools.lib.umich.edu/V/?func=native-link&Resource=UMI01173. Coverage is back to 1980, but varies by source title. To locate print versions of the sources in the LexisNexis service, search the Mirlyn catalog by source title (e.g. Wall Street Journal or Crain's Detoit Business ). Please note: this service was formerly known as Academic Universe.
LexisNexis Academic is most useful when:
Outlined below is a two step strategy to help you search the database more effectively and efficiently.
Step #1.
Define your topic in the form of a question or statement, for example, What
is the status of concealed gun legislation?. Then, separate the question
into specific logical components or concepts:
| CONCEPT 1: concealed guns |
CONCEPT 2: |
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Step #2.
Choose keywords that describe your concepts. Using the appropriate terminology
is important, in that it enables you to hit upon citations about your topic
rather than unrelated items using words which are too common. Try to incorporate
as many synonyms as possible.
Using the example in step #1, write down all keywords that describe the concepts, for example:
| CONCEPT 1: concealed guns |
CONCEPT 2: legislation |
||||
| concealed guns firearms |
legislation law act ballot |
Consider methods for focusing your topic, either with additional terms, with specific sources types (law review, news source, opinion poll, etc.), or with a specific publication year or time frame. Because there are no subject headings in LexisNexis Academic, it is best to be precise and unambiguous in your search terms.
Continuing to use the example topic of concealed gun legislation, click on one of the 3 search forms on the home page:
| Quick News Search/Guided News Search - current U.S. or world news sources |
| Get a Case - citations to federal case law |
| Company Information - corporate information from a variety of business sources |
| CONNECTORS: to link concepts or establish relationships between search terms. | |
| or | e.g. child or infant retrieves documents with either or both terms |
| w/n | interracial w/2 adoption retrieves documents with interracial
within two words of adoption (in any order), n=number 1-255 |
| w/s | child w/s abuse retrieves documents with terms in same sentence |
| w/p | welfare w/p reform retrieves documents with terms in same paragraph |
| and | deinstitutionalization and homeless retrieves documents containing both terms |
| pre/n | same pre/1 sex and (marriage or union) retrieves documents where same must precede sex within 1 word (same-sex marriage or union) |
| TRUNCATION: to find variant endings or multiple spellings | |
| ! (replaces one or more characters) | employ!=employ, employee, employer, etc. |
| * (replaces one character) | wom*n=woman, women |
| PARENTHESES: to specify the order in which LexisNexis Academic looks for search terms | (spouse or partner) w/p violence |
| FREQUENCY: to attach importance or emphasis to designated terms by specifying the number of times term(s) should appear | atleast4 (adoption and children) |
| DATE: to limit a search to a particular date or range of dates | |
| use pull-down menu | today, previous week, month, year, six months, etc. |
| use from: to: fields | from: 9/24/98 to: 9/24/02 from: 7/4/00 to: from: to: 3/15/02 |
| use "Search this publication title(s)" | Wall Street Journal OR Washington Post |
3. Click the "Search" button.
4. Review the "Document List" where the most relevant documents appear first. The results can be sorted by date, too.
6. Use the "Print" button to display your citation for printing. (Remember to display the full document before printing.) Click on the "Display document" button when you are ready to print. Use the Print button on your web browser to send the document to your printer. Click on the "Email" button to send the document to your email account.
7. Use "Return to Full" link at the top of the screen to return to the record you just printed or emailed.
8. Click on the "Document List" tab to redisplay the list of your results.
9. Multiple documents may be selected for printing or emailing by clicking in the box next to a particular citation on the "Document List" screen.
10. Click on the Edit Search link and at the search form screen, use the index frame on the left side of the screen to choose a different search category (e.g. Legal Research).
11. To exit LexisNexis Academic, click on the "Home" button of your web browser.
This
database is restricted to validated U-M students, staff and faculty.
Created by: Karen Reiman-Sendi; Converted by Jamie Nielsen 10/15/07
Content last updated on: 26 March 2007
Social Work Library | (734) 764-5169 | social.work.library@umich.edu
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