Winning Research Skills - Westlaw

Chapter 8
■ secondary legal authority (e.g., information from legal encyclopedias, treatises, restatements,
journals, and law reviews).
■ news and business information.
■ legal forms and practice guides.
■ international materials.
Then consider which database on Westlaw contains the information you want. It is usually a
good practice to choose the database that is most specific to the information you want. For
example, if you want rulings issued by the U.S. Supreme Court, search in the All U.S. Supreme
Court Cases database (SCT) rather than the All Federal Cases database (ALLFEDS). Choosing
databases appropriate to your needs will help you use Westlaw in the most efficient manner.
Using the Find a Database Wizard
The Find a Database wizard (Figure 8.1) will walk you through the process of selecting a
database that meets your research needs. When finished, the wizard displays the Search page for
a specific database or the section of the Westlaw Directory that contains databases relevant to
your search. The Find a Database wizard is available from the tabbed Westlaw page, the
Westlaw Directory page, or the Find a Document page.
Figure 8.1: Find a Database wizard
Using the Westlaw Directory
The Westlaw Directory (Figure 8.2) lists all databases on Westlaw, including news and business
sources. To view the Westlaw Directory, click Directory at the top of any page. Directory
information is displayed in a familiar Web layout.
Click New Databases in the left frame to display databases that have been added to Westlaw in
the past 30 days. Click All Databases to display all Westlaw databases, including new databases.
74 Winning Research Skills