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Criminology & Justice Studies

Research guide for CJS students

Legal Databases

Using Legal Databases

How to Use Westlaw

Enter your keywords in the search box (ex. cybercrime) or use the case name (i.e. Morse v. Frederick) to find information.

Screenshot indicating location of Westlaw search box


You also have the option to browse specific types of sources, court circuit, state courts, and tools.

Screenshot of Westlaw's 'Browse' section


To navigate through search results, either scroll down the page or filter results using the box on the left side of the page.

Screenshot of Westlaw search results page with page section links highlighted


The flags on the left of the cases denote how positively/negatively a case has been referenced in other proceedings or decisions.

Screenshot of search result with yellow flag highlighted


Click the box to the left of the result before choosing one of several options on how to save or email the resource.

 

How to Use HeinOnline

You have several ways to find resources in HeinOnline - you can do a search by full-text, by a specific citation, for specific publications owned by HeinOnline, or by a case law citation.

The most straightforward option is to enter your keywords in the main full text search field. In this example, enter in the specific name of a case (Morse v. Frederick).

Screenshot indicating location of search box in HeinOnline


After entering in your keywords, you'll have several tools to filter your search results. You can narrow down your results by date, title of the law review publication, topic, etc.

Screenshot of filters in HeinOnline


To access articles that come up in your results, click on the title to read the full article.

Screenshot of search result in HeinOnline with article title highlighted


You can download the PDF or email yourself the article - these options are located to the right of the article title on the results page.

Screenshot of download and sharing options in HeinOnline

You can also access download and sharing options after clicking to the article - these will be located just above the text.

Screenshot indicating download and sharing options on the article page

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