library.dol.gov
|
November 4, 2008 DOL Home > OASAM > Wirtz Labor Library > Law Library > Law Tips Archive > Key Number System |
Key Number System Although you have probably seen and are familiar with the famous West "Key" number system, you may forget to utilize key numbers when performing online searches. The key number system can aid your research in a number of ways.
Westlaw has enhanced the ease of their key number searching. Now when you sign into Westlaw from the "Software Version" you will see a link on the first screen that says KEY NUMBER SEARCH. If you log into the "Web Version" click on the tab titled KEY SEARCH. If you click on the link you will be given the list of key numbers to
browse, simple click on your topic and subtopic and Westlaw prompts you to
enter a particular jurisdiction. You can search all Federal Cases, all State
Cases, or narrow it down much further to specific states or Courts of
Appeal, etc. For example, if you scroll down the list of topics until you find
"Labor Relations" and click on that folder, you will notice a number of
subtopics. Click on any subtopic (ex. k364 Unfair Labor Practices of Employers
In General) and choose a jurisdiction at the prompt. This means that you will search only for cases in your selected jurisdiction that contain this key number as a topic heading. Then you may add additional search terms to help further narrow your query. For example:
Here in the Wirtz Labor Library we have the Federal Practice Digests (in the Law-Ref section of the library, Call Number: KF127.W48). These contain listings of all the key numbers and allow you to browse for cases using the key numbers without accessing an online service. |
|
|||||||
|