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Best Guide to Canadian Legal Research
Copyright © 1995-2008 Catherine P. Best
Conditions and terms of use

 

FUNCTION BC SUPERIOR COURTS SUPREME COURT OF CANADA FEDERAL COURT OF CANADA CanLII
COVERAGE BCSC and BCCA decisions since 1990 SCC decisions since 1989

Bulletin of Proceedings

 Federal Trial Division and Court of Appeal decisions since 1993 Canadian cases and statutes from several jurisdictions based on collections provided by courts and government; coverage varies by jurisdiction
TEMPLATE AND FIELD SEARCHING Can restrict search by court and year.

Allows Boolean and proximity searching.

 Simple search template permits search by keyword, name or citation. Cases can also be accessed using lists organized by date, name and subject.

Advanced search template permits search by name of case, citation, parties, judges, date and subject classification.

Advanced search template has options to search for all words, phrase, any words, or without certain words.

 Simple search template permits search by keyword, name or citation. Cases can also be accessed using lists organized by date and name.

Advanced search template permits search by name of case, citation, and date.

Advanced search template has options to search for all words, phrase, any words, or without certain words.

 No connectors required for basic search. Full Boolean and proximity searching available for more precise searching. Template permits search by name or citation and refinement by date or type of collection.

Can restrict search to particular jurisdiction by selecting jurisdiction from home page. From there individual databases can be selected.

Advanced Search template permits further customization through selection of one or more jurisdictions, court level, or type of administrative tribunal.
PHRASE no quotations required unless phrase contains a connector use template use template quotations required
AND AND use template use template AND (must use capitals)
OR OR use template use template OR (must use capitals)
NOT AND NOT use template use template NOT (must use capitals)
SPACE defaults to phrase search     defaults to AND
PROXIMITY NEAR finds words within 50     /n (within the number of words represented by n)

/S (within the same sentence)

/P (within the same paragraph)
PLURALS regular plurals searched for when using singular form and vice versa regular plurals searched for when using singular form and vice versa regular plurals searched for when using singular form and vice versa regular plurals searched for when using singular form and vice versa
TRUNCATION *     *
WORD FORMS ** searches for word variants automatically searches for word variants automatically searches for word variants automatically searches for word variants

turn off by putting term within EXACT(term)
WILD CHARACTER       *
PARENTHESES permitted     permitted
ORDER OF EVALUATION phrase

parentheses

or

and

     phrase

parentheses

OR

proximity

NOT

AND

 

FUNCTION BAILII AUSTLII LEXISONE
COVERAGE British, Irish and Scottish cases and statutes Australian cases and statutes, with citators and links US cases for the past 5 years and full coverage of US Supreme Court
TEMPLATE AND FIELD SEARCHING Simple search on main page defaults to AND between each word.

Advanced search uses Boolean and proximity operators described below.

Case law search template allows selection of collection to be searched, permits search by name or citation, permits refinement by date. Template allows search for all words, phrase, any words and also permits Advanced query containing Boolean and proximity connectors.

Commands below apply only to Advanced query.

 Simple search on main page defaults to OR between each word. Can override by using Boolean operators or quotation marks in query, or typing query recognized as style of cause or name of statute.

Advanced search allows user to select databases and has a drop-down search menu for any words, all words, phrase, Boolean search or search in document name.

Commands below apply only to Boolean searches.

 Can search by keyword or by citation.

Can restrict search by court, jurisdiction, date, parties, judge, counsel.

Commands below apply to keyword searches.
PHRASE no quotations required unless phrase contains a connector or a stopped word no quotations required unless phrase contains a connector or a stopped word no quotations required unless a word in the phrase is a connector or a stopped word
AND AND AND AND
OR OR OR OR
NOT NOT NOT AND NOT
SPACE defaults to phrase search defaults to phrase search defaults to phrase search
PROXIMITY NEAR finds words within 50

/n/ finds words in any order within the number specified by n

 NEAR finds words within 50

W/n finds words in any order within the number represented by n

PRE/n finds words in specified order within the number represented by n

 /n (finds words in any order within the number represented by n)

/S (within the same sentence)

/P (within the same paragraph)

W/SEG (within the same segment or field)

PRE/n (finds words in specified order within the number represented by n)
PLURALS regular plurals searched for when using singular form and vice versa regular plurals searched for when using singular form and vice versa regular plurals searched for when using singular form and vice versa
TRUNCATE * for truncation * for truncation ! for truncation
WILD CHARACTER ? ? *
PARENTHESES permitted permitted permitted
ORDER OF EVALUATION phrase

proximity connectors

or

and, not (in order from left to right)

 phrase

proximity connectors

or

and, not (in order from left to right)

 1. phrase or proximity using quotation marks
2. terms in parentheses
3. NOT
4. OR
5. AND

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This page was last modified  March 27, 2008
Copyright © 1995-2008 Catherine P. Best
Conditions and terms of use