TMLL Research Guide - Chapter 2

WESTLAW: ORGANIZATION OF MATERIALS

On Westlaw, documents are organized into databases. Each Westlaw database has an identifier. Once you have signed onto Westlaw, you click on the "Directory" link at the top center of your screen to see a list of general categories representing groupings of sources by type. This online directory is organized by general categories of materials: federal materials (cases, statutes, legislative materials, administrative regulations and other sources); state materials (the same types of materials on the state level, with the user's state listed first); "topical practice areas" which arranges documents by areas such as environmental law, bankruptcy and the like; law reviews, legal periodicals and current awareness, which includes various secondary sources; and several other categories.

Each main category is divided into many subcategories that correspond to individual databases. Clicking on a category at each stage of the menu screen leads you further into the database directory until you reach the point of selecting the database you wish to search.

For any database, detailed coverage information, along with helpful search tips, can be obtained by accessing the "Scope" service. Click on the "i" (information) button next to the database name in order to access "Scope."