WISER:WISER:Newspapers online : an introduction to the scope and range of recent and current newspapers available on Oxlip, including hints on effective search techniques.

Ruth BirdBodleian Law Librarian

Databases to be covered today:

Westlaw Global News Service (formerly Dialog)

Lexis Nexis News Service

not covered today – Factiva, a service based at Said Business School Library, and available from the Sainsbury Library

Aim of this session

Demonstrate features of Westlaw and Lexis News services

Explain structure and searching on each database

Identify similar and varying features in each service

Westlaw requires Athens login

Lexis News uses IP recognition – no login required on campus, VPN off campus

WESTLAW : - Initial Westlaw screen

1. Choose Add/Remove tabs

2. Tick topics to

select tabs

To change these tabs:

3. Click next

Click Save and new tab will appear along top bar.

Enter name or company,

restrict dates & click GO.

Results display most recent first, with search term highlighted. Search can be narrowed to locate items within the result

By selecting Edit text on previous screen, you can add narrower terms to the existing query.

Natural Language option is available.

Options to print, save or email

articles

Mark selected articles

Select this option for

general searches

Enter search terms and select where to

search

Find out which

papers are included

Select Research Trail option to track search process and obtain citations. This can be downloaded or emailed.

FAVOURITE databases can be selected and added to this list

Select Add to favourites from drop list on previous screen, then enter the name you wish to give the database, and the database identifier. Click Add

Favourite.

When you next look at your favourites list, the new database is listed.

From the information button, Scope of databases is shown, with individual titles of papers & database name

Able to select single/several titles for a search

If a database name is selected, the search box is displayed, and search narrowed to one source

To search by resource, select General News tab. Search can be

limited, and duplicates eliminated. Term frequency can be specified,

as well as case sensitivity

Lexis Nexis news service

Select the News Service from Oxlip

Enter search term, select section; add further refinement using

dialogue boxes

Date restriction option

Lexis has a results limit which will stop you if you are not specific enough in your search terms. If

this screen appears, narrow your search term(s)

This list allows narrowing of search; multiple sources

cannot be selected

Search can be limited by these options

Source type can be listed; this pane can also be closed

Sort by date or relevance; marked items are highlighted

Various options for display; also ability to mark records for printing, emailing, saving.

Narrowed search

leads to smaller

result set

Move from keyword hit to hit

By limiting same basic name search to ‘Headline’, only 5 articles

are retrieved

At the end of each article there is a box with relevant subjects that

can be checked for related articles

Search can be

modified or narrowed

New results include the new terms

History of search is listed here

Select search option to create your own search query

Select Sources tab to add or identify

content of sources

Select a Source option – here, individual publications

has been selected, and it brings a screen broken

down alphabetically

Information about a source – click the

Select a country or region

A whole group can be added to My Sources

Remember to click Done to add item to

My Sources

Personal Source List

Each time ‘Add’ is selected, the title appears in this

listing. Individual titles can be added/removed at any time.The selected list needs to be

given a name, and the

Drop down list of your selected Sources

Explanation of Connectors

List of connectors by selecting View

A sample search The following search was conducted on June 11 –

locate the words academic, pay and increase within proximity to each other, to find articles dealing with the recent industrial dispute.

In each database, the search used template, boolean and natural language search methods.

The results varied, not only between the two databases, but within the one database, depending on the search method.

The point of this is to alert users to the need to be exhaustive in their use of these resources to ensure they have exhausted all possibilities.

1. Lexis using General Search & Boolean search terms

Search results – 23 articles

2. Natural language search

Results – 250 articles

3. Using structured search template on News

Select/exclude indexed items from these options

Search results – 28 items

Westlaw – restricted to UK Newspapers

1. Using the structured search template option

A broad result set – over 800 documents

2. Using the natural language option

Result set - 20 documents

3a. Using terms and connectors – terms within 3 words of each other

From terms search – 5 results

3b. Broaden terms to be in same paragraph

Result set – 12 documents

Some comparisons Lexis WestlawResults limited to 3000 No limit to results

No full record of research Research trail provided

Able to refine search by resource

Also available but not as seamless

Returned over 3000 docs on name search

Returned 884 docs on name search

2150 resources listed in English language file

Resources are listed by region – at least 1800

Result sets vary depending on query, and sources, and between the two providers

Conclusion

Although there is duplication of resources, a search cannot be exhaustive in one database only. Many unique titles appear in one or the other collection

Multiple formats are indexed in both Searching structure may be more user friendly in

Lexis Westlaw offers research tracking Good features in both resources, but neither can be

seen as the exhaustive resource

…..and now we hope you are more prepared for your newspaper research quest..

Are there any questions?