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54 Law Libr. Lights 1 (2010-2011)

handle is hein.journals/lll54 and id is 1 raw text is: Catherine M. Dunn, Reference Librarian, Georgetown Law Library, cmd77@law.georgetown.edu In the spring of this year, Thomson Reuters re- leased WestlawNext, its large-scale overhaul of Westlaw's search interface as well as the search engine behind it. A multi-million dollar proj- ect several years in the making, WestlawNext emerged with this tagline: Legal Research Goes Human. In other words, Thomson Reuters designed WestlawNext in response to the often- repeated refrain that computers cannot think, they merely respond to commands. This lofty goal, if successful, has the power to change elec- tronic legal research as we know it. WestlawNext is built around WestSearch, a new search algorithm that uses a single search box to search across twelve different content areas. A user need only select a jurisdiction and then en- ter one or more search terms in the search box to retrieve results from primary law sources, such as statutes and cases, as well as a variety of sec- ondary source materials.' According to Thom- son Reuters's promotional materials, WestSearch provides users with the most relevant results without requiring the selection of a database, the use of a controlled syntax or a sense of the proper language for describing the relevant is- sues or facts. The Vice President of WestlawNext Product Development has described it as end- ing the tyranny of the keyword. ' The complete list of content areas is: Cases; Statutes; Regulations; Administrative Decisions & Guidance; Trial Court Orders; Secondary Sources; Briefs; Pleadings, Mo- tions & Memoranda; Expert Testimony; Jury Verdicts & Settlements; Pending & Proposed Legislation; and Pending & Proposed Regulations. Exactly how WestSearch works remains a bit of a mystery, however, because Thomson Reuters refuses to release its exact makeup. In general terms, WestSearch uses the editorial content that West has created for more than a hundred years, as well as the search habits of its users, to cast a wider net so a researcher is not hamstrung by unknown vocabulary or search syntax problems. The editorial content includes the Key Number System, KeyCite, and second- ary source content, and the search habits are gathered from tracking the user population, with the exception of academic users. When using WestSearch, a user will receive a results overview containing the most relevant result in each content area except cases, which contains the two most relevant results. From this overview screen, a user can then choose to view the full set of results in any one of the con- tent areas, and, once the user selects a content area, he or she can then further manipulate the results within that one area. The layout of the results can be changed based on a user's sort- ing preferences, and a user can also reduce the number of results using the faceted search re- strictions available. The big question, though, is how well does WestSearch work? Is it really more like a hu- man than a machine? From what I can tell based on my own use, WestSearch works best with unique search terms and/or small jurisdictions. For example, if a researcher uses unique search terms to find information in a small jurisdiction, such as the licensing of alcohol at golf courses in Alaska, the most relevant statute will fly to the top of the results list. Similarly, using unique continued on page 3

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