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How do I get more relevant search results?

Tips for writing great search queries

Valerie McConnell avatar
Written by Valerie McConnell
Updated over a week ago

Not sure what to type in the keyword search bar to research your issue? The following recommendations can help you get started: 

Use proximity connectors to find cases with specific words and phrases close one another

Proximity connectors tell our database that you want to see cases containing words within a specified distance of one another. This is especially helpful if you want to find cases involving specific outcomes or events. 

For example, if I want to find cases where a motion for reconsideration was granted, search for "motion for reconsideration" /s granted.

The /s tells our database to look for words within the same sentence as the one another. You can also use /p to look for words within the same paragraph as one another, or /number to look for words within a specified number of words as one another. For example, /10 looks for search terms within 10 words of each other.

For a full list of our keyword connectors, please see the article available here.

Placing quotation marks around specific legal phrases or terms will narrow your search results. For example, searching for "motion for reconsideration" in quotes will only find cases containing that exact phrase. 

Find all variations of a word

Use the root expander (!) to find all variations of a word. For example, instead of searching for impeachment, try searching for impeach! That query will bring up cases that discuss impeachment, impeached, impeaching, etc.

Find more relevant results by removing extraneous terms

Focus on one legal question at a time. You can add details regarding the parties, motion, and cause of action in your case by applying filters. If you are not getting relevant results, try removing extraneous words from your query.

For more detailed instructions on how to use keyword searches to research your legal issue, please see the article available here. You can also ask for help from our customer support team, by clicking on the blue chat icon in the bottom right corner of your screen or by emailing support@casetext.com

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