1. ABOVE ALL - ALLOW NO DISTRACTIONS
- The meter is running
- Close your door
- Turn off your phone
- FOCUS
2. Know your issue
- Never begin with a keyword case search
- Do some background research to become familiar with your topic
- See the Secondary Sources Tab of this Guide
- Do you know what the acronyms stand for?
- Are there terms of art you need to look up?
3. Write down your search statement on paper
- Start with a plan
- What will you do if you find too much?
- What will you do if you find too little?
4. When in doubt call, phone a friend! The commercial vendors have 24/7 toll-free phone numbers. You can also call the Law Library Reference Desk:
- LEXIS (800) 543-6862 (menu option 1)
- Westlaw (800) REF-ATTY
- GSU Law Ref. Desk (404) 413-9102 *not 24 hours!
5. Pre-Filter
- narrow down by jurisdiction
- narrow down by type of material
6. Change the display order
- Relevance may not be the best way to view a list
- Change to Date-newest first or Most Cited
7. Too much is better than too little - Start broad and narrow down
8. Observe the 15-minute rule of thumb
- if you haven't found anything relevant within 15 minutes STOP
- more time won't help
- log off and regroup
9. Print sparingly
10. Understand the charges
- No matter what the pricing plan, start with a BROAD search and stay within it. [Filters are free!]
- Flat-rate plan or transactional? Know the difference and what you are using.
- No cost or low-cost alternatives: these can be great but remember what we don't pay with cash might require more time or intellectual effort.
