Improve Your Search Results

Note: This search engine uses search terms. You do not need to use connectors (such as "and") to get good results. It does use quote marks to retrieve specific phrases.

• Documents will contain ALL search terms plus synonyms (no need to use connectors such as “and”).
  Example: minor OWI will return documents with BOTH minor and OWI (and/or documents with minors, child, children, and operating while intoxicated)

• Use quotation marks to find a specific phrase and synonyms.
  Example: "parenting time" will return documents with those words in that EXACT ORDER, as well as documents containing visitation.

• Put a minus sign [-] immediately before a word/phrase to exclude it and synonyms from the results.
  Example: discovery -health -“federal courts” will return documents with the word discovery but will EXCLUDE documents with the word health or the phrase federal courts.

• Put an asterisk [*] immediately after the base word to expand the word by multiple characters.
  Example: receiver* will return documents with the words receiver AND receivership.

• Put a tilde [~] and a number after a two or more words inside quotation marks to find words within a certain number of words of each other.
  Example: "estoppel tenant"~3 will return documents with estoppel and tenant within three words of each other (e.g. estoppel certificate from each tenant).

• Put a capital OR between two terms to retrieve contents with one or both terms.
  Example: “power of attorney” OR “patient advocate” will return documents where ONE or BOTH phrases or their synonyms are present.

• For general information, use one or two words without quotation marks.
  Example: bankruptcy

• For more specific information, use three or more words.
  Example: bankruptcy exemptions Chapter 11

• Word order affects results ranking:
  Use dog show to get more results that focus on dog shows.
  Use show dog to get more results that focus on show dogs.

• Strong: "summary disposition" motion
  Why: This will retrieve documents that contain variations on the phrase, including motion for summary disposition and summary disposition motion.
• Weak: "construction lien waiver"
  Why: This will not return documents that say "waiver of construction lien."

• Under Filter Results, you can refine results in different ways, such as by Practice Area and subtopics within practice areas, Resource Type, and Contributors if applicable or by court and year. Click on the filter you want to apply. When you click on a practice area, subtopics in that area that include results for your search will appear and you can further refine by clicking on a subtopic. To turn off a filter, click the box with the x under Filter Results or in the list of applied filters under the search box.

• When you click on a book chapter, How-To Kit, form, or other resource from the search results page, your exact search terms will be highlighted (Note: highlighting does not operate in SCAO forms). The search engine returns results that include synonyms of your search terms to improve the chance of finding all relevant results; however, they will not be highlighted.
• Find the search terms by scrolling through the document. Or you can jump to a search term by using the Ctrl+F (Command+F for Mac) function. Hit the Control and the F keys at the same time, enter one of your search terms in the box, and click on the arrow or Next to find your exact terms throughout the content.
• Click the remove [add] highlighting link at the top of the page if you want to turn highlighting off [on].

• The search ignores common words, and you do not need to use connectors, such as and, or, of, in, or the to get good results.
  Example: If you search for change of custody in divorce, the search engine will ignore of and in and will try to find documents that most closely meet the context of your search terms.
• Do not use connectors common to LexisNexis®, Westlaw®, or other commercial search engines; doing so may give poor search results.

• The search ignores capital letters. The search results will be the same whether you type in bankruptcy chapter 11, bankruptcy Chapter 11, or BANKRUPTCY CHAPTER 11.

As you begin typing in the search box, ICLE’s search engine will offer suggestions based on what you have typed so far. Click on a suggestion to see results for a search on those terms.

For information on saving searches, see How to Use My Toolbar.