Query Eye for the Law Guy – cognitive Styles in Legal Research

  • Streamlined (Close Up)
  • Write the brief with blanks
  • Fill in the blanks
  • Adjust argument only if absolutely necessary

Five Types of Legal Resarch Tools

  • Narrative Restatements -treatises, encyclopedias, law reviews. (Wide Angle tool).
  • Codifications – annotated codes (Wide Angle)
  • Free text – boolean searching, natural language (Close up) – very precise decontextualized.
  • Controlled vocabulary Indexes – like in the back of a book (Close Up). In a leagal index, there is more context (Wide Angle – kind of).
  • Citation Indexes –