# Result ranking

vLex [results](/getting-started/search-results.md) are, by default, sorted by relevance. This is calculated using a combination of the following factors:

* **Textual ranking**: scans the results and shows you information that most closely relates to your search terms.
* **Legal ranking:** higher legal status means higher priority. For example, a result from a higher court will have priority over a result from a minor court, and a piece of legislation will have higher priority than a bill.
* **Citation frequency**: documents that are cited more frequently rank higher.
* **Social ranking**: the way users interact with vLex gives the algorithm clues as to whether a document is helpful or not.
* **Personal ranking**: your [SmartTopics](/features/stay-updated/smarttopics.md) choices and the[ documents that you follow](/features/stay-updated/follow-documents.md) indicate what is important to you.
* **Editorial ranking**: vLex's editorial team manually selects the key search results for the searches that are conducted most frequently.

{% hint style="info" %}
The vLex search engine learns with you: the more you and people in your area use it, the more the search engine improves. vLex takes in what is relevant to you and similar users to save you time, and give you more accurate results.
{% endhint %}

## **Other sorting criteria**

Use the drop-down menu in the top-right hand corner above your results to change the order to one of the following options:

* **Most cited** 
* **Most recent**
* **Oldest**
* **Most visited**

![Sorting results](/files/-MbgjOxuZ_SeZK04b2wz)


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://support.vlex.com/getting-started/search-results/results-ranking.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.