How to Use Advanced Search for Precision Queries

Master vLex Library's Advanced Search. Learn to build precision queries with specific filters for jurisdiction, content type, and keywords for better results.

Summary

Use Advanced Search to construct complex queries with multiple filters, ensuring you find highly relevant results in your vlex legal research. This tool allows you to specify jurisdictions, content types, and precise word combinations.

Why This is Important

Advanced Search moves beyond simple keyword searching, giving you the control to eliminate irrelevant results and pinpoint exact documents. This precision saves significant time and ensures your research is both comprehensive and accurate, which is critical for building a strong legal argument.

How to Perform an Advanced Search

Follow these steps to build a precise query.

1. Access Advanced Search

Select Advanced Search from the main menu on the left side of your screen. When the menu is minimized, look for the magnifying glass icon.

Find Advanced Search in the main navigation menu.

2. Set Your Scope: Jurisdiction and Content

Before entering keywords, define where and what you want to search.

  • Jurisdiction(s): Your default jurisdiction is pre-selected. You can add more jurisdictions or choose Select All Countries for a global search.

  • Content: The search is pre-set to All content. Click this to narrow your search to specific document types like Case law, Legislation, or Books and journals.

Define the scope of your search by selecting jurisdictions and content types first.

3. Enter Your Search Terms

Use the Words search fields to construct your query. You do not need to use every field.

  • All the words: Finds documents containing all the words you enter, in any order.

  • The exact phrase: Finds documents containing the exact phrase you type.

  • The words in proximity: Finds documents where the words you enter appear near each other.

  • Any word: Finds documents containing at least one of the words you enter.

  • None of the words: Excludes any document containing the words you type here.

  • Advanced operators: A dedicated field for building a search string with Boolean operators like AND, OR, and NOT.

Combine different word fields to build a highly specific query.

4. Run Your Search or Create an Alert

Once your query is built, click the Search button to see your results. If you want to monitor this search for new documents in the future, click Save as an alert instead.

Best Practices & Pro Tips

  • Use Content-Specific Filters: After selecting a Content type (e.g., Case law), additional filter options may appear below the word fields, allowing you to search by court, judge, or citation.

  • Refine on the Results Page: If your initial results are still too broad, use the filters on the left side of the results page to narrow them down further.

  • Start Broad, Then Narrow: Begin with a few key terms in the All the words field. If you get too many results, return to Advanced Search and add more specific criteria.

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