The basics of Lexology/Google Search

To enter a query, type in a few descriptive words and press Enter (or click the Search button) for a list of relevant web pages. Since Lexology/Google returns only web pages that contain all the words in your query, refining or narrowing your search is as simple as adding more words to the search terms you have already entered. Your new query will return a smaller subset of the pages Lexology/Google found for your original 'too-broad' query.

Choosing keywords

For best results, choose your keywords wisely. Keep these tips in mind:

• Try the obvious first. If you're looking for information specifically on age discrimination, enter 'age discrimination' rather than simply 'discrimination'.
• Make keywords as specific as possible. For example, 'initial public offering' gets better results than 'floating a company on the stock market'.

Automatic 'and' queries

By default, Lexology/Google only returns pages that include all of your search terms. There is no need to include 'and' between terms. Keep in mind that the order in which the terms are typed will affect the search results. To restrict a search further, just include more terms. For example, to read about UK takeover rules, simply type:

Automatic exclusion of common words

Lexology/Google ignores common words and characters such as 'where' and 'how' and certain single digits and single letters because they tend to slow down your search without improving the results. Lexology/Google will indicate if a common word has been excluded by displaying details on the results page below the search box.

If a common word is essential to get the results you want, you can include it by putting a '+' sign in front of it. (Be sure to include a space before the '+' sign.)

Another method of doing this is to conduct a phrase search, which means putting quotation marks around two or more words. Common words in a phrase search (eg, "where are you") are included in the search.

For example, to search for Article 5, use:

~OR~

Capitalization

Lexology/Google searches are NOT case sensitive. All letters, regardless of how you type them, will be understood as lower case. For example, searches for 'competition act' 'Competition Act', and 'CoMpEtItIoN AcT' will all return the same results.

Word variations (stemming)

To provide the most accurate results, Lexology/Google does not use 'stemming' or support 'wildcard' searches. Lexology/Google searches for exactly the words that you enter in the search box. Searching for 'share' or 'share*' will not yield 'shares' or 'shareholders'. If in doubt, try more than one form: 'airline' and 'airlines,' for instance.