Using Terms and Connectors

By default, the and connector is used between terms in West km for Transactions. For example, type partner liability to retrieve transactional documents that contain both of the terms partner and liability.

You can use other connectors and special characters to change relationships between your search terms and retrieve variations of search terms.

Connectors
Root Expander
Universal Character
Automatic Plurals and Equivalent Terms
Compound Words
Abbreviations
Common Words

Note: If you select the Use Fuzzy Logic check box on a Search tab, using connectors and special characters in a title search may prevent concept searching from retrieving additional documents, clauses, or defined terms that may be a match for your search criteria.

Connectors

Use connectors to specify the relationships that must exist between the terms in your retrieved documents, clauses, or defined terms.

Connector	Symbol	Retrieves
AND	& (or a space)	Both search terms in the same document: limited & liability or limited liability
OR	or	Either search term or both terms: merger or acquisition
Grammatical Connectors	/s	Search terms in the same sentence (i.e., within 30 terms): employment /s agreement
	/p	Search terms in the same paragraph: deed /p landowner
	+s	The first term preceding the second within the same sentence (i.e., within 30 terms): palsgraf +s island
Numerical Connectors	/n	Search terms within "n" terms of each other (where "n" is a number): hotel /5 merger
	+n	The first term preceding the second within "n" terms (where "n" is a number): fair +3 value
Phrase	" "	Search terms appearing in the same order as in the quotation marks: "foreign lender"
BUT NOT	%	Documents not containing the term or terms following the % symbol: tenancy % "in common"

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Root Expander

To retrieve words with variant endings, type the root expander (!).

Type:	To retrieve:
distribut!	distribute, distributed, distribution, distributing

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Universal Character

To represent one variable character, type the universal character (*).

Type:	To retrieve:
licens**	license, licensee, licenser, licensor (but not licensable or licensing)

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Automatic Plurals and Equivalent Terms

By default, searches retrieve plural forms and equivalent terms. To find the exact term you specify in the search, type the # symbol in front of the term.

Type:	To retrieve:
#damage	damage (not damages)
#willful	willful (not wilful)

For a list of equivalent terms for jurisdictions, see Equivalent Terms for Jurisdictions.

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Compound Words

If your search term is a compound word, use its hyphenated form to retrieve all variations.

Type:	To retrieve:
good-will	goodwill, good-will, good will

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Abbreviations

If your search term is an abbreviation, type it with periods and without spaces to retrieve all variations.

Type:	To retrieve:
u.c.c.	UCC, U.C.C., U. C. C., U C C

Common Words

These common words are not searched unless they are included in a phrase. You search for a phrase by placing it in quotation marks. In West km for Transactions, common words that are not within a phrase are automatically removed from your search terms by default.

about
above
after
also
although
an
and
as
at
be
because
before
between
but
by
either
for
from
further
here

however
if
in
into
mr
now
of
on
or
other
out
over
since
such
than
that
the
then
there

therefore
these
this
those
through
thus
to
under
until
upon
what
when
where
whether
which
while
with
within
without

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