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Using Search Commands for More Precise Searching
(December 9, 2005)

The Search screen on www.lexis.com has been enhanced in recent years to help you construct better searches. I would like to review an example of the sophisticated searching techniques now available. 

The Search Connectors box sits to the right of the search box.  When you place your cursor over one of the connectors, an explanation and example of how to use the connector is displayed.  At the bottom of the box is a link to View Search Commands.  This link opens a dialog box that describes commands. For the savvy searcher, one that I recommend is the ATLEAST command.

Use ATLEAST to require that a term or terms appear ‘at least’ so many times in a document. Use ATLEAST when you want only documents that contain an in-depth discussion on a topic rather than just a mention.

For example, to find documents in News, Most Recent 14 Days, that contain an in-depth discussion of one of the hot items this holiday season, Xbox 360:

Enter: atleast15(xbox 360)

This search requires Xbox 360 to appear in every document at least 15 times. You can use any number from 1 to 255 with the ATLEAST command.

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