What is the key number in Westlaw?
What is the key number in Westlaw?
What Is the West Key Number System? The West Key Number System is a classification system of U.S. law that indexes cases into over 400 topics and more than 98,000 legal issues. Westlaw assigns a topic and key number to each legal issue within a case.
What is a digest topic and key number?
A digest helps you to find cases on a specific legal issue or topic. West digests use headnotes and key numbers to organize and summarize all cases by subject.
How do I find my Westlaw key number?
Browse comprehensive Key Numbers to pinpoint legal concepts The Westlaw homepage link to “Key Numbers” allows you to browse to level of specificity by topic. Alternatively, a link appears under the Content Pages autosuggestion when you start to type Key Numbers in the search bar at the top of the screen.
What is a digest on Westlaw?
A digest is a large compilation of case law summaries, which are initially categorized into fairly broad topics, then subcategorized again into much more specific topics.
How do I make a digest in Westlaw?
Westlaw: Key Numbers
- Once you find a case you like, read the headnotes that come at the beginning of the case and identify the headnote(s) most relevant to your issue.
- Create a custom digest by clicking on a topic or key number link – this will show you a list of all cases that fall under the same topic and key number.
Where do I find digests on Westlaw?
The West Key Number Digest helps you identify topic and key numbers related to your issue and to headnotes classified under those topic and key numbers. To access the West Key Number Digest on WestlawNext, click the Tools tab in the Browse section of the home page, then click West Key Number System (Figure 3).
How do you cite a Westlaw key?
From the Tabbed Westlaw Page—At the tabbed Westlaw page (Figure 2-1), type a citation in the KeyCite this citation text box and click Go. From Any Page—At the top of any page, click KeyCite to display the KeyCite page (Figure 2-2). Then type a citation in the KeyCite this citation text box and click Go.
What is the topic number on Westlaw?
Westlaw Edge assigns a numeric code to each topic in addition to key numbers. For this example, the number 106 represents the topic Courts. This first number should not be confused with the key number which is 89. The k means key.
What is the key number?
Key Numbers® A system devised by West Group involving the classification of legal subjects that are organized within their publications according to specific topics and subtopics. A particular point of law can be traced through different law books by following the cases listed under a Key Number in each series.
How do you create a digest on Westlaw?
How can you use a digest to locate a case?
Just go to the beginning of any digest topic. There you will find an outline of the key numbers used for that topic. As with the Descriptive Word Index approach, after you have located a topic and key number you can go back to the “good case” approach (found earlier in this library guide) and follow step c to the end.
What types of digests does Westlaw offer?
West digests use headnotes and key numbers to organize and summarize all cases by subject. Print digests are available in the library. Westlaw also offers a searchable key number system, which can be accessed from the Tools tab on the homepage.
How do you use the west key number system?
Using the West Key Number System is particularly useful when you have identified a relevant case and would like to find additional cases addressing a certain point of law or legal issue from other jurisdictions. A key number consists of a topic number, followed by a number to identify the issue within that topic.
Why key numbers on Westlaw?
Our Key Number Digest books help legal researchers quickly and efficiently find relevant case law among the stacks and shelves in vast law libraries. Few analog tools have made the transition to our digital world better than Key Numbers, and using Key Numbers on Westlaw can make quick work of complicated legal research tasks.
How do I search for relevant cases on Westlaw?
After finding a useful headnote at the top of a case on Westlaw, click into a relevant key number next to the headnote, and then search or narrow by jurisdiction as needed to identify relevant cases.
