Author: Lynn Lenart, Law Librarian

Watch for big changes in 2010 for Westlaw and LexisNexis.  First up is Westlaw’s new search interface with a projected roll out to law students in the fall.   

WestlawNext – This new platform, tentatively called “Westlaw Next,” is changing everything “from the interface users see on their computer screens to all the technology that makes it work behind the scenes.”  Source  Westlaw Next has new search algorithms and the results can be filtered in a variety of ways.   Storing and organizing your research will also change for the better. 

The new LexisNexis for Microsoft Office is due out later in 2010.   Lexis will be integrated into Microsoft Office products allowing users to access Lexis materials from within a Word document.  No longer will the user have to open a browser to log into Lexis to conduct a search.  The Lexis materials will display to the right of the Word document.  It includes a toolbar that lets you Shepardize while still in Word with the Shepard’s results also showing up on the right.   

For more information, see this ABA Journal article online.   Watch your e-mail for announcements from Westlaw and LexisNexis for when their new products will be available.

 

Lynn Lenart

Assistant Law Librarian for Reference Services

The University of Akron School of Law Library

llenart@uakron.edu

330-972-6357

Your law school passwords for LEXIS and WESTLAW must only be used for educational purposes directly related to coursework at the law school.  Other use may be a violation of the Student Disciplinary Code and a breach of our contracts with LEXIS and WESTLAW.  Using LEXIS or WESTLAW to do research in a paid position as a law clerk, intern, or clinician working for a firm, governmental entity or a nonprofit organization would violate the Student Disciplinary Code.  Also, you are not permitted to conduct legal research on LEXIS and WESTLAW for friends and family.

In addition to sanctions by the School of Law, a contract violation can result in having to pay the vendors for the services misused.  Repayment will be at commercial rates of about $2.00 – $5.00 per minute.  Moreover, violators are likely to lose their privileges to use LEXIS and WESTLAW as students.  A pattern of violations at our school could result in the vendors canceling our contracts, which would have a devastating impact on all students and faculty.

 For a copy of Westlaw’s and LexisNexis’ policy concerning academic passwords follow the links on the Password Use web page.

Don’t Forget Casemaker

As an alternative to using Lexis or Westlaw, you may use Casemaker, the database available from the Ohio State Bar Association.  All Ohio law students may join the Ohio State Bar Association for free and your free membership includes access to Casemaker.  Casemaker has no academic password restrictions so you can use it to conduct research for your summer jobs.

Questions?

Any question concerning what is proper or improper use of LEXIS or WESTLAW should be directed to Ms. Lenart or Mr. Richert.

Ms. Lenart, Assistant Law Librarian for Reference Services

330-972-6357

llenart@uakron.edu

Attend Prepare to Practice training and learn to master techniques for cost-effective Westlaw research, an essential skill for every legal job. Advertised time is CENTRAL STANDARD so add an hour for the Eastern Time Zone.  Webinars last 30 minutes.

After logging onto http://lawschool.westlaw.com/ click on Training Calendar on the left near Tony Buscemi’s name in the Support box.

Tuesday (noon) is for law students interested in Public Interest work.

Wednesday (2:00) is for law students interested in Judicial Clerkships.

Friday (2:30) is for law students interested in Transactional work.

Plagiarism, as defined on the University of Akron Office of General Counsel web page, “is the intentional or unintentional use of the words or ideas of another without acknowledging their source.”¹ (emphasis added) Deliberate and accidental plagiarism are treated the same by the University and the School of Law.  The University places the responsibility on the students to know what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.  

Most students know to cite the source when they directly quote from another work, but did you know that the following are also examples of plagiarizing? 

• Substituting synonyms for words used from another work without acknowledging the source.  This is called “Word Switch Plagiarism.”
• Rearranging  words, phrases, or sentences without properly citing the work.  This is another example of “Word Switch Plagiarism.”
• Summarizing or paraphrasing from another work without properly citing the source.  
• Paraphrasing in a way to change the author’s meaning of the passage used.
• Using the same organizational structure as another source without properly acknowledging the source.  This is called “Organization Plagiarism.”
• Using another’s creative idea or solution to a problem without acknowledging the source.   This is called “Idea Plagiarism.”

Law students caught plagiarizing will be violating the Law School’s Student Disciplinary Code and will be subject to proceedings under the Code.²   The consequences can be severe and may include dismissal from the University.

The General Rule to follow to avoid plagiarizing is “when in doubt, cite the source.”  Use the links below to familiarize yourself with plagiarism and how to avoid it.  Always remember, if you have a question about what to cite in your research, ask the instructor of your course or ask a law librarian.   It is so easy to ask for help and avoid plagiarism.

For a quick review on plagiarism, try this short CALI lesson called Plagiarism – Keeping Out of Trouble.

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Other Resources:

1.  The University of Akron Office of General Counsel – Guidelines for avoiding plagiarism – The University of Akron Office of General Counsel.  “Under University Rule 3359-41-02, plagiarism constitutes a type of student misconduct that is punishable by formal disciplinary probation, suspension, or dismissal from the University.  It is the responsibility of all University of Akron students to know what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.” 

2.  Law Student Handbook.  Click on the handbook for your year of admission and then go to the Student Disciplinary Code section.

 3.  Read the General Writing Requirements (GWR) or the Individual Studies & Research (ISR) instructions carefully.  These documents have instructions on avoiding plagiarism. 

4.  CALI Lesson: Plagiarism – Keeping Out of Trouble

This lesson will explain what constitutes plagiarism, how to avoid plagiarizing, and will offer opportunities for students to test their understanding of plagiarism.

At least once-a-year law students should update their profiles on LexisNexis and Westlaw.  Last fall, students’ University e-mail address changed to @zips.uakron.edu.   If you registered using the old address, the e-mail function in TWEN and Lexis Web Course software will not work properly.  This is particularly important if you are taking classes that use TWEN or Web Course.  The faculty may use the e-mail function but if you have not updated your profile you will not receive the e-mail.

Here is how you can update your profile on Westlaw and Lexis. 

For Westlaw: Log into Westlaw http://lawschool.westlaw.com/ and just to the right of your name is the UPDATE link.  Click on that link to update your profile.

For LexisNexis: Log into LexisNexis http://www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool/ and click on the GET HELP tab.  At the next screen, click on UPDATE REGISTRATION INFORMATION.

Questions?  Contact Lynn Lenart, 330-972-6357, llenart@uakron.edu.  Office 269, Law Library, second floor.