1. About the Database
2. Search options
3. Boolean searching
4. Sample searches

About the InSITE Database

Search the InSITE database by topic or keyword to locate Web sites on a particular law-related subject. The database is an indexed compilation of all the Web sites annotated in individual issues of InSITE since its inception in February 1996.

Each database entry includes the text of the InSITE annotation provided by Cornell Law librarians, as well as subject terms and topical keywords appropriate for the site. A hyperlink to the site itself is also provided. In some cases, we have indicated the status of a site as "Inactive" or "Updated," along with a date indicating when the status was determined. "Inactive" means that, when we last visited the site, we were unable to access it. "Updated" means that there has been a change (often in the URL) in the site since the annotation for it was created. The database provides the updated URL, when available.

Search Options

The database allows you to customize your query by specifying which elements of the database you would like to search. Search options include:

• Searching by title or partial title of the site
• Searching by URL (i.e., Internet address) or URL fragments
• Choosing from a list of pre-selected subject terms
• Topical keyword searching
• Free-text keyword searching on most fields, including the "Annotation" field
• Combining multiple-field searches with the Boolean operators "and" and "or"

Using Boolean operators (and/or) to broaden or limit your search

The InSITE database allows you to tailor your search strategy using the Boolean operators "and" and "or." The Boolean option buttons appear near the top of the search screen; the default value is "and." Keep in mind that using the "or" Boolean operator allows you to cast the widest net in your search, and the "and" operator narrows your search according to the parameters you specify. If you choose the "or" option, it means that words you enter within a search field will be searched individually, and that words entered in different fields will be searched separately from words in other fields. So, entering a phrase such as journal of law and religion in the title field, with the "or" option turned on, will retrieve every site that contains the word "journal" in its title, every site that includes the word "of" in its title, every site that contains the word "law" in its title, and so on. In order to search journal of law and religion as a phrase, set the Boolean option button to "and." Selecting the "and" option ensures that your search result will match on every word entered in the search field(s).

Sample search 1:

You are looking for Web sites having to do with criminal law. For the broadest, most comprehensive search on this topic, you should:

• Select the option "Match any words within and between fields (OR)" near the top of the search screen
• Select the topic "Criminal Law" from the scroll-down "Topics" list
• Type the word criminal in the "Title", "Other keywords", and "Annotation" fields.
• Make sure the search option on the individual fields is set to "contains", which is the default value.
• Click on the "Start Search" button

The database will search for occurrences of the word "criminal" in any position in the "Title," "Other keywords," and "Annotation" fields, and for the subject phrase "Criminal Law" in the "Topics" field. Any record in the database that fits even one of these search criteria will be returned as a "hit."

Sample search 2:
You are searching the database for Journal of Law and Religion, issued by Hamline University School of Law. One possible approach to this search is to:

• Select the option "Match All Words within and between fields (AND)" near the top of the search screen (this is the default value)
• Type the word religion in the "Title" field
• Select the topic "Religion" from the scroll-down "Topics" list
• Click on the "Start Search" button

This is an efficient, fairly specific search for a known site that retrieves only those records that include the word religion somewhere in the "Title" field as well as the word "Religion" in the "Topics" field; the search result will conform to both search parameters. To narrow the search even further, you could have included the word hamline in the URL field on the search screen. In doing this, you make the assumption that an online journal issued by Hamline University will include "Hamline" somewhere in its URL.