LexisNexis Academic is a reference source which includes newspaper/magazine sources, business information, legal, medical and reference sources.

Getting Started

 ·        From the Windows Desktop, click twice on the Internet Explorer icon.

·        For on-campus use, from the Library’s homepage, click on the Databases link at the top of the page.  From the database list, click on the LexisNexis link.

·        Remote access to LexisNexis is available for faculty, staff and students.  For remote access, when off-campus, simply click on the Databases link and then click on the LexisNexis link.  A password screen will appear .  Enter the password and click Login.  To obtain the necessary password, contact a reference librarian at (734) 432-5767.

·        The LexisNexis Academic homepage opens at the Search tab for General sources. The default search is Easy Search.  For more advanced searching click on the Power Search link.

·        To access newspaper, legal, business, or people reference sources, click on the appropriate link in the menu at the top of the page below the LexisNexis Academic heading.

 Searching

 There are two modes for searching in LexisNexis: Terms and Connectors and Natural Language.  The recommended mode for searching is Terms and Connectors.  The description below of the two search modes applies to the News search only.  Search screens for Legal, Business and People are unique to those search types.

 News Search Modes

 ·        Terms and Connectors search provides three input boxes for search terms, three field selection boxes with drop-down menus for accessing different record fields, two Boolean operator boxes (for And, Or searches, etc.) and the ability to set limits on the search (i.e., date and resource).  There is also the capability of adding more search boxes by clicking on the More link below the search boxes.

·        Natural Language has one box for search terms which can be entered as a question, sentence or as a few descriptive terms.  There is also a box for Required Terms, where the user can specify terms that must appear in the documents that are retrieved.  Use of this box is optional.

 News Search Example

 ·        Step One - Choose the search mode by clicking in the radio dial button next to the desired search. (Terms and Connectors is the recommended mode and is the default search.)

·        Step Two - Enter your search terms in the boxes provided and select And, Or, etc. by clicking on the arrow next to And and choosing the desired operator.  (Example: social security AND baby boomers).

·        Step Three - Select the record field to search (i.e., Anywhere in the Document; In Headline; In Headline & Lead Paragraphs; In Headline, Lead Paragraphs & Indexing; In Indexing - Any Reference; etc.).

·        Step Four - Choose a specific source to search or leave at the default source of US Newspapers and Wires.  To choose a specific source, click on the down arrow next to the source box and select a source from the drop-down menu.

·        Step Five - Narrow to a specific date range if desired.  (For the above example, choose Previous Year).  Click on the Search button.

·        The system will retrieve your results and display them on a split screen.  To the left is a menu providing you access to the documents according to source.  The main screen is the list of records that your search retrieved.  To access the full record, click on the blue title link for the item.  The system will display the Full with Indexing format.  To access other formats for the item or to return to the list of records, click on the arrow next to the Show box and choose the desired format from the drop-down menu.  Choosing List will take you back to the list of records screen.

 Marking and Printing Records

 ·        To mark an item while on the List screen, click in the box next to the record number.  A / will be placed in the box, marking the record.

·        Mark as many records as you like and when you are ready to view them, click on the View Tagged button at the top left of the list of records.  The system will isolate your marked records in a condensed list.

·        To print the full-text of all items in the marked list, click in the box next to the word Results at the top of your marked list.  A / will be placed in the box and in all the other boxes next to the records, selecting them all. Click on the Print icon at the top right of the screen.  Make sure that Full Document is displayed in the Document View box to print the full-text.  If you just want to print your list, choose List from the drop-down menu.  Click on the Print button to print the records.

 Emailing Records 

• To Email a record or list of records from the List or the marked list, after selecting the desired items by placing a / in the box next to each citation, click on the Email icon at the top right of the screen.  Make sure Attachment is selected in the Send as box and choose your Email Format.  Type your Email address in the box provided and add a note if you wish.  If you want the full-text of the item(s) make sure that Full Document is chosen in the Document View box.  If you want a list of citations, then select List from the Document View box.  Then click the Send button.

 (Revised 9/4/2009)

since 9/05/2006