When you are working on any research project, it is important to save and organize discovered information in a way that makes it easily retrievable for future review. This might be challenging if you have found a large number of relevant documents. However, many tools are available that can be used to assist with the organization of your research materials. Fortunately, Bloomberg Law, Lexis+, and Westlaw Edge are legal databases that offer solutions for storing and sorting the information that you discover while engaging in research.

Bloomberg Law Workspaces

One of Bloomberg Law’s solutions for organizing research results is Workspaces. According to the database’s Product Help & Walkthrough page, Workspaces can be used to:

1. Create a file/folder pertaining to each case or subject matter,
2. Tag and classify information inside the Workspace,
3. View recent activity,
4. Collaborate about the research on a Workspace.

Once logged into Bloomberg Law, Workspaces can be accessed by using the “My Work History” dropdown menu. Once you create a Workspace to save your research materials, you can invite other Bloomberg Law users to participate in building and editing the space. Also, you can sign up to receive email notifications whenever documents are added or removed. The Product Help & Walkthrough page of the database provides additional information concerning how to take advantage of all of the benefits offered by the Workspaces feature.

Lexis+ Folders

One solution offered by Lexis+ for organizing research materials is Folders. According to the online help section of the database, “When you're working on multiple projects and clients, you can organize your work by saving your searches, documents, notes, and alerts into folders, so you can return to them later.” In Lexis+, Folders can be accessed by clicking on the “Folders” link that is located at the top of the page. Once a folder is created, you can add documents and notes. Also, you can share the folder with other users. Search online help for “folders” in order to find out how to create a folder, locate documents saved within folders, edit notes in folders, and much more.

Westlaw Edge Folders

Westlaw Edge provides training resources that state, “As you research, you can use the Folders feature to store and organize documents for yourself or to share with colleagues.” In the database, you can access this feature by simply clicking the “Folders” link at the top of the page. Any documents that are saved to a folder will be, automatically, maintained with current KeyCite information. Like similar features in other databases, folders that you create in Westlaw Edge can be shared with other users. Find out more by watching the helpful video tutorial.  

It is important to note that, through the Lucille Stewart Beeson Law Library, Bloomberg Law, Lexis+, and Westlaw Edge are available to students and faculty of the Cumberland School of Law. Assigned usernames and passwords are needed in order to access the databases.

This article was originally published on Jan. 27, 2020. Edits have been made to reflect the change from Lexis Advance to Lexis+.