Wisconsin State Law Library

Case Law Research with Google Scholar

Advanced Scholar Search Tips (Google)
Get more from your Google with this guide to Scholar's structered search options and quick search shortcuts.
Click To It: Case Law Research with Google Scholar (WSLL @ Your Service, May 2010)
Detailed coverage information and more search examples are in this tie-in article.

Search by:

Citation
Use quotations around Bluebook citations from general keyword search boxes.
Example: "85 Wis 2d 233"
Party Name
Search for unusual names by a simple keyword search. For more common words or names, make use of quotions or use the "intitle"" operator (described below).
Issuing Judge
From advanced search, enter the judge's name in the "author" box.
Topic
Enter topic terms in any of the general keyword search boxes. Have you already found a case you are interested in? Try using keywords from that opinion to try different searches.

Useful Search Limits:

" "
Phrase searching can be achieved from the advanced search screen, or with quotes from the quick search box.
Example: "instant messaging"
intitle:
Only returns results with your words within the title field. This is useful for searching only party names.
Example: intitle:krause
+
Allows you to search on common words that Google might otherwise exclude
Example: water intitle:+in
-
Excludes non-relevant terms from your search.
Example: "instant messaging" -child
OR
Cast a wider net by returning results that search for either or both search terms
Example: "instant messaging" OR chat