NFPA Paralegal Core Competency Exam (PCCE)Legal ResearchMedium
A paralegal is conducting an online search using a legal research database like Westlaw or LexisNexis. The paralegal wants to find cases where the terms 'breach' and 'contract' appear within the same sentence. Which proximity connector should the paralegal use to achieve this search result?
- AAND
- B/p
- COR
- D/s
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. /s
The '/s' proximity connector (or 'same sentence' in some systems) is used to find documents where the specified terms appear within the same sentence. This directly addresses the paralegal's need to find 'breach' and 'contract' within the same sentence.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. 'AND' requires both terms to be in the same document, not necessarily the same sentence.
- B. '/p' (or 'same paragraph') finds terms within the same paragraph, which is broader than the same sentence.
- C. 'OR' finds documents containing either term, not necessarily both or within the same sentence.
Proximity Connector (/s)
A search operator used in legal research databases to specify that terms must appear within the same sentence.
- Limits search results to highly relevant contexts.
- Available in Westlaw, LexisNexis, and similar platforms.
- Syntax may vary slightly (e.g., 'same sentence' in some interfaces).
Memory trick: To connect words, use connectors: AND, OR, /s, /p.