NFPA Paralegal Core Competency Exam (PCCE)Legal ResearchMedium
A paralegal is using an online legal research database and wants to construct a search query to find cases where the terms 'negligence' and 'causation' appear within the same sentence. Which type of connector would be most appropriate for this specific search?
- A/s
- B/p
- COR
- DAND
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. /s
The '/s' connector (sometimes '.s' or 'same sentence') is a proximity connector used in online legal research databases to find documents where the specified terms appear within the same sentence. This provides a more precise search than 'AND' (within the same document) or '/p' (within the same paragraph).
Why the other options are wrong
- B. The '/p' connector (same paragraph) is less precise than '/s' as it allows for a larger distance between the terms.
- C. The 'OR' connector broadens the search, finding documents with either term, not necessarily both or within proximity.
- D. The 'AND' connector requires both terms to be present in the document, but not necessarily in the same sentence.
Proximity Connector (/s)
A search operator used in online legal research to specify that terms must appear within the same sentence.
- Indicates a close relationship between search terms.
- Enhances precision by narrowing search results.
- Different databases may use slightly varied syntax (e.g., '.s').
Memory trick: AND for documents, OR for options, /p for paragraphs, /s for sentences.