Knowledge and Research Consultant Tip: How to Use SmartIndexing when Searching News Content

When searching the extensive news collection on the Lexis® and Lexis+ platforms, you’ve likely noticed the indexing that displays at the end of each article. Our SmartIndexing process provides index terms in a variety of categories.

The SmartIndex populates under the subject and industry filters in your search results and displays the percentage scores with each index term (a single word or phrase) which relates to how relevant that term is within the specific article. Scores of 85% or better (up to 99%) indicate high relevance. Researchers can also utilize these scores to improve the relevance of their results while searching by conducting a segment search using the TERM segment. For 85% or better, use #85plus# as part of the segment search. The TERM segment searches both the subject and industry categories.

For example, with the index term “privacy rights,” you would enter term(privacy rights #85plus#).

Naturally, you often don’t know the specific appropriate subject or industry terms to use until you start reviewing results. The recommended process is to:

• Run your search first without the LexisNexis SmartIndexing Technology score
• Review the subject and industry terms in at least one highly relevant article
• Find the specific terms/phrases to be used to narrow the search
• Use Search Within for the LexisNexis SmartIndexing Technology score search

Search examples with more than one term:
term(privacy rights #85plus# or surveillance #85plus#)
term(privacy rights #85plus# and surveillance #85plus#)

Note that the index term must be used as you see it in the article(s). In the above example, privacy rights will work, while privacy right will not.