When many are looking to conduct legal research online, they are not sure where to start. One great source online is DRAGNET.
According to New York Law School:
“DRAGNET stands for “Database Retrieval Access using Google’s New Electronic Technology,” a specialized search engine that was developed by librarians at the New York Law School. This feature enables you to ‘drag the net’ through a group of free law-related Web resources. A DRAGNET search is like a Google search, except that it runs in only a select group of websites, produced by the organizations and entities listed below. The sites were chosen by our Library staff for their reliability and utility to legal researchers.* DRAGNET now contains search tabs that look at specific portions of the law. Each tab can generate up to 100 hits, ranked for relevance by Google’s search engine. DRAGNET can be a good tool to begin a research project, giving you a sense of what kinds of materials can be found on your topic.”
If you look through the various research sources through DRAGNET, they are voluminous in nature from various areas of law. In some ways, there is a similarity between much of what DRAGNET and has to offer and Google Scholar.
All you have to do is type in whatever search terms you desire in the search bar. After you type in your search terms, articles and information will begin to appear below it.
It certainly can help to put quotation marks around the search terms you desire. You can also put in the words “and” or “or” between the search terms you are seeking to research.
The more search terms you include, the greater the results will be for you. If you do not find what you are initially looking for in DRAGNET, it can be important to tweak the search terms you are seeking.
If you are looking for a research option online, DRAGNET is a great option to consider.
