Update on Science and Law Resources

This is a follow-up to the August 21 Library Boy post entitled Science and Law Resources.

A recent article from LLRX.com - It’s Not Rocket Science: Making Sense of Scientific Evidence - explains how common web search engines as well as specialized engines that explore the "Deep Web" can be used to find material on the reliability of scientific evidence in the legal context. The articles uses the example of toxic substances.

"The purpose of this article is to review a search process using advanced search query features in Google, Yahoo, and other search tools to find publicly accessible Web-based information on toxic substances and the law and, more specifically, the reliability of scientific evidence about toxic substances. Search tools that perform better with specific topics are searched using queries related to 'sick building syndrome.' Although Google and Yahoo are used in Surface Web searches, researchers must understand that no search engine indexes more than 20 percent of the Web. Additional search engines must be used to thoroughly search the Surface Web’s content... The Deep Web is searched using the Scirus science-specific search engine, the OAIster academically-oriented digital resources search engine, and MEDLINE... The information gathered from the two Web sections will supplement more in-depth research conducted in print resources and proprietary databases such as Lexis-Nexis".