Order Description
here is the website that I want you to write a review about
http://www.wipo.int/portal/en/index.html
please:
• Explore the website, learning what might be useful to a legal researcher. Pay special attention to
finding tools such as search boxes, menus, browsing and if there are databases for searching.
• Some websites on the list have highly sophisticated search engines, which may work quite
differently from Lexis, Westlaw or Google. Look for Search Tips, FAQs, tutorials that might help
you learn how to best make use of a search engine that would be different. Some have basic
searches and advanced searches. Others simply have plain key word search boxes. Take time to
explore & learn the site. Give examples to illustrate your opinions and assertions
• From the Grading Rubric on the Syllabus, An EXCELLENT Website Review will:
o Explore the website in great detail, mastering its use.
o Explain the tools available to navigate and/or search the site.
o Make use of “search tips,” tutorials or FAQs to learn how best to use search engines.
o Describe in detail and give examples to illustrate each recommendation or opinion.
o Tell what is good and bad with the site and recommends how best to use it.
o Critique and offer caveats and tells how to work around the problems at the site.
Josmanny Horta
Advanced Legal Research
Website Review- THOMAS
I. Introduction
The website Thomas.gov was launched in January of 1995 to make federal legislative
information freely available to the public. The site contains an array of resources, including
Congressional bills and resolutions, Congressional records, treaties, and other government
resources. While the site contains a variety of resources—as outlined under the “homepage
design/layout” section below—my website review will focus on the site’s legal research tools.
II. Homepage Design/Layout
a. Left Section
THOMAS’ homepage divides its content into four sections. The left section of the page
contains the site’s main links: THOMAS Home, About THOMAS, Bills-Resolutions,
Congressional Record, Presidential Nominations, Treaties, Committee Reports, Government
Resources, For Teachers, and Help. Directly below are links to the U.S. House of
Representatives and Senate website, and a link to a U.S. Code database. Further below is a
section titled “Related Resources at the Library,” which includes a link to the Law Library of
Congress and a link documenting Congress’s history of lawmaking. The bottom portion of the
left section provides THOMAS’ social media links to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and iTunes.
b. Middle Section
The middle section of the page includes the site’s main search engine, where bills can be
searched by phrases, bill numbers, or sponsors. There is an additional section below titled “More
Legislative Information,” which includes a link to appropriations bills, public laws, and state
legislature websites. An additional section lower down on the page, titled “Learn,” includes an
orientation link to the THOMAS site and learning resources to the Supreme Court and U.S.
Constitution. The bottom of the middle section includes miscellaneous posts, such as interviews
Josmanny Horta
Advanced Legal Research
Website Review- THOMAS
of key government officials and book festivals attended by the staff at the Law Library of
Congress.
c. Right Section
The right section of the page includes a print feature and an option to subscribe to updates
from THOMAS. There is an additional feature which allows link-sharing via various social
media sites and email, as well as an option to save these links. The “Current Activity” section
provides video access to the House and Senate floor and Congressional schedules and calendars.
The section directly below provides the top ten legislative items searched on THOMAS within
the last week. The bottom portion provides a live Twitter feed and the tip of the week.
d. Bottom Section
The fourth and final section of the page is the bottom section. It includes the many ways
to stay connected to THOMAS, including via social media sites, subscription updates, and
download features. The bottom portion adopts a traditional toolbar, with links that include
“about,” “contact,” and “legal.”
III. Search Options
a. Bill Summary & Status
The most commonly used search function on THOMAS is the “Search Bill Summary &
Status” function located on the homepage. It allows users to search for bills by manually
entering either the bill number or key word(s)/phrase(s). The search automatically defaults to the
current Congress, but the advanced search option allows users to search for bills dating back to
the 93
rd
Congress.
When searching by key word/phrase or bill number under the advanced search option,
users can select either exact match results only or variants, which include plurals. Users can also
Josmanny Horta
Advanced Legal Research
Website Review- THOMAS
search for bills by the sponsor and/or co-sponsor name(s) via a drop down menu which provides
the names of every senator and representative for the selected Congressional term. Users can
execute a similar search function by searching for a bill by the type of committee, such as the
House Appropriations Committee or Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Lastly, users can use
a similar drop down menu to search for bills based on its stage in the legislative process, such as
bills that were introduced in the House or signed by the president.
The sponsor, committee, and legislative stage search functions all provide an “and” or
“or” option, which provides a broad or narrow search filter depending on the user’s preference.
For example, if a user highlights seven senators and selects “and,” it will provide a narrower
search by only showing the bills that were sponsored or co-sponsored by all seven senators
collectively. Alternatively, if the user enters the same search but selects “or,” it will provide a
broader search by showing the bills sponsored or co-sponsored by these seven senators, whether
collectively or individually.
Additional filter options include date ranges, allowing users to select bills based on the
date of introduction. Users can also filter their search by the type of legislation: public bills,
amendments, and/or private bills. Finally, users can filter their search by a “standard subject
term,” a search option recommended for advanced researchers only. Subject terms were
designed to better group legislation and improve consistency, and users can enter terms like
“commerce” to find all commerce-related bills. THOMAS also provides an alphabetical list of
subject terms to assist users.
b. Bills and Resolutions
This link provides advanced browsing options for bills and resolutions dating back to the
93
rd
Congress. The first section is titled “bills and resolutions,” and it contains the following
Josmanny Horta
Advanced Legal Research
Website Review- THOMAS
subsections: bill number, popular and short titles, public laws, private laws, vetoed bills, sponsor
summaries, subject terms, and CBO cost estimates.
Most of these links provide a list of bills/laws in sequential order, a helpful option for
users uncertain as to which search terms to use. Popular and shorts titles provides the names in
alphabetical order, helpful for users that do not know the formal name of the bill. Sponsor
summaries provides a chart with the name of each representative and senator and the amount of
bills sponsored, co-sponsored, amended, and withdrawn by each one, including links to the
actual bills. The CBO cost estimates link directs users to the Congressional budget office, which
provides a nonpartisan cost analysis for each Senate and House bill. It allows keyword searches
and also categorizes the bills by various subjects, including by budget function and committee.
The second and third sections under bills and resolutions are House and Senate, and each
provides the same links, respectively: bills, joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions, resolutions,
and amendments. All five sections provide the selected Congressional action in sequential order.
For example, the Senate concurrent resolutions link generated fifty-nine search results when I
clicked on it, starting with concurrent resolution number one.
c. Bills from Multiple Congresses
This option allows users to search for bills from multiple Congresses. Similar to many of
the previous searches discussed, users can search for a bill by an exact match or variants. The
difference, however, is that the user can select multiple Congressional terms when conducting
their search, dating back to the 101
st
Congress.
There are also two filter options to select from. The first allows users to select bills
already containing floor actions, or enrolled bills that have been sent to the president. The
Josmanny Horta
Advanced Legal Research
Website Review- THOMAS
second allows users to view bills exclusively from the House, or Senate. The default under both
search filters is to show all bills from both houses.
d. Search Bills by Text
This option is very similar to the search function where users can search bills from
multiple Congresses, except that only one Congressional term can be searched at a time. It too
provides a bill search by exact match or variants, and bills can be filtered by floor action/enrolled
and/or House/Senate. The difference with this search function is that it provides two added
filters: the first or second session of Congress for the selected term, and a date range.
e. Appropriations Bills
The “Appropriations Bills” link provides the status of appropriations legislation by fiscal
year dating to 1998. The information is provided in chart format, and includes the specific bills
that were voted on based on its function, House and Senate committee reports, and a breakdown
of each roll call vote.
f. Roll Call Votes
An additional search function is specific to roll call votes. It provides every roll call vote
for both the House and Senate dating back to the 101
st
Congress, and also divides the votes by
first and second session. Once a user clicks on a term/session, every bill or resolution receiving
a roll call appears. It provides the type of question/motion that was at issue, a short summary of
the issue, and whether it passed or failed.
g. Congressional Record
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of
Congress. This option provides many of the previously mentioned search features, including
keyword searches and representative/senator filters. The main difference with this search feature
examples.
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