Using Symbols and Special Characters in Your Search

The information in this article applies to the following LexisNexis^® products and services: Lexis+^®, Lexis^®

There are a few special characters cannot be searched and will change the way the service interprets your search:

• " (quotation marks) – you cannot search for quotation marks, but you can use quotation marks in your search to find exact phrases or turn off some search functionality, such as finding plurals automatically.
• & (ampersand) – you cannot search for an ampersand, but you can use & as an equivalent to the AND connector.
• % (percent / per cent) – you cannot search for the percent symbol, but you can use % as an equivalent to the AND NOT connector.
• . (period) – the period is generally viewed as a space but if you need to use a V with a period, the service will use case name recognition technology. Use quotation marks in your search to turn off that functionality. For example, when searching for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, use the search judgment notwithstanding the verdict or jnov or “j.n.o.v.” or “j n o v”.
• ( ) (parentheses) – you cannot search for parentheses, but you can use them in your search. For more information, see Using Parentheses in a Terms & Connectors Search .

Terms separated by any symbols or punctuation are generally read as a phrase and the results include those terms together with any type of punctuation. For example, if your search is 34-3-14.2, your search results and include the terms 34-3-14.2, 34.3.14.2, 34(3)(14)(2), 34 3 14.2, etc.