RegulationsPlus made a big splash when Thomson West released it last spring, and with the fall semester about to begin, I thought it would be a good time to remind students and faculty about some of the useful features of this new product.  With the introduction of RegulationsPlus, West has taken several important steps to make federal regulatory research easier.  When you go to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) search page, West has added a link to the new RegulationsPlus Index (in the upper right-hand corner of the search screen).  The RegulationsPlus Index is a detailed subject index that includes links to the regulatory text.  If your "terms and connectors" or "natural language" searches aren’t giving you relevant search results, try browsing the subject index to find federal regulations about your topic. 

The other major improvement for regulatory researchers appears when you access a CFR section in Westlaw.  The left-hand side of the screen now has a number of useful research tools, including links to prior versions of the regulatory section, links to cases and administrative agency materials that discuss your regulations, and links to related statutes.  You can also read summaries of previous Federal Register publications that refer to your section and access the content of these Federal Register sections. 

You can read more about RegulationsPlus on the Thomson West website and view a quick demo video.  The SCU law school community can receive training on RegulationsPlus by contacting a reference librarian at 408-554-4452.  We’re happy to help you learn more about this new feature!