LibGuides: Legal Research: Shepardizing

What is Shepardizing?

To Shepardize a citation is to ascertain the subsequent treatment of a legal decision, thus putting its precedential value in a complete context. The term originates from the common historical use of Shepard’s Citation Service to track the treatment of specific decisions.

Source: Legal Information Institute

Once you have found a case that is relevant to your research, you should verify that it is still considered "good law." Meaning that it has not been reversed on appeal by a higher court or it has not been overruled by the same court or a higher court, or that its authority has not be altered by legislation.

Source: Nexis Uni

How to Shepardize a case using Legal Databases

Westlaw Tips on Checking Cases with KeyCite
Since the legal standing or authority of a case can change over time, it is important for you to verify that the cases you cite as precedent are still valid. This tip explains how you can use KeyCite in Westlaw Edge to check caselaw citations so you can proceed with confidence that your authorities are good law.

Google Scholar "How Cited" Feature

Google Scholar "How Cited" Feature
If you look to the the top of any opinion's page, you will see a link to the "How Cited" feature. This feature lists other cases in the Google Scholar database that either cite your case or are related to your case. The How Cited feature also provides examples of how these other cases have dealt with your case. While this citator-like feature is a good place to begin your research, and gives an overview of how the case has been treated by other courts, it is not considered to be as authoritative as citators produced by other publishers/subscription resources, such as Shepard's Citations, KeyCite, BCite, and Bad Law Bot. Source: Library of Congress