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Prior to using Checkpoint, you must first present a valid GSU ID card at the Reference Desk to obtain a user name & password. Go to the Journals/Databases page on the GSU Library website and click on the letter R or scroll down on the page and click on RIA to access RIA Checkpoint. Enter your user name and password to access the database.
Begin with the Research Tab on the main menu search screen. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 represent the steps that you follow to conduct a simple keyword search. You also have the option of searching by Citation, or by Table of Contents.
Step 1: Your first step is to enter a keyword in the search box. Submit the word or phrase that best describes your research topic. You can enclose your search with quotation marks to search as a phrase. Use an asterisk to truncate your search term. For more sophisticated searching, click on Thesaurus/Query Tool to see enhanced search options.
Step 2: Select which sources you want to search. Under the “Choose Sources From” pull down menu, you can select which Federal databases you want to search. If in doubt, select the “All Federal Databases” option. You can click on the + next to a source to see more specific sources within that category. You can also choose from Editorial Materials or Primary Source Materials.
Step 3: Click on Search. Your search results screen indicates how many documents within each source contain one or more of the keywords you entered. Some sources contain no keyword hits. To remove sources with no hits, select View Hits Only at the bottom of the screen. You can click on the title of the document to find the full text material. From the full text document, you can link to related documents in other RIA materials.
Locate a specific law, ruling or case by typing in its citation.
To search by citation, click on the “Citation” tab at the left of the page. Choose the type of citation you want to search (e.g., code, regulation, case, ruling, etc.), and enter the citation, following the format provided under the search box.
You can search materials by the Table of Contents, much like browsing the table of contents in a book. Click on "Table of Contents” at the top of the screen, then select the source material you want to browse. Click on the + sign until you reach the full text of the document.
To print, click on “print” at the bottom of the screen. When the Print dialog screen appears, select the printer and number of copies and click OK.
To download, click on “export" at the bottom of the screen. Insert your disk into drive A, locate the drive A option under “save in”, name your file and click “save.”
Click on Help to consult the numerous help screens provided by Checkpoint for additional information.
Beth Hansen Shaw
Governors State University Library
Revised 09/03
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