Do you know about the new features in the latest version of vLex?
Subject: Law and Political Science
This law database is now a legal software suite that includes content, management tools and legal analytics in a single platform.
vLex is one of the most relied upon law databases in the legal field, with coverage of Spanish legislation and access to content from European Union and international law. In fact, last year it was one of the most consulted resources in the UOC Library collection.
A few days ago, vLex launched the latest version of its platform, which features a more intuitive design and all content integrated in a single space. It is a more results-oriented design, to help make students', teachers' and researchers' tasks more fruitful.
The main innovations
- All the information, via the search engine. All the content from the database and practical law and international documents are included in the same search area. Therefore, to consult the Práctico protección de datos de carácter personal (Practical document on personal data protection), you only have to write the name in the search bar or click on the Index section in the left-hand menu.
- Changes in document structure. In the left sidebar you will see an internal search tool to find information within the text and also the document's content index. At the top, you will find documentary analysis tabs such as vCite Citations, a tool developed by vLex to assess whether the legislation mentioned and applied in a document is still in force or has been modified since publication. Content related to the document consulted can be viewed in the right sidebar.
- More user-friendly results page. You will find filters to refine the search on the left (content type, geographical area, date, etc), and on the right, other related content, such as news or legal concepts most used on vLex, the so-called SmartTopics.
- Improved PDF viewing. The documents without a HTML version have additional features, such as the possibility of making notes, highlighting or clicking on links to legal citations.
- Organization of documents into folders. The content that you want to organize is now displayed more clearly. To add a document to a folder, go to the results page or the document view and click on the icon in the top menu bar. To organize the information, enter Folders in the left menu bar.
- The latest national and international law news, at a glance. As soon as you enter the database, you will see a personalized news feed with legal news, the most important legislative changes and the latest vLex blog posts. Thanks to artificial intelligence technology, the system will suggest the most popular content, adapted to your preferences and searches. The latest version of the platform includes a tab with international information.
If you want to find out more about the changes to the platform, we recommend that you follow the 30-minute webinar offered by vLex on 19 July at 12 noon (peninsular time). Click on this link.
Did you know that…?
- On vLex you can activate a notification system to keep up-to-date with legislative changes. You can set up notifications on the web browser or mobile app (you need to download it), and also receive an email.
- If you need to print, you can do so with the print option icon at the top of the document.
- SmartTopics are a vLex selection of the Spanish legal system's most important legal concepts. They allow you to save time and browse the most relevant, up-to-date documents on the subjects that most interest you. You'll be able to identify them by their initial tag, and you’ll find them in various places on the site: the browser and the homepage, among the results or in the document viewer. There is a "follow document" or "follow source" option that lets you know when new related content has been added.
- You can access diverse vLex practical law documents through the UOC Library. These are guides that will help you resolve issues linked to the law's application. For example, the document on personal data protection provides all the information you need about new Organic Law 3/2018, of 5 December, on the protection of personal data and guarantee of digital rights.
If you haven’t yet done so, we encourage you to visit the latest version of vLex. If you have any queries, contact our team through the The Library Replies service.
