Global Search allows you to quickly find relevant information across an entire case, including documents and extracted text. It is designed to help you locate key evidence, review context, and move directly into documents without manually searching through files.
What Is Global Search?
Global Search scans across your entire case to find matches for your keyword or phrase.
It searches across:
All uploaded documents
Extracted document text
Relevant case content
Instead of only showing keyword matches, Global Search provides context around each result, helping you quickly determine relevance.
Key Features of Global Search
Context-Rich Results
Each search result includes:
The matched keyword or phrase
Approximately 25 words before and after the match
This allows you to quickly evaluate results without opening each document.
Highlighted Matches
Search terms are highlighted in both results and documents
Makes it easier to scan large files, especially medical records
Advanced Filtering Options
You can refine your search using the Filters and Sorts panel.
Available filters include:
Document type
Document date range
Visibility options
Document source (eFolder or non-VA uploads)
Document status
Document verification status
These filters help narrow results and improve accuracy, especially in large cases.
Side-by-Side Document Review
You can open the PDF viewer directly from search results
Review search results alongside the document
This allows for faster validation without switching screens.
Create Facts From Search Results
You can use information from search results to create new facts
This helps turn relevant findings into structured case data quickly
Global Search vs. In-Document Search
CaseScribe includes two types of search.
Global Search (Case-Wide)
Searches across the entire case
Returns results from multiple documents
Includes context and highlights
In-Document Search (PDF Viewer)
Searches within a single document
Shows match count and navigation between results
Used for deeper review after opening a file
Can be accessed in the PDF viewer in Facts Tab. Just click the "Text" Field button.
How to Use Global Search
Step 1: Enter Your Search Term
Type a keyword, condition, symptom, or event
Use specific terms for better results
Step 2: Apply Filters (Recommended)
Use the Filters and Sorts panel to narrow results
This improves accuracy and reduces noise
Step 3: Review Results
Look at highlighted matches
Read surrounding context to assess relevance
Step 4: Open the Document
Click a result to open the PDF viewer
Review the highlighted section in context
Step 5: Refine Inside the Document (Optional)
Use in-document search to find additional matches
Navigate within the document as needed
Step 6: Create Facts or Use the Information
Extract relevant information
Create facts directly from search results
When to Use Global Search
Global Search is most useful when you need to:
Locate evidence across multiple documents
Search for conditions, symptoms, or events
Quickly confirm whether something exists in the file
Review large eFolders efficiently
How to Build Effective Search Queries
The websearch syntax discards stop words, such as “a” or “the” in English, then parses according to these rules:
Individual words match independently.
Double-quoted phrases match as a single unit.
The word
or(case-insensitive) specifies an “or” condition between two words or phrases.A
-prefix specifies to not match the following word or phrase.
Query | Notes |
| Stop word “the” removed |
| The two words can appear in any order, with any number of words between |
| The words must appear together in the given order |
| Stop words are removed within quotes |
| Either word will match |
| One of the two phrases must match |
| Either “blue” and “donkey” match, or just “mule” |
| “mule” must not match |
| “donkey” matches and “mule” does not |
| “blue donkey” matches and “red mule” does not |