Key Number System

The research system West incorporates in it’s digests is the Key Number System. Thousands of topics and subtopics have been assigned their own Key Topic and Key Numbers. Similar to a topic and section number in an encyclopedia, the Key Topic and Key Number match up in any digest. For instance, assume the researcher locates Adoption, Key Number 52 in the Pacific Digest, and that this Key Topic and Number deals with "Adoption of child by relative." If the researcher wants, s/he could take the same Key Topic and Number to any other West digest, such as the Atlantic Digest, and the topic there would also be "Adoption of child by relative."