Patent ID: 8392417

Claim:
A method for organizing information in a database and displaying portions of the information during research using a processor, comprising: defining a proposition comprising a generic expression of an idea wherein the idea can be expressed in a plurality of forms and wherein the proposition includes a legal theory; identifying a first expression of the proposition as expressed by a first individual or entity and a second expression of the proposition as expressed by a second individual or entity, wherein the first expression of the proposition comprising a first set of characteristics and the second expression of the proposition comprising a second set of characteristics and wherein the first expression and the second expression are each a source of information providing support for the proposition; using the processor to arrange the proposition hierarchically within the database, wherein the proposition is represented by a first node within the database, wherein subordinate to the first node is a second node, and the generic (abstract) expression of the idea does not define a category; using the processor to associate the proposition with the first expression of the proposition and with the second expression of the proposition using the first set of characteristics and the second set of characteristics; separating a plurality of propositions from a corresponding plurality of expressions of the propositions, wherein the arrangement of each of the plurality of propositions hierarchically within the database creates a taxonomy having a plurality of levels; and displaying, in at least one portion of a display, the proposition, a visual representation of a conceptual relationship between nodes of the database, and information about at least one expression of the proposition.