RIA Checkpoint Tax Research System

Wendy Diamond, Business Librarian

Getting Started
Start with the FTC
Using the Table of Contents feature
Searching by Citation
 

 Getting Started

What is RIA Checkpoint?
RIA Checkpoint is a service which combines all types of tax research documents into one database, including "Editorial Materials" and "Primary Source Materials."

CSU Chico subscribes to the Federal Library; we do not have access to the complete State or International databases.

Logging in
 RIA Checkpoint is available on the ReSEARCH station ReSEARCH Station /Articles & Databases .
From off-campus, you need your campus portal account and password.

Start with the "Federal Tax Coordinator"
The Federal Tax Coordinator ("FTC") will link you to all the primary sources and editorial analyses needed for a thorough research project.

To start your search in the FTC, follow these steps:

  1. Select the Research tab if it is not already highlighted. Be sure you are in the Federal practice area.
  2. Check the box for "Federal Tax Coordinator" under Editiorial Materials (Step 2). Uncheck all other boxes.
  3. Enter Keywords at the top of the screen (Step 1). (Use the Thesaurus/Query Tool for advanced search tips.) Click Search.
  4. To view your results, click on Analysis - Federal Tax Coordinator.
  5. Your results will be a list of paragraphs containing commentaries and analysis (i.e., editorial materials) which include links to cases, IRS code, regulations, rulings (i.e., primary source materials). To filter for relevant documents, use these options filters:
    -- Search Within Results
    -- Display Words Around Hits (bottom of screen)
    -- Show Only Hits (if available, bottom of screen)
    -- View in Table of Contents format (option available from sidebar). The number of hits in each chapter will be indicated and this will help you decide which is most relevant.

Other options:
A. Begin your research with a code section or a case citation. Then work your way back to the other types of source documents. See Searching by Citation. (However, in most cases, the Federal Tax Coordinator is the best place to start -- it is intended to "coordinate" all sources in one search.)

B. Start searching in the Table of Contents (see below).

Table of Contents
The Table of Contents option is an outline format that helps you to select relevant documents in a large search result. After searching the FTC, use it to drill down through chapters. You can also begin researching with the Table of Contents function and then work back to the explanations in the FTC.

Follow these steps:

  1. After performing your keyword search in the FTC, click on Go to Table of Contents on the sidebar.
  2. The titles of the Chapters will be displayed with a small blue number. This indicates how many times your search term occurred in that chapter.
  3. Open the relevant chapter by clicking on the plus (+) sign. Continue to open levels by clicking on additional plus signs, until all sub-chapters are open, indicated by a minus (-) sign.
  4. The final level will be indicated by a document icon. Click on the title to retrieve it.
Searching by Citation
Use this option when you have an IRS Code Section or Tax Case Citation that you want to read. Use these steps to look it and also locate other related materials.
  1. Use the Find by Citation option on the sidebar.
  2. Select a search template depending on whether you are searching by IRS Code section, regulation, revenue ruling, Tax Court case citation, etc.
  3. Enter the relevant information, according to the example provided by the template, and click the Search button. Be sure to follow the example closely. (Example: 401(a)(4) to search an IRS Code Section.
  4. When viewing your results, choose the items from the FTC 2nd if you did not select it at the start.
Exporting Your Search Results

Print, File (save), and Email options are at the bottom of the screen.

This page maintained by Wendy Diamond
Last update: September 8, 2008