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  • Just type in your key word(s), like "energy efficiency", and select Begin Search.
  • You'll get results ranked by relevance, or grouped in a way most likely to match your search query. The higher the number of stars,stars the more relevant the document is to your query.
  • Unlike many search engines, our results are retrieved in real time. So as results start to come in, you may want to select to update. You may work with your results while science.gov continues searching.
  • You may View Results by: Rank
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You want a more Targeted Search? Try our Advanced Search

Advanced Search

  • You decide how to frame your search.
  • You can customize your search by checking selected databases and Web sites.
  • You can search Full Record, Title, Author, and Date Range. You can also select specific sources to search.
    • Full Record will search the entire content of a document, when available.

    • You may Match: All or Any Field(s). This allows you to decide how the search operates between fields.

      • ALL is the default, and finds results with terms occurring in all fields.

      • ANY finds results with terms occurring in any of the fields.

    • Date Range allows you to search one or more years in the ‘From’ and ‘To’ drop-down boxes.

      • Leaving the boxes blank is the default, and will not use a date in the search.

      • Selecting different ‘From’ and ‘To’ years will search the specified range.

      • Selecting the same ‘From’ and ‘To’ years will search a single year.

      • Selecting only the ‘To’ year will search any year including and prior to the year selected.

      • Selecting only the ‘From’ year will search any year including and after the year selected.

      • If the range is specified, the search will only return results specifying those years and any terms entered in the Full Record, Title or Author Fields.
  • You may select sources from which to search. Categories or individual sources can be selected for a specific search. Select thePlus to view individual sources.

  • Search runs the search.

  • Reset clears the search terms in all fields and reverts to default settings.

  • You can narrow the search by searching within the results of your original query. Enter a term in the box for Refine Results and select the Refine Results button. refine results
    Note:
    This refinement can only be done once. After it has been run one time, the refine results box and button become inactive. You can return to the advanced search page to run fielded searches on selected sources by selecting the Advanced Search link.

  • Once you initiate your search, you may see this dialogue box. You may choose "yes" to get more results or "no" to return to your original search list.
    Search and Ranking Completed

  • email search results lets you email a set of search results to yourself, friends or colleagues. email results You may choose from the pull-down menu the   number of results to send. Currently the option to send individually selected results is not available.   If you do not receive an email within a few minutes, check your spam filter.






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Search Tips

Queries can include:
  • Multiple terms (AND is the default)
    • Example: A search on frogs toads will return results on both frogs and toads

  • Expressions using logical operators AND, OR or NOT
    • Example: A search on frogs AND toads will return results where both frogs and toads appear; frogs OR toads will return results where either frogs or toads appear; frogs NOT toads will return results with frogs and without toads.

  • Phrases, contained in double quotation marks
    • Example: a search on “nitrate cycling” will return results where the term nitrate is immediately followed by the term cycling.

  • Parentheses, requiring the expression within to be evaluated first

  • Wildcards

    • Use * to search for the term with 0 or more additional characters
      • Example: nucle* will return results with the terms nuclear, nucleus, nucleoprotein, etc.

    • Use ? to search for the term with only 1 additional character (characters include numbers, letters and punctuation)
      • Example: DO? will return results with the terms DOE, DOI, DOT, DOG, etc.

    • Searches are not case-sensitive
      • Example: RAIN, Rain and rain will produce the same results

More About Your Results  

  • Full text is available when supported by the agency’s database.
  • You’ll know full text is available when you see an icon fulltext icon next to the result.
  • Results are linked to expanded information.
  • Total number of search results may be restricted by the database.
  • You can view results by author, date, rank, source or title.
  • You can email your results.
  • Science.gov searches in real time, so it may take a little longer to get your results.

Need Help Navigating?

Once you have your results

  • Select the linked title or PDF Format icon to view a specific record or document OR select the check boxes beside the result to view.
  • List Marks presents a list of results you marked during the current session.
  • Clear Marks will delete all previous marks.
  • Display gives you the expanded version of the selected documents. If you display results by Source , you may jump to a source using the drop-down Jump to:, or you may use the Next and Previous buttons to navigate through your selected documents.
  • Back to Result List will take you back to the results that you’ve marked.
  • To bookmark an item, go to the direct web address by selecting Permanent Link.
  • To email a search result, select the email link Email Search Results

Additional Features

Science.gov 4.0 will make your search results more relevant than ever.

Science.gov 4.0 incorporates:

  • DeepRank operates behind the scenes to rank results using full-text of documents when available
  • Refine Results option allows you to search within your original search to increase relevancy of your results
  • Email Results option allows you to share science information and research results with friends and colleagues

Need more Science Information?

Check out our science by topic, beginning on the home page: Although these Web sites and databases are automatically searched with your keywords, you may want to explore by selecting a specific topic. We can send you directly to your Web site of interest. Simply select the back button to re-enter Science.gov. Or, browse through the tree by subject, narrowing your topic as you select.

Don’t miss our featured Web sites: Located at the bottom of our home page, these are popular science sites, and rotated regularly.

See Alerts Help for Information on the Alert Service


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