About

Science.gov is a gateway to government science information and research results. Currently in its fifth generation, Science.gov provides a search of over 36 scientific databases and 200 million pages of science information with just one query, and is a gateway to 1,850+ scientific Websites (see Science.gov fact sheet).

Science.gov 5.0 provides the ultimate science search through a variety of features and abilities, including:

The content for Science.gov is contributed by participating agencies committed to serving the information needs of the science-attentive citizen, including science professionals, students and teachers, and the business community. Many of these agencies are members of CENDI, which provides administrative support and coordination for Science.gov. Science.gov and the Science.gov Alliance were formed in response to the April 2001 workshop, "Strengthening the Public Information Infrastructure for Science."

The Web page search function is provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the "Explore Selected Science Websites by Topic" portion of the site is maintained by the CENDI Secretariat. The Science.gov Website is hosted by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which also supplies the site's "deep Web search" capability.

History

Science.gov 1.0 was launched in December 2002, providing for the first time wide public access and a unified search of the government's vast stores of scientific and technical information. Science.gov is an interagency initiative of 17 U.S. government science organizations within 13 Federal agencies. These agencies form the voluntary Science.gov Alliance.

In May 2004 Version 2.0 was launched, introducing real-time relevancy ranking to government science retrieval. This technology, funded by the Department of Energy, helps citizens sort through the government's reservoirs of research and return results most likely to meet individual needs. An advanced search capability and other enhancements were added.

A free and convenient "Alert" service was released in February 2005, allowing citizens to receive e-mail alerts about the most current science developments in their areas of interest. Up to 25 relevant results from selected information sources can be delivered. Results are displayed in the Alert email and in a personalized Alert Archive, which stores six weeks of alerts results. In the Archive, past activity can be reviewed and Alert profiles edited.

Science.gov 3.0 took relevancy ranked search to a higher level of precision. Launched in November 2005, Version 3.0 provided more refined search queries of federal science databases. In addition, greatly enhanced fielded searching and the extensive Boolean capabilities offer new search options for Science.gov users.

In February 2007, Science.gov 4.0 was launched, which allowed even further refinement of search queries. For the first time, patrons could search within their original results. In addition, the relevancy ranking algorithms became more sophisticated, providing ranking of the entire full text of documents on sites where searchable full text resides. Date of the document was priority-weighted for ranking purposes. A new feature allows patrons to share search results via e-mail with colleagues and friends.

Science.gov 5.0 was launched in September 2008 and boasts several new and innovative features. Clustering, the grouping of results into meaningful topics, helps guide patrons to desired information. Science.gov results have also been enhanced by the addition of Wikipedia topics and EurekAlert items related to the search. Additionally, selected results can be emailed to colleagues and friends, and the overall look and feel has been updated.

Some information accessible through this site may have limitations on its use (including copyright) or contain terms and conditions. For information about these terms and conditions, refer to the specific site or service.

For more information, see Frequently Asked Questions and our Facts about Science.gov. Check for new information and new sites added frequently to Science.gov.