Tips for Searching NIJ

Choose a Search Method

There are two ways to search the NIJ site:

1. Search engine. A search box that appears near the top of each page uses our search engine.
2. Database of publications and products.  The database includes records of products.

To find most information on the NIJ site, you use the search engine. We use Google's search appliance so the search methods may be familiar. Our search engine shows results from:

• The NIJ Web site.
• DNA.gov (information and training on forensic DNA).
• The full text of NIJ publications and reports submitted by grantees.

If you know you're looking for a publication, use the publication and product database. The database lets you narrow your using title and author fields and search for a keyword in the complete text of each document. Included in the database are:

• Documents published by NIJ (e.g., reports, briefs, NIJ Journal articles).
• Reports submitted to NIJ by grantees.
• Documents sponsored or written by NIJ but published by other organizations (e.g., Corrections Today, NLECTC's TechBeat).

Search Engine Tips

When using the search engine, if a basic query using a few descriptive words does not return what you're looking for, here are some simple points that may help improve your results:

• You don't need "AND" — The search engine only returns pages that include all of your search terms. You don't need to include "AND" between terms.
• Use "OR" to broaden your search  — To retrieve pages that include either word A or word B, use an uppercase "OR" between terms.
• No "stemming" or wildcards — The search engine does not use "stemming" ('arilin' will not return 'airline') or support wildcard searches ('airlin*' does not return 'airlines' or 'airliner').
• Many common words are ignored  — The search engine ignores many common words (e.g., most pronouns and articles, and certain single digits and single letters). If you want to include such words, use the "+" sign or enclose your phrase in quotes. Be sure to include as space before but not after the "+".
• Exclude a word — If you want the search engine to exclude a word, put a "-" sign in front of the term. Be sure to include as space before but not after the "-" (e.g., 'forensic -dna' returns results with 'forensic' that do not include 'dna').
• Search for a phrase  — To search for a phrase, put the phrase in quotes. Certain characters serve as phrase connectors, which work like quotes (e.g., father-in-law).

Sorting Your Results

By default, results are sorted by relevance. You also may sort by date. Results are sorted by:

1. Date last revised.
2. Date created.

Results that do not contain dates are displayed at the end, sorted by relevance.

What NIJ Does Not Provide

Users often search our site for types of information that NIJ does not provide. Try some other U.S. Department of Justice agencies if you're searching for:

• Statistics —
  • From the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
  • From Uniform Crime Reports (FBI).
• Juvenile justice information from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
• Victim and victim service provider information from the Office for Victims of Crime.
• Assistance programs from the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
• Abstracts and publications from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service.

You also can try searching all of these and other Office of Justice Programs agencies.