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Search Help

Two search methods are available:

Performing a Simple Search

The simple search is similar to that used on many Web sites to locate records having any content that matches your search criteria. This feature is useful when you want to view records about a particular topic. For example, you could enter "Mississippi River Delta" to retrieve records containing that text anywhere in the record.

The simple search is accessed from the Science Inventory home page under the heading "Search the Science Inventory".

  1. Enter your search term in the space provided after the text "Search for:". You can use a name or a significant portion of a name, a keyword, or even record ID numbers. Below the textbox there are options to limit the search to only records less than 1 year old, and search only among Science Activities or Scientific and Technical Products. Defintions of these terms are also on the home page.
  2. Select "Search" to search the inventory. If you want to change your terms before searching, you may use the "Clear" button.
  3. Results (the record title and initial portion of the record abstract) are displayed by relevance rank, with the records most relevant to your search term shown first.
  4. Scroll through the list. Select "Next" or "Previous" on any results page to move forward or backward, as applicable.
  5. Select a record title to view the entire record.

Performing an Advanced Search

The advanced search allows searches by specific criteria, such as keywords, record status, dates, journal names, and more. You can also sort results by relevance rank, revision date, and record title. After the search results are displayed, you can view individual records.

  1. Select Advanced Search on the navigation bar. The advanced search page is displayed
  2. Expand any option by selecting the plus sign (+) next to it. To collapse an expanded option, select the minus sign (-) next to the option header.
  3. Populate the specific fields under the expanded header. (You must filter some fields first, such as a person's name.) You can select choices in more than one expanded field to narrow the search.
  4. If you do not want records sorted by title, select either Relevance Rank or Revision Date in the Sort By field at the bottom of the page. If you wish to change any selection prior to generating the report, select Clear Form Fields, then make new selections.
  5. Select "Search". The resulting records are displayed. Select a title to view the entire record.

Advanced Search terms

Keyword
Enter words or a phrase that describes what you wish to find.
Record Type
To limit the types of records returned. Top level options include Science Activity and Product.
Product Type
Products can be further limited by type (e.g. Published Report).
Product Subtype
Some product types have subtypes to help further define the record.
Record ID
Records in the Science Inventory have unique Record IDs that can be used for search.
EPA Number
Products published by the EPA have numbers assigned for tracking (e.g. EPA/600/R-04/019.)
NTIS ID
Products produced by the EPA may be sent to the National Technical Information Service, a clearinghouse for government funded publications, which also assigns unique numbers to them.
Record Status
Records may be filtered by archive status and OMB Category, a measure of impact.
Active/Archive
Records describing completed Science Activities and Products that have been published or presented are archived 1 year after the completion, publication, or presentation dates. On-going or records less than 1 year old are considered Active.
OMB Category
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has directed the EPA to designate its products and activities as Highly Influential Scientific Assessments (HISA), Influential Scientific Information (ISI), or Other depending on levels of impact. For more information, see the OMB Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review.
Dates
Date searches can define a time period with both a start and end date or be open-ended with just a start date or an end date
Record Created Date
Date that the record was created in the Science Inventory.
Product Published/Presented
Date when a product was published or presented.
Record Last Updated
Date of the most recent update of the record.
Person
To search the Science Inventory for records related to particular people.
Person's Name
Select the name of the person. This list is controlled and very long, so you must filter the list by providing part of a name before you can choose the person.
Person's Role
Search for records with the selected person in a particular role. Roles include Author, Record Creator, and Principal Investigator (primary research scientist.)
Journal/Publisher
Records may be filtered using the name of a Journal or Publisher.
Journal's Name
Select the name of the journal. This list is controlled and very long, so you must filter the list by providing part of a journal name before you can choose the journal.
Publisher's Name
Select the name of the publisher. This list is controlled and very long, so you must filter the list by providing part of a publisher's name before you can choose the publisher.

TIPS: The more you qualify a search, the faster the results will be displayed because fewer records will be retrieved. For example, entering "air pollution" retrieves fewer records than entering "pollution." Your search can also be turned into an RSS feed. For more on the RSS feeds, visit the RSS feed page.

 

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