Energy Citations Database

ECD Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)


  1. What does the Energy Citations Database (ECD) contain? and what is the date range of the content?
  2. When was ECD created and why?
  3. What are the topics in ECD?
  4. Search Architecture – What Is under the hood?
  5. How often are documents added to the database?
  6. How do I find a document in ECD?
  7. How do I know if a document is available electronically? Of what value is a citation without an electronic document?
  8. How do I download a document? how long will it take? and how much will it cost?
  9. If I am interested in just a few pages, can I download only those pages of interest?
  10. Can I capture citations using Zotero?
  11. How do I get a copy of a journal article?
  12. What other types of documents can be found on ECD?
  13. How do I get a copy of the other types of documents when they are not available electronically on ECD?
  14. What is Adopt-A-Doc?
  15. How much does it cost to sponsor digitization and broad availability of a technical report?
  16. How do I request this service?
  18. Why would I want to Adopt-A-Doc?
  20. Will I receive recognition for sponsoring reports for digitization?
  22. Can I request anonymity when adopting a report?
  24. What is the scope of the information available to digitize?
  26. How do I locate a technical report to "adopt" for digitization?
  28. How long will the process take to adopt a report and have the report available on the World Wide Web?
  30. How do I get help with the ECD?
  31. How do I get help with ECD Alerts?
  32. What are the technical requirements for ECD?
  33. What are the predecessor agencies to DOE?
  34. How widespread is DOE's research efforts?
  35. What other databases/products are available from DOE's Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI)?

What does the Energy Citations Database (ECD) contain? and what is the date range of the content?
The ECD contains:
– over 2.3 million publicly available citations from the Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessor agencies
– over 197,000 electronic searchable and downloadable documents
– a fielded search that offers multiple field searching, 'Sort by' capabilities, relevancy ranking, and choices to limit by publication date, system entry date, type of document, and/or matches with electronic documents
– a Subject Select feature that assists in identifying terms for subject searches
– an Author Select feature that assists in identifying variation(s) of an author name or identification of multiple author names
– The capability to create, revise, and cancel weekly Alerts in subject areas of interest
– navigation options that include the links at the top of each page and the Site Map.
The dates of the content of the database span many years —
– with historical content from the Manhattan Project era (citations beginning in the 1940's)
– and more recent documents, primarily from 1943 forward, that are available electronically.
When was ECD created and why?
ECD was created in 2001 in order to make DOE and predecessor agency report literature citations and electronic documents (when available) publicly accessible via the Web at no cost to the user.
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What are the topics in ECD?
Topics in ECD are wide-ranging and include subjects such as chemistry, physics, materials, environmental science, geology, engineering, mathematics, climatology, oceanography, computer science and related disciplines.
How often are documents added to the database?
The database is typically updated twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. If the week contains is a federal holiday, then the database is updated once during the week.
How do I find a document in ECD?
To find a document in ECD, you may use either the Basic Search or the Fielded Search. Enter the search term(s) of your choice, make other selections as appropriate, and either hit the Enter key on your keyboard or select the Search button.
How do I know if a document is available electronically? Of what value is a citation without an electronic document?
If a document is available electronically, then a document icon can be found in the 'Document' field on the Search Results page and on the Bibliographic Citation page. If a document is not available electronically, the content of the citation provides information about the document and can assist you in locating a copy of the document.
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How do I download a document? and how long will it take? and how much will it cost?
If the document is available electronically, to download right-click on the icon and choose "Save Link As" or "Save Target As". The length of time it will take depends upon the size of the document and the technical capabilities of your equipment. For instance, a large document downloaded using a modem would take a long time while downloading the same document using a T-1 line would be much quicker. Downloading a document is free of charge.
If I am interested in just a few pages, can I download only those pages of interest?
To download a specific page, use the "Access Individual Page" feature that is on the bibliographic citation page to identify the page(s) of interest. After you open an individual page in Adobe, you can download it using the "File --> Save Page As" option. Downloading an individual page is free of charge.
Can I capture citations using Zotero?
In order to utilize the Information Bridge Zotero capability, you will need to have already downloaded and installed the Zotero browser plugin (FireFox only).

To capture citations using Zotero, click the folder icon in your browsers address bar on the Search Results or Bibliographic Citation page for the item(s) of interest. Selecting this folder icon from the Search Results screen will provide you with the option to capture one or more of the results on the page. Simply select the checkbox beside the citations you wish to capture then click "OK".

To view your captured citations simply click the "Zotero" icon towards the bottom right hand side of your browser window.
How do I get a copy of a journal article?
For a copy of a journal article, you may contact the Publisher or your local public or university library and refer to the information found in the Resource Relation field to identify the specifics for the journal article.
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What other types of documents/citations can be found on ECD?
In addition to journal article information, ECD contains documents/citations to DOE report literature, conference papers, books, dissertations, and patents.
How do I get a copy of these other types of documents when they are not available electronically on ECD?
For information about acquiring documents not available electronically, please see the content of the citation for the document and the Document Availability page.
What is Adopt-A-Doc?
Adopt-A-Doc is an on-demand service that provides individuals the option to sponsor the digitization of full-text DOE technical reports for a nominal fee, thus making important research broadly available via the World Wide Web.
How much does it cost to sponsor digitization and broad availability of a technical report?
$60.00 – approximately the same cost as ordering a hard copy. This is payable by check or Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Bravo or Private Issue credit cards.
How do I request this service?
You may request to adopt a document via phone at (865) 576-5699; e–mail at adoptadoc@osti.gov; or via the comment form on the Energy Citations Database (ECD) located here.
Why would I want to Adopt-A-Doc?
When searching the Energy Citations Database on your science topics of interest, you might come across a particular technical report that you want to share with others and/or you think worthy of making broadly available via the World Wide Web to support the advancement of science.
Additionally, you might want to sponsor digitization of reports because of a personal interest, with an option to create a dedication, i.e., in honor of . . . . . or in memory of . . . . . , etc.
Example of possible wording for a dedication:
In Honor of
Enrico Fermi, leader of the first nuclear reactor project, Nobel Prize winner and visionary technologist
Will I receive recognition for sponsoring reports for digitization?
If you sponsor digitization of a report, you can receive recognition via a "certificate" indicating that the electronic availability of the technical report was made possible by your contribution. A copy of this "certificate", which will include the associated URL for the digitized document, will also be sent to the author of the report. A notification will also be included in the front of the digitized report.
Can I request anonymity when adopting a report?
Yes. In that case, no recognition will be placed in the report or sent to the author.
What is the scope of the information available to digitize?
The scope of the information available to digitize is DOE technical reports with full text that have not already been digitized and are available on OSTI's Energy Citations Database(www.osti.gov/energycitations).
How do I locate a technical report to "adopt" for digitization?
To locate a technical report to adopt, click on the Adopt-A-Doc? link on the ECD Home Page and you will be taken to the Search for a Document for Digitization page. Your search from this page will be limited to documents available for digitization – indicated by a "Y" (yes) in the Adopt-A-Doc field.
How long will the process take to adopt a report and have the report available on the World Wide Web?
The process will average 3 to 4 weeks from report adoption to electronic availability.
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How do I get help with ECD?
In addition to the FAQ page that you are currently looking at, there is a Help page containing additional information. If you have questions about the Web site or wish to make a comment, you can do so through the Contact Us form.
How do I get help with ECD Alerts?
To get help with ECD Alerts, please see the ECD Alerts Help page and/or the ECD Alerts FAQ page.
What are the predecessor agencies of DOE?
The predecessor agencies of DOE are the Energy Research & Development Administration (ERDA) and the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC).
How widespread is DOE's research efforts?
DOE is responsible for the management of an extensive National Laboratory System, which represents one of the most comprehensive research enterprises in the world. These laboratories perform research and development that is multidisciplinary in nature and for which there is a strong public and national purpose. DOE sponsors research at universities located in 49 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. These efforts support tens of thousands of principal investigators, post-doctoral students, and graduate students who are tackling some of the most challenging scientific questions of our era.
What other databases/products are available from DOE's Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI)?
OSTI's DOE Science Accelerator searches multiple science resources, including Energy Citations Database. These resources, developed by OSTI, reside in the deep Web where popular search engines cannot go. The DOE Science Accelerator provides a "deeper" search that yields results ranked by relevancy. This search may take a little longer, but returns more comprehensive, higher quality science information.

Additional databases/products can be found in the left column on the OSTI Home Page.
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