Web Search HelpTutorial
You can use an online tutorial (flash version, accessible version) or the the search tips below to learn to search for government information on USASearch.gov. To view the flash version of the tutorial, you may need to download a free version of Flash Player.
Searching
The query box is on the
homepage
and at the top of every results page.
To search, type a word or phrase into this box. Click
Search or press
the Enter button on your keyboard.
OPTION | DESCRIPTION |
---|
Single word searches | Search a subject: housing Search a form number: 1040 Search an agency abbreviation: nasa Search a name: arizona | Multiple word searches | Search for subjects: war on
terrorism or skin cancer Search for names: white house or george
washington | Phrase searching | To find a specific phrase, use quotation marks around the phrase. For
example: "social security". | AND or + | A search on USA.gov uses AND as a default. A search for
medicare benefits means the same as medicare
AND benefits or medicare +benefits, and
finds documents containing both words. | OR | A search for navy OR army will find documents containing either the word navy or the word army. | NOT or - | A search for grants -loans, or grants NOT
loans will find documents containing the word
grants but not the word loans. | Capitalization | USASearch.gov ignores capital letters. Thomas
Jefferson produces the same result as thomas
jefferson or ThoMas JeffERson. |
Browsing Clusters The search engine
groups search results into clusters. These clusters are
located on the left side of the search results page.
To browse a cluster, click on a cluster name. The result list will change
to reflect that cluster’s contents. Sub-clusters display indented under the main cluster name.
Clusters allow you to view search results
by topics related to your search.
Browsing clusters will allow you to
- Narrow the focus of your search
- View similar results grouped together
- Find relevant results which may not be displayed on the first
page
- Uncover related information
To dig deeper into the topics considered during the creation of the clusters, click on remix. This reveals submerged or secondary topics that were not generated in the initial clustering. After clicking remix one or more times, click unmix to return to the original clusters. Remix is a patent-pending technology of Vivisimo.
Viewing Search Results
The underlined title of the search result is the main link to the
site. You can also click on the site's URL. After viewing this site, use your browser's Back button to return to
USA.gov Search.
- opens the result in a new browser window.
-
will open the preview pane, which shows the website without leaving the
search results page. To close it, click close preview or click on the small x in the upper right-hand corner of the preview pane.
-
links to the last version of the page saved by the search engine. If you are unable to connect to the site, you might find the information you need by looking at the cached page.
- searches for the same term(s) within this particular site.
Features and Shortcuts The search engine
offers innovative features to help citizens get the
information they need quickly and easily. New features will be added
continuously, so check back here often for the latest features and tools.
FEATURE | DESCRIPTION |
---|
USA.gov FAQs | The USA.gov FAQ database contains the most popular questions asked
by citizens via the Federal Citizen Information Center’s national
contact center at 1-800-FED-INFO. If your query matches entries in
the FAQ database, the question will appear at the top of the search
results. Additional FAQ databases from other government agencies will be added periodically. The agency's identifying URL will appear next to the FAQ. Click on a question link and get a detailed, authoritative
answer. Try it with auctions or emergency passport. |
Advanced Search
For more precise and relevant results, refine your search with the Advanced
Search page.
OPTION | DESCRIPTION |
---|
Show results with | You can choose which words or phrases you want included or excluded.
- All of these words
- will return results with all of the words or phrases in the search box.
- This exact phrase
- will match your words or phrase exactly.
- Any of these words
- will return results that contain any one of the words in the search box.
- None of these words
- will return results that do not contain the words or phrases you enter in this box.
For the options above, you can specify in what part of the page you would like your words or phrases found. - Any part of the page
- in any part of the page, including the text, the title, or URL.
- In the title of the page
- in the title of the page only (the title you see displayed in the blue bar at the top of the browser).
| Language | Searches may be restricted to Spanish-language or English-language
pages only. The default search includes both English and Spanish pages. | File type | Use the drop-down menu to make a selection.
| Results per page | Use the drop-down menu to change the number of results displayed on the search results page. |
Once you have made your selections, click the Search button.
|