In This Section

Research FAQs

Return to the Research section

What results can I expect searching “All Collections?”
How do I broaden or narrow my search results?
Does this search engine have a spell checker?
Is the search engine case sensitive?
Can I use common words in my search?
Can I use the “and” operator to help refine my search?
Can I use the “or” operator to refine my search?
Will I be able to see an excerpt from my search results before downloading?
Is stemming enabled in the search engine?
Will I be able to refine my search?
How can I exclude words from my search?
How can I search for phrases?
How can I search on particular fields?
How can I use the corporate source search?
How can I use the thesaurus search tool?
Is an advanced search option available?
Is there a cost associated with accessing technical reports (TR)?
What types of information are available through this search tool?
What documents are NOT available on this website?
Can I purchase print documents from DTIC?
I am a DoD or government employee or contractor. Are there additional free full-text reports available to me?
Does it cost any money to download reports?
How do I download documents?
What if I have trouble downloading?
How do I download classified documents?
Can I download a document in text format instead of a PDF format?
How do I cite sources I find through DTIC?
Are there any copyright restrictions on these full-text reports?
Who do I contact for DTIC Research Assistance?
Who do I contact for Information Analysis Centers (IACs) Research Assistance?
(Top of Page)

What results can I expect searching "All Collections?"

A results page appears with a list of documents and pages that are related to your search terms, with the most relevant search results appearing at the top of the page. By default, only pages that include all of your search terms are returned.
(Top of Page)

How do I broaden or narrow my search results?

To broaden or restrict the search, include fewer or more terms. You do not need to include "and" between the terms. For example, to search for engineering product specification documents, enter: engineering product specifications.
(Top of Page)

Does this search engine have a spell checker?

When spell check detects a possible error a single spelling suggestion is returned with the query results. The spell check feature is context sensitive.
(Top of Page)

Is the search engine case sensitive?

Search terms are not case sensitive. All letters, regardless of how you enter them, are handled as lower case. For example, searches for "Naval Postgraduate School," "naval postgraduate school," and "Naval postgraduate school" return the same results.
(Top of Page)

Can I use common words in my search?

The search engine ignores common words and characters also known as stop words. These include most pronouns and articles. The search engine automatically disregards such terms as "where" and "how," as well as certain single digits and single letters. These terms rarely help to narrow a search and can significantly slow searching. The search engine indicates that a common word has been excluded by not highlighting the term on the results page.
If a common word is essential to getting the results you want, you can include it by putting a plus ("+") sign in front of it. Include a space before the "+" sign, but not after it. For example, to search for Mark VIII, enter: Mark +VIII
(Top of Page)

Can I use the “and” operator to help refine my search?

By default, the search engine only returns results that include all of your search terms. There is no need to include "and" between terms. For example, to search for the battery recycling schedule, enter: battery recycling schedule.

To broaden or restrict the search, include fewer or more terms.
(Top of Page)

Can I use the “or” operator to refine my search?

You can expand your search by using the OR operator. To retrieve pages that include either word A or word B, use an uppercase OR between terms. For example, to search for the terms chemical or biological, enter: chemical OR biological.
(Top of Page)

Will I be able to see an excerpt from my search results before downloading?

Every search result lists one or more snippets, or excerpts from the document, to display the search terms in context. In the snippet, your search terms are displayed in bold text so that you can quickly determine if that result is from a page or document you want to visit.
(Top of Page)

Is stemming enabled in the search engine?

Stemming is enabled in the search engine, it finds plurals and other forms of the query term entered. For example, searching for "park" yields "parks" and "parking." The search engine does not support "wildcard" or truncation searches.
(Top of Page)

Will I be able to refine my search?

Since the search engine returns only documents that contain all of the words in your query, refining or narrowing your search is as simple as adding more words to the search terms you already entered. The refined query returns a subset of the pages that were returned by your original broad query. If that does not get the results you want, you can try to exclude words or search for exact phrases. It is also important to note that changing the order of your search terms can deliver different results.
(Top of Page)

How can I exclude words from my search?

You can exclude a word from your search by putting a minus sign ("-") immediately in front of the term you want to exclude. Make sure you include a space before the minus sign. For example, to search for Afghanistan excluding the cities of Kabul and Kandahar from the search results, type the following query: Afghanistan -Kabul -Kandahar
(Top of Page)

How can I search for phrases?

Surround your phrase with quotes to find an exact match e.g., "armored tank." Words enclosed in double quotes appear together in all returned documents. Phrase searches using quotation marks are useful when searching for specific names or words.
You can search for an exact phrase or name in the following ways:

By enclosing the phrase in quotation marks. The search engine only returns documents that include the exact phrase you entered.
By using phrase connectors such as hyphens or periods in between every word of your search query.
Phrase connectors and quotation marks join your search words as a single unit. For example, the search engine treats the following queries as a phrase search even though the search words are not enclosed in quotation marks. alternate-side-parking also treated as a phrase father.in.law

(Top of Page)

How can I search on particular fields?

You can search only for documents that include specified search data or mnemonics, enter the following:

The inmeta: search operator
The name of the mnemonic
"~"
The search term (For example, to find documents with "virus" in the title, enter: inmeta:ti~virus)

To search using search tags type: inmeta:[mnemonic tag name]~[search term] Example: inmeta:AN~ADA532575

Field Name	Mnemonic
Abstract	AB
Accession Number	AN
Author	AU
Citation Creation Date	CRD
Descriptors	DE
Report Date	RD
Title	TI

(Top of Page)

How can I use the corporate source search?

The Corporate Source Search allows you to search for a Corporate Source Code, by entering part of a company or agency name, or for an individual Source Code, by entering the 6-digit number. The Source Code is used when searching in these databases for information authored or sponsored by these organizations. Each Corporate Author record displays the root (highest) element of the organization, the parent (next higher) element of the organization, any sub-organizations or former names, and the organization's Source Code.

Rand

(Top of Page)

How can I use the thesaurus search tool?

The Thesaurus provides a broad multidisciplinary subject term vocabulary that aids in information search and retrieval. Subject terms, called descriptors, are organized into hierarchies, where series of narrower terms are linked to broader terms.

Halides

(Top of Page)

Is an advanced search option available?

Yes an advanced search option is available. The Advanced Search option provides the following additional features:

Phrase searching
Elimination of terms from the search by entering terms in the “without the words” box
Control of the number of results displayed per page (10, 20, 30, 50 or 100)
Control of the file format of the items retrieved (i.e., any format, .pdf, .ps, .doc, .xls, .ppt, .rtf)
Limiting where the search terms appear (i.e., anywhere in the page, in the title of the page, in the URL of the page)
Limiting the domain of the search results (e.g., dtic.mil, .mil)

(Top of Page)

Is there a cost associated with accessing technical reports (TR)?

Recently added unclassified unlimited reports in DTIC's Technical Reports (TR) Collection are available to the public in an online full-text version, free of charge.
(Top of Page)

What types of information are available through this search tool?

Public access collections to include:

Air University Library Index to Military Periodicals (AULIMP)

Corporate Source Authority System Search (CSAS)

DTIC Thesaurus Information

DoD Congressional Budget Data/Budget Tools

DoD forms for accessing information from DTIC

DoD Science and Technology Reports (S&T)/Technical Reports (TRs)

National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)

Staff College Automated Military Periodical Index (SCAMPI)

Washington Headquarters Service (WHS)

(Top of Page)

What documents are NOT available on this website?

This website offers documents noted for public release. Simply use the search in the top right corner of every page of this website. Access controlled content can be found by visiting the R&E Gateway.
(Top of Page)

Can I purchase print documents from DTIC?

No, DTIC no longer sells unclassified print documents. The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) sells publicly releasable documents from DTIC's collection in print, digital, and microform formats. Documents in the DTIC collection which have been digitized are available to download in pdf format free of charge. DTIC registered users can request digitization of documents through the R&E Gateway.
(Top of Page)

I am a DoD or government employee or contractor. Are there additional free full-text reports available to me?

DoD and federal government employees, and their contractors, have access to the entire DTIC collection including limited reports. CAC holders can login to the R&E Gateway for access to the full collection and non CAC holders can register for access. Users can also request free digitization of older reports.
(Top of Page)

Does it cost any money to download reports?

No there are no fees associated with this service.
(Top of Page)

How do I download documents?

To download documents from this website, search for the requested document and click text that says "Download PDF" or simply select "View PDF" in the browser window (it will open a new window). To download the text version of the document select "Text Version".
(Top of Page)

What if I have trouble downloading?

There is a compatibility problem between Adobe Acrobat and some browsers. If you are unable to download one of our documents this may be the cause.
For a quick fix try:

Users who upgrade to Adobe Acrobat 8.0 may notice a problem opening PDF files from DTIC, even when attempting to open the file in a new window. We have found the problem can be overcome by changing the Internet preferences.

It may be necessary to reboot, so all other applications should be saved and closed.
Open your Adobe Reader.
From the Edit menu, select Preferences.
Under Categories select Internet.
Under Web Browser Options unclick Display PDF in Browser.
Click OK. If you are asked to reboot, click Yes.

Another cause of your downloading problem may be that the document is too large for your system. Most of the full-text documents on our Web pages are in Adobe Portable Document Format (*.pdf) and are fairly large files. If you are using a modem or dial-in connection, you might experience long waiting periods (2-3 hours or longer) before your system completes the download and displays the document. Depending on your system configuration, you may lose your connection before the download is complete. These issues are controlled by your system and your telecommunication service, not by DTIC. If you are not a DTIC registered user, you may be able to purchase the document from NTIS.
(Top of Page)

How do I download classified documents?

You can not access classified documents on this website. If you have a SIPRNet account you can now register and access DTIC's classified sites on the SIPRNET. Visit https://reg.dtic.smil.mil/SDTICreg to register. Please contact the Customer Access Team for additional information at: 703-767-8273 or email: dtic.belvoir.us.mbx.dtic-access@mail.mil.

Can I download text format instead of a PDF format?

If a text document is available, you can simply click on the "Text Format" link.
(Top of Page)

How do I cite sources I find through DTIC?

Source information is available through the citation of the document.
(Top of Page)

Are there any copyright restrictions on these full-text reports?

Copyright Disclosure

The Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) is a U.S. Government agency and provides information on this website as a public service of the U.S. Department of Defense. THE COLLECTION INCLUDES BOTH MATERIAL THAT IS AND IS NOT PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT LAW.

U.S. Government works prepared by officers and employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not protected by copyright in the U.S. These works may be copied and distributed in their entirety without permission. Users should note and attribute the U.S. Government agency and private author when incorporating works of the U.S. Government in a copyrighted publication.

CAUTION: Government works may contain copyrighted material (e.g., quote, photograph, chart, drawing, literary works, etc.) used with permission. Copyrighted material incorporated in a U.S. Government work retains its copyright protection.
Contractors and grantees, and other non-Government organizations, including foreign governments and international organizations, generally hold copyright to works they produce for the Government and in their own works, which may be distributed on DTIC's website.

DTIC provides these copyrighted materials under a non-exclusive, irrevocable, paid-up royalty-free worldwide license which permits the U.S. Government to use, modify, reproduce, release, perform, display or disclose these works by or on behalf of the U.S. Government. The Government license in copyrighted materials is non-transferable to the public.

THIS LICENSE DOES NOT APPLY TO INDEPENDENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT SUMMARY REPORTS, WHICH ARE REPORTED TO DTIC AT http://www.defenseinnovationmarketplace.mil AND SEPARATELY STORED, ACCESSED AND USED BY DESIGNATED DOD OFFICIALS SOLELY FOR COMPLIANCE WITH 48 CFR 231.205-18 (c)(iii)(C).
THEREFORE, you must carefully review and respect the copyright notices and other legends on all documents that you download from DTIC's website and obtain permission from the copyright holder if you wish to reproduce and distribute the copyrighted material separately in another context.
(Top of Page)

Who do I contact for DTIC Research Assistance?

Email our Reference team: dtic.belvoir.us.mbx.reference@mail.mil.
To speak to a DTIC representative call 1-800-CAL-DTIC (1-800-225-3842) or 703-767-8274 or DSN 427-8274 Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. Eastern time.
(Top of Page)

Who do I contact for Information Analysis Center (IACs) Research Assistance?

Contact 703-767-9120 or email: iac@dtic.mil. More information can be found at http://iac.dtic.mil
(Top of Page)