Help

Try our Basic Search

Basic Search

Just type in your key word(s), like “energy efficiency,” and select .
You'll get results ranked by relevance, or grouped in a way most likely to match your search query. The higher the number of stars , the more relevant the document is to your query.
Unlike many search engines, our results are retrieved in real time. So as results start to come in, you can select to “Include Additional Results.” You can work with your results while the Science Accelerator continues searching.
You can
You may set Session Preferences on the navigation bar after performing your first search.

You want a more Targeted Search? Try our Advanced Search

You decide how to frame your search.
You can customize your search by checking selected databases and Web sites.
You can search Full Record, Title, Author, and Date Range. You can also select specific sources to search.
- Full Record will search the entire content of a document, when available.
- You may . This allows you to decide how the search operates between fields.
  - ALL is the default, and finds results with terms occurring in all fields.
  - ANY finds results with terms occurring in any of the fields.
- Date Range allows you to search one or more years in the 'From' and 'To' drop-down boxes.
  - Leaving the boxes blank is the default, and will not use a date in the search.
  - Selecting different 'From' and 'To' years will search the specified range.
  - Selecting the same 'From' and 'To' years will search a single year.
  - Selecting only the 'To' year will search any year including and prior to the year selected.
  - Selecting only the 'From' year will search any year including and after the year selected.
  - If the range is specified, the search will only return results specifying those years and any terms entered in the Full Record, Title, or Author Fields.
You may select sources from which to search. Categories or individual sources can be selected for a specific search. Select the to view individual sources.
runs the search.
clears the search terms in all fields and reverts to default settings.
Once you initiate your search, you may see this dialogue box. You may choose “Yes” to get more results or “No” to return to your original search list.
Select to display helpful information specific to an item on the page.
takes you to online help.

Search Tips

Queries can include:

Multiple terms (AND is the default)
Example: A search on frogs toads will return results on both frogs and toads.
Expressions using logical operators AND, OR, or NOT
Example: A search on frogs AND toads will return results where both frogs and toads appear; frogs OR toads will return results where either frogs or toads appear; frogs NOT toads will return results with frogs and without toads.
Phrases, contained in double quotation marks
Example: a search on “nitrate cycling” will return results where the term nitrate is immediately followed by the term cycling.
Parentheses, requiring the expression within to be evaluated first
Wildcards
- Use * to search for the term with zero or more additional characters
  Example: nucle* will return results with the terms nuclear, nucleus, nucleoprotein, etc.
- Use ? to search for the term with only one additional character (characters include numbers, letters and punctuation)
  Example: DO? will return results with the terms DOE, DOI, DOT, DOG, etc.
- Searches are not case-sensitive
  Example: RAIN, Rain and rain will produce the same results

More About Your Results

Full text is available when supported by the agency's database.
You'll know full text is available when you see an icon next to the result.
Results are linked to expanded information.
Total number of search results may be restricted by the database.
You can view results by date, rank, source or title.
You can email your results.
Science Accelerator searches in real time, so it may take a little longer to get your results.

Need Help Navigating?

Once you have your results:

Select the linked title or icon to view a specific record or document OR select the check boxes beside the result to view.
presents a list of results you marked during the current session.
will delete all previous marks.
gives you the expanded version of the selected documents. If you display results by , you may jump to a source using the drop-down list, , or you may use the and buttons to navigate through your selected documents.
will take you back to the results that you've marked.

Contact Us

To make comments and/or to provide suggestions, please contact us.

Our results may include full text, bibliographic citations, and other types of material from federal agencies.