Science Inventory

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Science Inventory

Two search methods are available:

  • A keyword search using the search on the Science Inventory home page.
  • An advanced search feature that uses more specific search criteria.

Performing a Keyword Search

The keyword search is used to locate products having any content that matches your search criteria. The keyword search is useful when you want to view records about a particular topic. For example, you could enter "Mississippi River Delta" to retrieve products with that text in any part of the record.

The keyword search is accessed from the Science Inventory home page under the heading "Search the Science Inventory for:".

  1. Enter your search term in the space provided after the text "Search the Science Inventory for:". You can use a keyword, a topic, a name or a significant portion of a name, or even record ID numbers.
  2. Next to the textbox there are options to limit the search to certain product types or limit by how recent a record is.
  3. Select "Search" to search the inventory.
  4. Results are displayed by relevance rank, with the records most relevant to your search term shown first.

Performing an Advanced Search

The advanced search allows searches by specific criteria such as keywords, product type, authors, dates, journal names, and more. You can also sort results by relevance rank, revision date, or record title.

  1. Select Advanced Search from the SI homepage to display the advanced search page.
  2. Enter search criteria in any appropriate field. You can select multiple fields or categories to narrow the search.
  3. Some fields, such as a person's name, require you to "filter" the list by providing some initial text.
  4. By default the most recently updated products are shown first (Revision Date order.) You may instead choose to sort by Relevance Rank, Title (alphabetic), or Fiscal Year in the Sort By field at the bottom of the page.
  5. Select "Search".

Search Results

The search results page lists the record title and initial portion of the record abstract for all matching records in the order you selected.

  • Scroll through the list. Select "Next" or "Previous" on any results page to move forward or backward, as applicable.
  • Select a record title to view the entire record.
  • At the top of the results there are options to update your search results. You can re-run your search with new terms, search within the results by adding a new keyword, and there may be options to quickly widen your search by removing your original criteria.
    • Advanced Search terms
    Keyword
    Enter words or a phrase that describes what you wish to find.
    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.
    EPA Number
    Products published by the EPA have numbers assigned for tracking (e.g. EPA/600/R-04/019.)
    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 Exit.
    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
    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 from the list. This list is controlled and very long, so before you can choose the person you must filter the list by providing part of a name.
    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 from the list. This list is controlled and very long, so before you can choose the journal you must filter the list by providing part of a journal name.
    Publisher's Name
    Select the name of the publisher. This list is controlled and very long, so before you can choose the publisher you must filter the list by providing part of a publisher's name.
    TIPS:

    The more criteria you provide the faster the results will display as 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.