About Science.gov

Science.gov is a search engine for government science information and research results. Currently in its fourth generation, Science.gov provides search of more than 50 million pages of science information with just one query, and is a gateway to over 1,800 scientific Web sites (see Science.gov fact sheet). Science.gov 1.0 was launched in December 2002, providing for the first time wide public access and a unified search of the government’s vast stores of scientific and technical information. Science.gov is an interagency initiative of 17 U.S. government science organizations within 13 Federal agencies. These agencies form the voluntary Science.gov Alliance. In May 2004 Version 2.0 was launched, introducing real-time relevancy ranking to government science retrieval. This technology, funded by the Department of Energy, helps citizens sort through the government’s reservoirs of research and return results most likely to meet individual needs. An advanced search capability and other enhancements were added. A free and convenient "Alert" service was released in February 2005, allowing citizens to receive e-mail alerts about the most current science developments in their areas of interest. Up to 25 relevant results from selected information sources can be delivered. Results are displayed in the Alert email and in a personalized Alert Archive, which stores six weeks of alerts results. In the Archive, past activity can be reviewed and Alert profiles edited. Science.gov 3.0 took relevancy ranked search to a higher level of precision. Launched in November 2005, Version 3.0 provided more refined search queries of federal science databases. Science.gov 3.0 deploys a sophisticated method for ranking science query results by using a complex system of metadata elements, when available, including information within title, author, date, abstract and/or other keyword identifiers. In addition, greatly enhanced fielded searching and the extensive Boolean capabilities offer new search options for Science.gov users. In February 2007, the Science.gov Alliance launched version 4.0, which allowed even further refinement of search queries. For the first time, patrons could search within their original results. In addition, the relevancy ranking algorithms became more sophisticated, providing ranking of the entire full text of documents on sites where searchable full text resides. Date of the document was priority-weighted for ranking purposes. A new feature allows patrons to share search results via e-mail with colleagues and friends. Science.gov 4.0 deploys “DeepRank” which allows search and relevancy ranking across full text of documents, when full text is available. In addition, Science.gov 4.0 adds a “refine results” option to narrow returns within a search, as well as an “email results” feature so that individuals may email important science information to themselves, friends and family, or colleagues. Version 4.0 offers more ways to view search results: by title, author or date, as well as by relevancy rank or source, as in earlier versions.  Read more about Science.gov Search Architecture: What Is under the hood. A number of participating agencies are members of CENDI, which provides administrative support and coordination for Science.gov. These agencies are committed to serving the information needs of the science-attentive citizen, including science professionals, students and teachers, and the business community. The Alliance and Science.gov were formed in response to the April 2001 workshop, "Strengthening the Public Information Infrastructure for Science." The content for this project is contributed by participating agencies. The Web page search function is provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the "Explore Selected Science Web Sites by Topic" portion of the site is maintained by the CENDI Secretariat. The Science.gov Web site is hosted by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which also supplies the site's "deep Web search" capability. For more information, see Frequently Asked Questions and our Fact Sheet. Some information accessible through this site may have limitations on its use (including copyright) or contain terms and conditions. For information about these terms and conditions, refer to the specific site or service. Check for new information and new sites added frequently to Science.gov. Participating Agencies    Linking to Science.gov