Science.gov
Encyclopedia
Science.gov is a web portal
and search engine
(Academic databases and search engines). Using federated search
technology, Science.gov serves as a gateway to U.S. government science information and research results. Currently in its fifth generation, Science.gov provides a search of over 38 databases from 14 federal science agencies and 200 million pages of science information with just one query, and is a gateway to 1,900+ scientific websites. The FY 2007 Report to Congress on Implementation of
The E-Government Act of 2002 noted that in FY 2007 "Science.gov experienced 6.5 million search queries across all its scientific databases and 2.6 million page views of its website." In April 2007, Library Journal included Science.gov in its list of best references of 2006. U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham and Director of the Office of Science Dr. Raymond L. Orbach both remarked positively on the launch of Science.gov 2.0 on May 11, 2004. Science.gov is the United States contribution to the international portal WorldWideScience
.
and the United States Geological Survey
.
, which provides administrative support and coordination for Science.gov. Science.gov and the Science.gov Alliance were formed in response to the April 2001 workshop, "Strengthening the Public Information Infrastructure for Science.
See Academic databases and search engines.
) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which also supplies the site's "deep web search" capability.
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 users sort through the government's research and return results relevant to individual needs. An advanced search capability and other enhancements were added.
A free "Alert" service was released in February 2005, allowing users to receive e-mail alerts about 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.
Launched in November 2005, Version 3.0 provided more refined search queries of federal science databases. In addition, fielded searching and Boolean capabilities were enhanced.
In February 2007, Science.gov 4.0 was launched. The new version was reviewed by Gale Cengage and Government Computer News. Version 4.0 allowed further refinement of search queries, allowing users to search within their original results. 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 allowed users to share search results via e-mail.
Science.gov 5.0 was launched in September 2008 and announced in a U.S. Department of Energy Press Release. The Oak Ridger covered the release as did UPI, Open Access News, Federal Computer Week, Econtent, and SLA Government Information Division. Clustering results into topics areas and the inclusion of Wikipedia topics and EurekAlert Science items related to the search were added.
Web portal
A web portal or links page is a web site that functions as a point of access to information in the World Wide Web. A portal presents information from diverse sources in a unified way....
and search engine
Search engine
A search engine is an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored on a computer system. The search results are usually presented in a list and are commonly called hits. Search engines help to minimize the time required to find information and the amount of information...
(Academic databases and search engines). Using federated search
Federated search
Federated search is an information retrieval technology that allows the simultaneous search of multiple searchable resources. A user makes a single query request which is distributed to the search engines participating in the federation...
technology, Science.gov serves as a gateway to U.S. government science information and research results. Currently in its fifth generation, Science.gov provides a search of over 38 databases from 14 federal science agencies and 200 million pages of science information with just one query, and is a gateway to 1,900+ scientific websites. The FY 2007 Report to Congress on Implementation of
The E-Government Act of 2002 noted that in FY 2007 "Science.gov experienced 6.5 million search queries across all its scientific databases and 2.6 million page views of its website." In April 2007, Library Journal included Science.gov in its list of best references of 2006. U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham and Director of the Office of Science Dr. Raymond L. Orbach both remarked positively on the launch of Science.gov 2.0 on May 11, 2004. Science.gov is the United States contribution to the international portal WorldWideScience
WorldWideScience
WorldWideScience.org is a global science search engine designed to accelerate scientific discovery and progress by accelerating the sharing of scientific knowledge...
.
Governance
Governance of Science.gov is provided by the interagency Science.gov Alliance. The Alliance is co-chaired by the United States Department of AgricultureUnited States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
and the United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
.
Features and capabilities
Science.gov provides science search through a variety of features and capabilities, including:- Accessing over 38 databases and 200 million pages of science information via one query
- ClusteringClusteringClustering can refer to the following:In demographics:* Clustering , the gathering of various populations based on factors such as ethnicity, economics or religion.In graph theory:...
of results by subtopics or dates to help users target their search - WikipediaWikipediaWikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
results related to user search terms - Eureka Science News results related to user search terms
- Mark and send option for emailing results to friends and colleagues
- Enhanced information related to the user's real-time search
- AlertsAlertsAlert is a colloquial term used to define a machine-to-person communication that is important and/or time sensitive. An alert contains user-requested content such as a reminder , a notification , and ultimately an alert...
service - Science.gov participates in the WorldWideScienceWorldWideScienceWorldWideScience.org is a global science search engine designed to accelerate scientific discovery and progress by accelerating the sharing of scientific knowledge...
global science gateway.
Content
The content for Science.gov is contributed by participating agencies including science professionals, students and teachers, and the business community. Many of these agencies are members of CENDICENDI
CENDI is an interagency group of senior Scientific and Technical Information managers from 14 United States federal agencies. CENDI managers cooperate by exchanging information and ideas, collaborating to address common issues, and undertaking joint initiatives...
, which provides administrative support and coordination for Science.gov. Science.gov and the Science.gov Alliance were formed in response to the April 2001 workshop, "Strengthening the Public Information Infrastructure for Science.
See Academic databases and search engines.
Search function providing and hosting
The web page search function is provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the "Explore Selected Science Websites by Topic" portion of the site is maintained by the CENDI Secretariat. The Science.gov website is hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOEUnited States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which also supplies the site's "deep web search" capability.
History
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 stores of scientific and technical information. Science.gov is an interagency initiative of 18 U.S. government science organizations within 14 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 users sort through the government's research and return results relevant to individual needs. An advanced search capability and other enhancements were added.
A free "Alert" service was released in February 2005, allowing users to receive e-mail alerts about 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.
Launched in November 2005, Version 3.0 provided more refined search queries of federal science databases. In addition, fielded searching and Boolean capabilities were enhanced.
In February 2007, Science.gov 4.0 was launched. The new version was reviewed by Gale Cengage and Government Computer News. Version 4.0 allowed further refinement of search queries, allowing users to search within their original results. 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 allowed users to share search results via e-mail.
Science.gov 5.0 was launched in September 2008 and announced in a U.S. Department of Energy Press Release. The Oak Ridger covered the release as did UPI, Open Access News, Federal Computer Week, Econtent, and SLA Government Information Division. Clustering results into topics areas and the inclusion of Wikipedia topics and EurekAlert Science items related to the search were added.