Science.gov is a web portal and specialized search engine. Using federated search technology, Science.gov serves as a gateway to United States government scientific and technical information and research. Currently in its fifth generation, Science.gov provides a search of over 60 databases from 14 federal science agencies and 200 million pages of science information with just one query, and is a gateway to 2,200+ scientific websites.Science.gov About page
In 2007, a report to Congress noted that in fiscal year 2007 "Science.gov experienced 6.5 million search queries across all its scientific databases and 2.6 million page views of its website."FY 2007 Report to Congress on Implementation of The E-Government Act of 2002, page 11 By 2012, the site had reached 34 million page views annually. In April 2007, Library Journal included Science.gov in its list of best references of 2006.Best References 2006, Brian E. Coutts & Cheryl LaGuardia -- Library Journal, April 15, 2007 Science.gov is also the United States contribution to the international portal WorldWideScience.
History
Science.gov 1.0Science.gov version 1.0 announcement 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,Science.gov version 2.0 announcement 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. 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.Remarks prepared for Dr. Raymond L. Orbach Director, Office of Science Science.gov 2.0 Launch Program, May 11, 2004
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 3.0Science.gov version 3.0 announcement provided more refined search queries of federal science databases. In addition, fielded searching and Boolean capabilities were enhanced.
In February 2007, Science.gov 4.0Science.gov version 4.0 announcement was launched. The new version was reviewed by Gale CengagePéter Jacsó review of Science.gov version 4.0, Gale Cengage, March 2007 and Government Computer News.Science.gov 4.0 delves deep into the Web, Government Computer News, February 16, 2007 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,U.S. expands science info on the Web, UPI.com, September 16, 2008 Open Access News,Preview of Science.gov 5.0 Open Access News, Peter Suber, Editor - September 15, 2008 Federal Computer Week,Science.gov launches a new version, Federal Computer Week, Doug Beizer, September 23, 2008 Econtent,Science.gov 5.0 Released, Econtent, September 19, 2008 and SLA Government Information Division.Science.gov 5.0, SLA Government Information Division, September 17, 2008 Clustering results into topics areas and the inclusion of Wikipedia topics and EurekAlert Science items related to the search were added.
Governance Governance of Science.gov is provided by the interagency Science.gov Alliance. The Alliance is co-chaired by the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Geological Survey.
Features and capabilities
Science.gov provides science search through a variety of features and capabilities, including:
Accessing over 60 databases and 200 million pages of science information via one query Clustering of results by subtopics or dates to help users target their search Eureka Science News resultsEureka Science News 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 Alerts service Science.gov participates in the WorldWideScience global science gateway.
Content
The content for Science.gov is contributed by participating agenciesScience.gov participating agencies including science professionals, students and teachers, and the business community. Many of these agencies are members of CENDI, 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.April 2001 workshop, "Strengthening the Public Information Infrastructure for Science"
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 (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which also supplies the site's "deep web search" capability.OSTI deep web video
See also Academic databases and search engines
Notes
External links Science.gov search page, Data.gov research portal Science.gov frequently asked questions Facts about Science.gov CENDI World Wide Science