How to Search | Common Problems | Pathways Resources | Using Filters

How to Search

Type one or more words into the search box and click the Search button (or the Enter key).

You must enter words into the search box for the NSDL search to work.

NSDL searches for results using NSDL metadata records (information about the resource) and the text of the resources, when that text is publicly available on the internet. This is similar to searching a catalog in the library, while simultaneously searching the text of the actual books in the library; you are searching on information about the resource, as well as on information from inside the resource.

Search is not case sensitive.

An exact match in capitalization is not required; the following searches will all return the same results:

  • earth science
  • Earth Science
  • EARTH SCIENCE
  • eARtH ScIeNcE

Want words in a specific order? Use quotation marks.

If you place quotation marks around a phrase or a sequence of words, only resources that include all of the words within the quotes, and in that exact order, will be returned in the search results.

For example, searching on "earth science," enclosed in quotes, means your search results must have the phrase "earth science" in them. Without the quotes, the results may have the words earth and/or science in them, but the words are not required to appear next to each other, or in that particular order.

Combining search terms for better results with boolean logic.

Use boolean logic to broaden or narrow your results by combining search terms using the three Boolean operators AND, OR and NOT.

AND
Use AND to narrow a search by combining terms. AND will return results that contain both search terms.
Example: Frog AND Tree

OR
Use OR to broaden a search to include results that contain either term.
Example: Hurricane OR Typhoon

NOT
Use NOT to narrow a search by excluding terms. NOT returns results that contain only one of the search terms but not the other term.
Example: Bernoulli NOT Physics


Common Problems

Getting no results, or unexpected results? Try the following:

Check spelling.

Spelling errors can lead to unexpected results or no results. Check your spelling, or try alternate spellings. The search service suggests alternatives for words not found in its dictionary. Click on the suggested spelling offered by the search service to see potential results.

Choose your words carefully.

Use terms that are as specific as possible to the subject you are interested in, instead of more general terms. For example, use cumulonimbus instead of clouds, or dinosaur instead of large animal. Keep in mind that some words have more than one meaning, or different meanings in different contexts. The word current, for example, can relate to electricity as well as to oceans; using the word electricity along with current, or using the phrase electrical current, will narrow the search. Use words likely to appear in resources devoted to the subject you are interested in, and not likely to appear in resources about other subjects. Or try synonyms; for example, if you are not satisfied with the results from searching on the word weather, try meteorology.

Reset your search options.

Filtering (see below) is a useful way to narrow search results to a manageable number, but if you select too many filtering options, you may filter out all results. If you have selected search filters, you can remove all of them by clicking the Remove Selections link; or you can remove the filters individually by clicking the icon next to the filter.


Results in NSDL Pathways Collections

Resources in search results that are part of an NSDL Pathway collection are indicated by the "Pathways" notation on search results. NSDL Pathways are specialized collection providers and collaborative partners in NSDL - in addition to contributing their collections of resources to NSDL, Pathways are also stand-alone portals to STEM resources and services for distinct audiences (e.g. by ed level, discipline, resource or data type).


Using Filters to Narrow Your Search (optional)

Filtering out search results you're unlikely to want, or limiting your search results to resources that share desired characteristics, are useful techniques when your search terms retrieve too many resources. NSDL allows you to do this in several ways.

Filter by Grade Level, Resource Type, Subject, or Pathway.

You can confine your search to resources based on associated metadata for grade level, resource type, subject, and pathway by clicking the 'Advanced Options' link next to the search box, checking the options you wish to limit and then clicking the search button. You can also click the associated metadata links for grade level, resource type, subject, and pathway within the search result item listings to submit another search that limits the current result set by that specific metadata value.

By default, all records are searched. A boolean OR is performed within a metadata fieldset and a boolean AND is performed across metadata fieldsets.

For example: If you selected 'Middle School', and 'High School' for grade levels and selected 'Instructional Material' and 'Audio/Visual' for resource type, your search would look for ('Middle School' OR 'High School') AND ('Instructional Material' OR 'Audio/Visual').

Not all resources in NSDL include values for the grade level, resource type, or subject metadata fields, so limiting your search through use of these filters may exclude some relevant resources from the results.

Filter by collection.

NSDL includes groups of digital resources ("collections") selected or made available by organizations such as the American Museum of Natural History, the National Science Teachers Association, and MIT. Please see the Glossary for an explanation of a Collection. When you search NSDL, you are searching all of these collections simultaneously. On the Search Results page, the logo that appears in the "Found in Collection" column identifies the source of a resource. Hovering your mouse over a collection logo allows you to either exclude a collection unlikely to offer resources in which you are interested, or to require results come from a particular collection more tailored to your needs or interests.