How to Search IRIS
1. Start simple.
Search the database using simple terms and see what you get. Don't use too many variables at first. Add them later, to pare down your search results.
2. Use fairly broad search terms, at least at the beginning.
Think in terms of subject areas, not specific topics. Many sponsors describe their funding opportunities in general terms. This is especially true of programs in the humanities and social sciences. So instead of searching IRIS for funding to support research on (say) social policy in late 19th-century Germany, try searching on "German History" or "European History". This technique can also work in the sciences, although the likelihood of finding specialized terms in the descriptions for these programs is higher.
3. You don't have to use every field in the search screen.
Use the pop-up picklists in front of each field to select the search criteria you want. For example, if you are looking for funding opportunities in chemical engineering, enter the term "chemical engineering" in the "IRIS Keywords" field. You can add qualifiers from the bottom half of the search screen to make your search more focused.
4. Always enclose search phrases in quotation marks ("...").
Phrases are search terms of more than one word. For example, the search term "chemical engineering" is a phrase and should be enclosed in quotation marks. So should "national science foundation". The search term "engineering" is not a phrase and does not need to be enclosed in quotation marks.
If you would prefer not to enclose phrases in quotation marks, you can link your search terms together with AND. For example, instead of typing "chemical engineering" in a search field, you could type chemical AND engineering.
For more on the use of AND, OR, or NOT, see paragraph 10 below.
5. When in doubt about a keyword, consult the IRIS Keyword Thesaurus.
The IRIS Keyword Thesaurus contains the "official" IRIS keywords that we apply to every funding opportunity in the database. You can search the Thesaurus to find the keyword you have in mind, or the next best fit. You can also load keywords directly from the Thesaurus into your search statement. Just click on the "Choose Keywords" button and select the keywords you want.
Finally, you can browse the IRIS keyword index. The index comes in two sections: the A-L section and the M-Z section.
6. If you can't find the keyword you want in the Thesaurus, try typing your term in the "Search ALL Fields" space.
This will search every field of every record in the IRIS database for the word or phrase you want. We can't guarantee that the term you're looking for will occur in the database, but if it is there, this is the best way to find it.
7. Case doesn't matter.
You can enter search terms in upper- or lower-case. Thus, "NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION" and "national science foundation" will both work. So will "NaTiOnAL sCiEnCe FoUnDaTiOn".
8. IRIS has automatic left- and right-hand truncation.
This means that you can use parts of words in your search statements and the program will find every funding opportunity that has that part of a word in it. For example, the search term cogniti will find every funding opportunity that contains the words cognition, cognitive, or recognition in that field.
9. Begin deadline searches with the words "before", "in", "after", or "between".
Use the date format MM/DD/YYYY. Examples:
- Deadlines = before 09/01/2000
- Deadlines = after 09/01/2000
- Deadlines = between 05/01/2000 and 09/01/2000
Use the word "none" to search for programs with open deadlines. Example:
- Deadlines = between 05/01/2000 and 09/01/2000 or none
10. Use AND, OR, or NOT to link search terms in different fields.
You will notice that directly in front of every search field (except the first one) there is a pop-up button with the Boolean operators AND, OR, and NOT in it. The default operator is AND; you can use OR or NOT to search more than one field for the same keyword or phrase, or to exclude programs you DON'T want. For example, if you want to exclude programs that are restricted to the University of Illinois community, you should choose NOT from the pop-up box in front of the "Restrictions" field and then highlight "University of Illinois Community Only".
11. Always leave a space between search terms and parentheses.
If you are constructing a search statement using Boolean operators and parentheses, be sure to leave spaces between the search terms and the left- and right-hand parentheses. Example:
( "distance learning" or "distance education" ) and internet
12. Be careful when entering the names of U.S. government departments and private foundations.
IRIS puts the main name of the government department first, then puts the words "Department of" in parentheses. Examples:
- Correct: Sponsor = "agriculture (department of)"
- Incorrect: Sponsor = "department of agriculture"
Similarly, IRIS puts the family names of named foundations first, then puts the given names and initials in parentheses. Examples:
- Correct: Sponsor = "johnson (robert wood) foundation"
- Incorrect: Sponsor = "robert wood johnson foundation"
13. You can save your search results as text files or HTML source files.
Do the search, display the results in the preferred format (list, long, medium, or short), and then choose "Save As..." under the "File" pull-down menu of your browser (both Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer have "Save As..." options under this menu).
If you want to save the search results as a plain text file, choose "Text" or "Plain Text" in the "Save As..." dialog box (file extension: .txt). The browser will prompt you to choose a directory on your hard drive for storing the file. You can also assign it a name.
If you would prefer to save your search results as a "live" (that is, clickable) HTML file, select "Source" or "HTML Source" instead of "Text" in the "Save As..." dialog box.
14. Need help? Call us.
Our phone number is (217) 333-0284, and it's staffed by real people, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Central Standard Time). You can also email us. When reporting a problem, please be as specific as you can.
