The NPIN Web site offers site-wide and database searches to help you navigate the wealth of information available on HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STDs, and Tuberculosis. Basic/Simple and Advanced Search options are available.
The search box that appears on the top right of every page of the NPIN Web site is a basic, site-wide search. This search looks across the entire NPIN Web site—all pages, plus the Organizations, Materials, News, Conferences, and Funding databases—for any word, phrase, numerical sequence, or abbreviation that you enter.
However, the Web site contains so much information that we recommend using the Advanced Search option, which is located to the right of the search box on the top of every page, to find the specific information you need the quickest.
Following is information on:
Advanced Search Tips
Database Searches
General Search Tips
Advanced Search Tips
The Site-wide Advanced Search is available on the top right of every page on the Website. The search will cover the entire NPIN Website, including all five of the NPIN databases.
The Advanced Search allows a more precise search than the Simple Search does. Click the Advanced Search link to the right of the Search box on the top right of every Web page.
Search results will be sorted by relevancy (the likelihood that a result is what you're looking for); the most relevant results will appear first. The search will return Best Bets on each of your topics, followed by the search results. Each entry on the results page will include a hyperlinked title, a description, and the URL.
Advanced Search Fields
There are four fields in the Advanced Search option:
- All of these words. Results will include any record containing every word typed in this box, in any order. If you want to search for two or more words in any order, you must use the all of these words field.
HIV prevention Florida will return records containing HIV and prevention and Florida anywhere in the record.
- Any of these words. Results will include any record containing one or more of the words typed in this box, in any order.
HIV prevention Florida will return records containing HIV or prevention or Florida anywhere in the record.
- Exact phrase. Results will include any record that contains every word (not including punctuation) that is typed in this field, in the exact order in which it is typed. If you want to search for two or more words next to each other in a specific order, you must use the exact phrase field of the Advanced Search screens. All punctuation (including parentheses, quotes, and colons) is ignored.
HIV prevention Florida will return records containing the exact phrase or string "HIV prevention Florida" (without the quotes) anywhere in the record.
- Do not contain these words. Results will include any record that does not contain any of the words typed in this field. This field is ordinarily used in conjunction with the other fields. For example:
HIV prevention Florida in this field will return records that do not contain HIV and prevention and Florida anywhere in the record. Florida in this field and HIV prevention in the exact phrase field will return records that contain HIV prevention but do not contain the word Florida.
- Sort results by. Allows you to choose how the search results will be sorted. Each database search offers different Sort options. Select Relevancy to have the results most likely to meet your needs listed first.
- Display. You can change the number of entries on each page of results by choosing one of the options in this dropdown field.
Using Fields in Combination in the Site-Wide Advanced Search
You can use more than one of the fields of the site-wide advanced search in combination with each other. Your results will be returned as if you had searched each of the fields in the form joined by the word and at the end of each line.
Examples:
| To find |
Type |
| Information on HIV prevention methods other than condoms |
HIV Prevention in the exact phrase field
- and -
condom in the do not contain these words field |
| Information on tuberculosis coinfection with Hepatitis or HIV |
Tuberculosis coinfection in the all of these words field
- and -
Hepatitis HIV in the any of these words field |
| Resources in Cook County but not Chicago |
Cook County in the exact phrase field
- and -
Chicago in the do not contain these words field |
Database Searches
With the database search function, you can perform a more specific search of one of the five NPIN databases. Under Specific Searches on the right side of each Web page, click on the database you wish to search. The page will open to the Advanced search function for that database.
When you search one of these databases, you will receive a list of records that match your search terms. Each record will hold all the information available in the database for that particular item.
This database lists over 14,000 national, state, or local organizations that provide resources and services relating to HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STDs, or TB. Addresses, phone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses, web site addresses, audiences, and services are listed.
Search By:
Location – state or territory
Audience – who the services are geared towards
Service – specific services, including HIV, STD and TB testing, treatment, medical care, education and prevention, and social services
Results can be sorted by City, Location, Name of Organization, Relevancy
- Select City to have the results listed in alphabetical order by the city in which the organization is located.
- Select Location to have the results listed by the country, then state, then city in which the organization is located.
- Select Name to have the results listed in alphabetical order by the organization's name
- Select Relevancy to have the results most likely to meet your needs listed first.
Example:
To find STD testing for adolescents in Delaware
Select Location, Delaware
Select Audience, Adolescents
Select Service, STD Testing
This is a collection of information about educational materials tailored to a variety of audiences and focusing on the prevention of HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STDs, and TB. The database contains bibliographic descriptions, abstracts, and availability information for more than 22,000 items in many formats. Some of the items are available through NPIN and can be ordered online.
Search By:
Format – type of materials, including CDs, pamphlets, posters, and toolkits
Language – materials are offered in more than 34 languages
Results can be sorted by Author, Format, Language, Relevancy, Title, and Year of Publication
- Select Author to have the results listed in alphabetical order by the author of the publication (organization name or author last name).
- Select Format to have the results listed in alphabetical order by the format in which the material is available (e.g., brochure, video, poster, etc.).
- Select Language to have the results listed in alphabetical order by the language in which the material is printed.
- Select Relevancy to have the results most likely to meet your needs listed first.
- Select Title to have the results listed in alphabetical order by the name of the publication.
- Select Year of Publication to have the results listed in reverse chronological order by year, with the most recently published materials listed first.
Example:
To find CDs in English on HIV/AIDS treatment
Type HIV/AIDS treatment in the exact phrase field
Select Format, CD/CD ROM/DVD
Select Language, English
This database contains abstracts of articles about HIV/AIDS-, Viral Hepatitis-, STD-, and TB-related events in the news; trends in these epidemics; and research findings from major newspapers, wire services, medical journals, and news magazines. New articles are abstracted and added to the database daily. The information provided about each article includes the:
- Title
- Authors
- Source
- Major descriptors
- Abstract
- Accession number for the database record
Results can be sorted by date of article, relevancy, source, and title.
- Select Date to have the results listed in reverse chronological order by date, with the most recently published news articles listed first.
- Select Relevancy to have the results most likely to meet your needs listed first.
- Select Source to have the results listed in alphabetical order by the name of the publication in which the news article was published.
- Select Title to have the results listed in alphabetical order by the name of the publication.
Example:
To find the most recent articles on condom effectiveness in the prevention of HIV or STDs
Type prevention HIV STDs in the any of these words field
Type condom effectiveness in the exact phrase field
Select Sort results by Date
Search the database to find international, national, state, or local conferences, seminars, and meetings where professionals gather to share information, network, and learn new insights into HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STDs, and TB. These meetings may deal with prevention, treatment, research, or a variety of other topics.
Search options:
- Check the button next to All Conferences to search every conference in the database, regardless of the date on which it was held.
- Check the button next to Upcoming Conferences to search only for conferences that have not been held yet.
Location – search by state or territory.
Date – select Upcoming Conferences or All Conferences and type in a date range.
Results can be sorted by city, sponsor, date, location, name, relevancy.
- Select City to have the results listed in alphabetical order by the city in which the conference is to be held.
- Select Sponsor to have the results listed in alphabetical order by the primary organization sponsoring the conference.
- Select Date to have the results listed in chronological order by the dates on which the conference is to be held.
- Select Location to have the results listed by the country, then state, then city in which the conference is to be held.
- Select Name to have the results listed in alphabetical order by the name of the conference.
- Select Relevancy to have the results most likely to meet your needs listed first.
Example:
To find all upcoming conferences that offer information on TB treatment
Type TB treatment in the all of these words field
Select Location, All
Select Upcoming conferences
The Funding Database is used to locate private and government funding opportunities for community-based and HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB service organizations. Included are details about eligibility requirements, application processes, and deadlines.
Search options:
- Check the button next to All Funding to search every funding opportunity in the database, regardless of its application deadline.
- Check the button next to Open Funding to search only for funding opportunities whose application deadlines have not yet passed.
Sort results by deadline, sponsor, relevancy
- Select Deadline to have the results listed in chronological order by the funding application deadline.
- Select Sponsor to have the results listed in alphabetical order by the organization sponsoring the funding opportunity.
- Select Relevancy to have the results most likely to meet your needs listed first.
Example:
To find funding options whose deadlines have not passed for HIV testing
Type HIV testing in the exact phrase field
Sort results by application deadline
General Search Tips
If you are unfamiliar with searching, these approaches may help you get relevant results.
Wild Cards, Truncation, and Abbreviations
Truncation is available in searches in this system by using * (a "wild card" character). Truncation enables you to search for more than one form of a word by entering its root and then placing an * at the end of it. If you do not include the * character, the system searches for exactly what you type.
Examples
| To find results with |
Type |
| The words gonorrhea, gonorrhoeae, gonorrhoea, and gonorrheal. |
gonorrh* in the exact phrase field |
| The abbreviation DOT (Directly Observed Therapy) |
DOT in the exact phrase field |
Punctuation
The system does not understand punctuation marks, including quotes, parentheses or colons. If you use any form of punctuation in your search and get an error message or get no results, try removing the punctuation and running your search again.
Stopwords
A stopword is a word that the system ignores when running your search and retrieving documents, unless you are using them in the exact phrase search. The words a, an, and, or, not, next, with are some common examples of stopwords.
For example, searching for Caring People AIDS Home Guide Caregivers is the same thing as searching for the longer title Caring for People with AIDS at Home A Guide for Caregivers
Broadening Your Search (if you find too little)
- Remove one of the terms from your search. If you are using too many terms, you might be restricting the search too much.
For example, instead of searching for workplace work worksetting in the all of these field, try searching workplace work worksetting in the at least one of these field.
- Look for misspellings in the terms you have entered. The system will only match exact, correct spellings.
- Change one of the terms to a broader term. For example, replace peer counseling with counseling.
- Change an acronym to the full name of an organization. For example:
- Replace NAPWA with National Association of People with AIDS.
- Instead of searching on LTBI search for latent TB or latent tuberculosis.
Narrowing Your Search (if you find too much)
- Make your wording more specific. For example:
- Use syphilis instead of sexually transmitted diseases.
- Add another term to a general word. Instead of testing use TB testing. Instead of treatment, use syphilis treatment.
- Add a geographic qualification to a general phrase. Instead of community based organizations, use community based organizations Kansas.
- Add another word into a field. For example:
- If you are searching for the word health, you are likely to find too many records. Limit the search by entering another word to the same field, such as mental health.
- Instead of searching for testing, search for HIV testing or TB testing.
