Why Do I Sometimes Get Different RePORTER Results when Using Advanced Search vs. Quick Search?

Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures and Results (RePORTER) is an electronic tool that allows users to search a repository of both intramural and extramural NIH-funded research projects and publications and patents resulting from NIH funding. Users can query the system in two distinct ways, either via “Advanced Search” or “Quick Search.” But its worth noting there can be a difference in the query results depending on which approach is used. As we first explained on this NIH Open Mike blog post, Quick Search is helpful for performing simple queries. Advanced Search allows you to use precisely defined data fields when searching for NIH funded research. Thus, there may be differences in the results that are obtained when using both distinct search options. An illustrative example would be searching for “gene,” which could be someone’s name or something biological. When inputting that into Quick Search as of a couple weeks ago, there are 1,006,815 projects. However, inputting that into the text search box on Advanced Search and selecting all fiscal years will return 1,004,888 projects. If you moved it to the principal Investigator field, 6,881 results are returned. These results may also change each week when the RePORTER data are refreshed. Quick Search is simply that, a quick list of results for quick searches. Quick Search also automatically looks across a limited number of common data fields, like principal investigator, recipient orga...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - Category: Research Authors: Tags: You Ask, We Answer Funding data RePORT RePORTER Source Type: funding