Where do I start? Searching NARIC's resources

Thank you for visiting naric.com! We hope you're able to find the information, resource, or document you need for your research or practice or to advocate on your own behalf or that of a loved one. If you're having difficulty finding the right resources, try these hints and instructions.

Where do I start?

What are you searching for? NARIC has several databases, plus individual pages on this site. Are you looking for:

• Articles, books, reports, or multimedia items about disability and rehabilitation? Try searching REHABDATA, our index of disability and rehabilitation research. This collection includes research conducted within and outside the United States. Please note: only a portion of the documents indexed in this database are available to download. Other items can be ordered through our document delivery service. Note: 
• Resources for your specific disability or information need? Try the Ready Reference with 60 topic focused lists hand selected by our librarians.
• Organizations, agencies, publishers, and websites that focus on disability and rehabilitation? Try searching the Knowledgebase with more than 3,000 listings.
• Current research projects? Try searching the Program Database, a compendium of current and previously funded research grants funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). Hint: Each project listing includes a list of documents indexed in REHABDATA. It's a great way to see what the grantees produce.

I found the right page, how do I search for what I need?

Each of our three databases have the same search criteria. You can search for some, all, or none of the words you need. You can also search specific fields or modify your search by certain criteria.

Search "all of these words"

This search looks for all of the words you entered anywhere in the record, in any order. If you enter wheelchair transportation safety it will search for wheelchair, transportation, and safety (125 records in REHABDATA). Any records your search returns must have all three words. This is not the same as a phrase search.

Search for an "exact phrase"

This search looks for all of the words you entered in that exact order with no other words in between. If you entered wheelchair transportation safety, and records your search returns must have those three words in that order (26 records in REHABDATA).

Search for "at least one"

This search looks for any instance of your search words. If you enter wheelchair transportation safety, it will search for wheelchair, transportation, or safety (1000+ records in REHABDATA). Any records your search returns may have one, two, or all three words in any order. This will return the most results. It's an excellent way to search for something that may have multiple terms (head injury, brain injury, brain damage).

Search for records "without these words"

This search will remove any record that contain all of your search words. This is an excellent way to narrow or focus your search. You may be interested in wheelchair safety but do not wish to include issues relating to transportation. Search wheelchair safety in "all of these words" and "transportation" in "without" will eliminate those records from your search (200 records in REHABDATA).

Can I search for a piece of a word?

Yes! You can do a "wild card search" in any of these databases. Use either the any words blank or search in a specific field. Add a * (asterisk) to the end of your search. A search for librar* will search for library, librarian, libraries, etc.,

Refining your search

Each database has extra search options. You could choose to look in specific fields. For example

• In REHABDATA you might choose to search by
  • an author name
  • a year or range of years of publication
  • research originally published in languages other than English (more about the international research collection)
  • a Thesaurus term
• In the Program Database you might choose to search by
  • grantee institution
  • current grants only
  • projects that started after a certain date
• In the Knowledgebase you may choose to search by
  • specific disability
  • journal publisher
  • state

These are just a few of the fields you could choose to search.

Browse options

Each database has a browse option.

• In REHABDATA you can browse by keyword using the REHABDATA Thesaurus, new acquisitions, journals, book publishers, and international journal and book publishers.
• In the Program Database you can browse by program type or research priority.
• In the Knowledgebase you can browse through organizations, journal titles, and databases and directories.

What about this search box?

Every non-database page on our website includes a Search NARIC.com box. Your search will take you to pages on our website that may answer your question including

• Frequently Asked Questions that we respond to every day from our patrons.
• NARIC's News and Notes from the NIDILRR Community and Beyond weekly newsletter.
• Ready Reference pages.
• Our publications including reSearch and the NIILDRR Research Spotlight.
• NARIC's digital media collection.
• The NIDILRR Tools Collection of surveys, questionnaires, and other assessments.