Search Help

Before using the Resource Finder, it might be helpful to read the following notes and FAQs.

How the search works

Searches currently query the database on resource Title, Description, Classification and Keyword fields
Does not systematically include author, affiliation or dates
Does not search the textual content of individual resources
Minimum word length of 3 characters in search field
Multiple words are treated on a 'AND' basis; use "double quotes" for exact phrase matching
Use 'OR' for optional search terms (e.g. iron OR steel)
Use minus sign to exclude words from search (e.g. joining −welding)
Predominantly British English
No spellchecking, "Did you mean...?", proximity or matches provided
To search for Greek characters, type 'beta', not β

Search results

Search results are listed in the following order:
- relevance (matches to title, keywords, description and classifications in that order)
- date added; more recent additions being displayed first
- license type, with open licensed content (Public Domain, Creative Commons, etc.) displayed ahead of copyrighted resources
Packages are displayed before individual resources
Search results can be displayed 10, 25, 50 or 100 to a page by using the selection menu at the bottom of the listing
To view full details for a resource, including its locations, click on the resource title or thumbnail.
Each resource may be available in one or more locations. As well as hosting resources on the CORE-Materials website, they can also be accessed from popular fileshare sites such as Flickr, YouTube, Scribd and SlideShare. These Web 2.0 websites offer extra functionality, such as user rating and comments, subtitles, enhanced display options, other relevant resources from the community and easy embedding. Where appropriate, we also link back to the original resource location. The idea is that by disseminating resources more widely, there is an increased chance of users finding resources relevant to their needs.

Filtering your results

Searches can be filtered according to resource type (e.g. text, images, presentations, animations, etc.)
Searches can be filtered by licence type to return resources that can be used commercially and/or that can be adapted (i.e. according to the Creative Commons license).
Search results can also be filtered according to one or more subject classifications. To aid browsing, the number of matching resources is displayed against each classification. Once selected, definitions for your selected classifications will be displayed.
PLEASE NOTE: Classification filters are currently retained when a new search term is entered. This increases the chances of zero results. If this happens, use the back button on the browser and remove the classification filters before entering a new search term.
Applying filters on an empty search effectively allows you to browse the database.

Keeping up-to-date

Blog

We will post new developments, such as new functionality or major new resource releases on our blog at core-materials.blogspot.com.

RSS

A good way to keep informed of new resources in your particular field(s) of interest is to use our customisable RSS feeds.

For example, if you are interested in applications for aluminium, then type "aluminium + applications" into the search field. When the results are displayed, click on the symbol and you will be invited to subscribe to a feed.

Whenever we add resources containing both words in the title, description or keywords, your browser (or other feed reader) will indicate that there are new records available.

FAQs

Why are resources available in different locations?
For a number of reasons:
- We aim to disseminate resources as widely as possible in order to maximise their “searchability“ – the ease with which a would-be user can find a particular resource.
- We know from comparing web statistics that certain resources get more hits/downloads on popular fileshare sites (YouTube, Flickr, SlideShare, Scribd, etc) than they do on the original website.
- Fileshare sites also offer added functionality, such as the ability to rate or comment on a resource, to embed it in your own website or blog, or to play fullscreen on your system.
- Finally, if one of the location websites becomes unavailable, the resources can still be found on the others, thereby providing a greater level of redundancy.
Why don’t you classify Al-Zn-Mg under "Zinc & alloys" and "Magnesium & alloys", as well as "Aluminium & alloys"?

For now, we classify materials according to the major element/component. We think it would be annoying for someone interested in magnesium alloys if they kept getting results for Al-Zn-Mg.
Why don’t you pick up on spelling mistakes and suggest alternatives?

Quite simply, we don’t have the human resources to implement sophisticated search-engine functionality, like “Did you mean…”, proximity, close matches, etc.
When I search for the word "aluminium", it returns 230 results, but the filter "aluminium & alloys" only has 199 matching records. Why?
This suggests that 31 resources might have the word aluminium in either their title or description, but has not been classified under the subject aluminium & alloys.
- This might be deliberate. A resource relating to the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V would not be classified under aluminium & alloys, but may well have the word aluminium in the description.
- Alternatively, it might be a cataloguing omission that we need to correct.

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User comments

"Thank you for the CC license, I used this for an article, on www.labgrab.com. Great image." LabGrab on Flickr

"Thank you for help me to understand this technique. Reading about it just wasn't enough to really understand it. Great narration and nice camera work!" mapple34 on YouTube

"WOW! I could have saved an entire 12 hour day had I found this first," inventorgrissom on SlideShare