EDIS Search Terminology

What are keywords?

In EDIS, a keyword search searches the words found in the body of the text as it is displayed on the html page on our website. Some documents which are only fully available in pdf format, may have keyword access limited to the content of the html access page. In the "More Searches" boxes, keyword searches may be limited to titles and other metadata.

What is a Digital Library Number (DLN)?

The DLN is the Digital Library Number assigned to IFAS publications for storage in the EDIS publication management system. It is the filename which appears at the end of the URL for an EDIS publication, and is the number which is used for ordering print-on-demand copies. In search results, the DLN is the number after the "/" in the first line of each entry. Currently, the DLN search is not quite working as intended.

Some departments have also begun using the DLN as an IFAS Publication Number (IPN) to keep things simple. DLN Prefixes historically have been assigned by IFAS Information Technology during the planning stage of a document, and are not an official indicator of the content of a document or the department of origin. The title footnote on the publication itself should be considered the official source of information about a publication’s origin and history.

To request a DLN for a new publication, use the New DLN Request Form in the Author Section of the EDIS Routing System (login required).

Publications in EDIS may be found with DLN numbers beginning with the following prefixes:

What is an IFAS Publication Number (IPN)?

The IFAS Publication Number is a reference number assigned to official, UF/IFAS supported publications. The IPN is listed at the beginning of the identifier line at the head of each search result entry, and is displayed prominently in the upper right hand corner of the PDF version. In the HTML version of the document, the IPN can be found in the first footnote.

These publications fall into three general categories:

Fact Sheet:

A brief (usually 8 pages or less) document providing a summary or general overview of one topic or the results of specific activities. They are usually suitable for a general audience.

Fact sheets bear numbers with department prefixes, such as "FCS" for Family, Youth and Community Sciences, "WEC" or "SS-WEC" for Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. When searching by IFAS publication number for a specific fact sheet, enter the prefix and number without dashes or spaces. (e.g., enter "FCS8728SP" for Fact Sheet FCS-8728-Sp: "Buena Nutrición para la Salud Oral")

Circular:

Usually longer than Fact Sheets, Circulars provide detailed information about one subject. They are usually suitable for a general audience but may be more technical than a fact sheet.

A Circular may be broken up into multiple fact sheets for display on EDIS, but may also be available in as a single print publication. When searching by IFAS Publication Number for a specific circular, enter "CIR" and then the number without punctuation or spaces. (e.g., enter "CIR879" for Circular 879: "Bobwhite Quail Production")

Bulletin

Bulletins cover a broad subject area and usually contain more technical information. Bulletins are in origin publication of the Agricultural Research Station. When searching by IFAS Publication Number for a specific bulletin, enter "BUL" and then the number without punctuation or spaces. (e.g., enter "BUL846" for Bulletin 846: "Mole Crickets in Florida")

For Sale Publications

Publications available for sale through the IFAS Bookstore have publication numbers beginning with the prefix "SP". When searching by IFAS publication number for a specific for sale publication, enter "SP" and number without dashes or spaces. (e.g., enter "SP" for SP-191: "A Guide to Environmentally Friendly Landscaping: Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Handbook")

What is an author keyword?

The author keyword search searches the author by-line of EDIS publications as they appear on the website. Avoid using first or middle names unless you need to narrow down your search, in case the author used different forms on the documents. More searches on the authors name include the IFAS Personnel Directory and the IFAS Publications Catalog. The IFAS Publications catalog will include publications not available on EDIS and lists the results in a tabular format.

All EDIS publications are supported by UF/IFAS faculty authors. Typically, the supporting author is the first author listed. In cases where a new author has taken on responsibility for a publication (usually because the primary author has retired or left), the new supporting author will typically appear last on the author list unless that author has made major revisions to the content.

What is a title keyword?

Title keywords are words that appear in the document's title. This is a phrase search, so if you are searching for "Small Farms Extension Programs in Southern States", you can find it using the title key words "small farms" but not "small farm" or "small extension"

What is a department?

All EDIS publications are published through UF/IFAS academic departments, which are responsible for the content of the publications. Usually the department of a publication corresponds to the academic department of the primary (supporting) author of the publication. Although EDIS publications may be the result of collaboration between authors from 2 or more academic departments, only the primary department will be available for searching purposes. The department is listed in the first footnote of each publication.

In addition to academic department, a publication may be associated with a Research and Education Center, a Center or Program, or a County. Although these affiliations will be mentioned on the document, they are not searchable in EDIS.