OBRC Search Tips

General Information

Created by the Health Sciences Library System at the University of Pittsburgh, the Online Bioinformatics Resources Collection (OBRC, www.hsls.pitt.edu/guides/genetics/obrc) contains annotated information and guided links to over 1700 free bioinformatics databases and software tools in 13 major categories. This resource is coupled with the Vivísimo Clustering Engine®, which allows users to navigate through large numbers of results with ease. As the largest online collection of its kind and the only one with advanced search results clustering, OBRC is a one-stop guided information gateway to the major bioinformatics resources on the Web.

General Search Guidelines

1. Start with a broad query
The grouped search results by the Vivisimo Clustering Engine allow quick survey and navigation of large number of hits, and helps user to reformulate their search terms and minimize the possibility of missing relevant hits.

2. Click on the "More Info" link on any results before accessing the resource
The "More Info" link will open a summary page that provides succinct information on the contents, features and functions on a resource, therefore helping users to determine if the resource is relevant to their needs.

3. Consider the following query types

Chen, YB, Chattopadhyay A., Bergen P., Gadd C and Tannery N. 2007. The online Bioinformatics resources collection at the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Library System - A one-stop gateway to online Bioinformatics databases and software tools. Nucleic Acids Research 2007 Database Issue, 35:D780-D785