How to use Advanced search in Figshare
All entities on Figshare are fully searchable using either simple search (basic) or advanced (detailed below), in field search. The content can be ordered and filtered by the users.
Advanced search overview
Users can use Advanced Search to indicate which fields in which they want to search a term. This is available in all search boxes, on private and public pages, but there is a difference when it comes to the operators that can be used in the two contexts.
While some operators are available on both public and private pages, some of them only make sense in a private context.
More technical documentation can be found here https://docs.figshare.com/#search
Search operators
Figshare supports a predefined set of operators and specific characters for advanced in field searches.
| Operator | Supported operators | Precedence |
| AND | AND | 2 |
| OR | OR | 3 |
| NOT | NOT | 1 |
| field delimiter | : | – |
| phrase search delimiter | ” “ | – |
| grouping | () | 0 |
Priority for operators
An advanced search string can combine multiple expressions. An expression is made of an identifier (:title:) and a value. Expressions can be chained with the AND / OR operators and can be grouped with (), in the same way as in Algebra .
If no grouping is used, operators are used in their normal ordering (see precedence).
Advanced Search keys based on context
The advance search keys work differently based on the context.
Depending on the context, the search will work on private data saved on the entity (item/ collection/project) or on their private state. The search keys and different contexts are displayed in the table below.
Here is one example search:
:title: frog
There is a generic identifier that can be used for all keys (Figshare uses this automatically for basic search):
:search_term:
That identifier searches in all the metadata which is indexed and can be combined with any of the identifiers in the table below. here is an example:
:title: frog AND :search_term: afrotropical
Users of institutional portals can also take advantage of the latest feature added to the search functionality: custom field special identifiers. These work exactly the same as the regular identifiers detailed below except do not use underscores. Queries must adhere to the following syntax:
:custom field name: custom field value
Currently, the custom field special identifiers are only available in the context of public pages (institutional and group portal search pages).
Advanced search keys
| Context / Key |
Public pages |
Private items | Private collections | Private projects |
Private requests | Submissions |
| title | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| description | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| keyword | x | x | x | x | x | |
| category | x | x | x | x | x | |
| author | x | x | x | x | x | |
| owner | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| project_collaborator | x | |||||
| project_viewer | x | |||||
| ORCID | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| item_type | x | x | x | x | ||
| content_type | x | |||||
| extension | x | x | x | x | ||
| file_name | x | x | x | x | ||
| references | x | x | x | x | x | |
| funding | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| DOI | x | x | x | x | x | |
| handle | x | x | x | x | x | |
| identifier | x | x | x | x | x | |
| licence | x | x | x | x | ||
| resource_id | x | x | x | x | ||
| resource_title | x | x | x | x | x | |
| resource_doi | x | x | x | x | x | |
| resource_link | x | x | x | x | x | |
| embargo_type | x | x | ||||
| group | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| comment | x | |||||
| posted_before, posted_after, posted_date | x | x | x | x | x | |
| first_online_before, first_online_after, first_online_date | x | x | x | x | ||
| modified_before modified_after, modification_date | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| published_before, published_after, publication_date | x | x | x | x | ||
| accepted _before, accepted_after, acceptance_date | x | x | x | x | ||
| submitted_before, submitted after, submission_date | x | x | x | x | ||
| revised_before, revised_after, revision_date | x | x | x | x | ||
| embargo_date, embargoed_before, embargoed_after | x | x | x | x | ||
| resolution_date, resolved_before, resolved_after |
x | |||||
| project * | x | |||||
| collection ** | x |
Public pages
This context includes public pages like the browse page, figshare home, portal and sub-portal pages, public category pages and the search page. This context includes also the add items to collection from the public side.
Private items
This context includes all the areas listing private items such as: my data, items in project, search items in collection from my data and search items on the collection private page.
Embargoed files can be searched by their extension or name only on My data and not on the other context where the content can belong to others.
Private collections
Search collections on your own account on the collections listing by metadata that belongs to collections.
Private projects
Search projects on your own account in the project listing by metadata that belongs to projects.
Private request
Search items/ request in the curation pool of request.
Submissions (applicable only for preprints)
Search existing and future submissions in the My submissions list but also in the admin area where you can see all submissions that were sent to journals.
