Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Research Tool Aims To Expand the Definition of Search Query

A Boston-based nonprofit, the Institute for the Study of Coherence and Emergence (ISCE), has launched a research tool, Epi-Search, designed to allow researchers to write queries of scholarly materials as long as 10,000 words. So, instead of using single keywords, students, for instance, can input entire articles, papers and book chapters to find more documents related to the subject.

The tool's algorithms are intended to take advantage of a document's context in order to find other materials that might be helpful. It can find documents that are like the document in the search and also display key concepts and terms from the query and present them in the form of word clouds.

According to ISCE representatives, Epi-Search can search the institute's own library of 5,000 books that have been read, skimmed or quoted over the last 10 years by staff members. However, it can also search other databases like Google Scholar, PhilPaper, MIT CogNet and CiteSeer.

There are several different ways college students can take advantage of Epi-Search if, for instance, they are writing a paper. They can simply take their free-form notes and submit them. The site would then recommend further reading materials and associated concepts or keywords.

They can submit a preliminary draft of a paper to find reference sources they could then cite. They can also submit the same draft to find other papers that are similar to theirs and could give them more ideas to enhance their own work.

According to a statement from ISCE, "Our goal is to give the user an Internet version of serendipitously browsing in a library stack."

The ISCE was founded in 1999 "to facilitate the conversation between academics and practitioners regarding the implications of complexity thinking for the management of organizations." Along with providing Epi-Search, it presents a number of annual events and publishes scholarly journals.

About the Author

Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.

Featured

  • circuit patterns

    Anthropic Intros Lower-Cost Claude Sonnet 5

    Anthropic has launched Claude Sonnet 5, positioning the model as its most autonomous mid-tier offering to date and a lower-cost alternative to its flagship Opus 4.8 system. The company said the model can plan multi-step tasks, operate tools such as browsers and terminals, and complete agentic work at a level that previously required larger and more expensive models.

  • person typing on a touch screen schedule plan calendar

    Deadline Extended for ADA Title II Compliance

    Schools working to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II regulations for digital accessibility have received a temporary reprieve: The United States Department of Justice has published an interim final rule to push back the compliance deadline by one year.

  • elementary schoolchildren using digital tablet in classroom

    CoSN: 3 Principles that Should Guide Screen Time Policies in Schools

    CoSN, the professional association for K-12 education technology leaders, has released new guidance to help schools navigate the screen time debate and develop technology policies that protect students while supporting learning.

  • Digital cyberspace with particles and Digital data

    Survey: AI Is Moving Faster than Data Trust

    AI agents are already in use or pilot at most organizations, but data visibility, governance and precision recovery capabilities have not kept pace, according to a new survey from Veeam Software.