Do I need administrator rights on my PC to install OE?

Yes. You will need to have administrator rights in order to allow installation of OE. We recommend disabling your firewall to carry out installation. You will also need to be an administrator in order to load your licence file. Please contact your IT support team if you do not have administrator rights.

For OE to run, which specific folders need administrator rights on my PC?

You will need administrator rights granted to the following folders:

C:\Users\NAME\AppData\Local\OE OpenExplorer

C:\Program Files (x86)\OE OpenExplorer

Once OE has downloaded, do I save or run the installer?

You need to press save before running the installer.

Where does OE install on my computer?

C:\Program Files (x86)\OE OpenExplorer

If you see this message… Windows protected your PC… on OE installation, take the following steps.

You need to allow OE to be installed on your computer. To allow this, click on “more info” and choose the option “run anyway”. We are unlocking your PC’s potential, not putting it at risk!


If you are still having issues installing, take the following steps.

Once you download OE, turn off your anti-virus software to run the installation. Once the installation is complete, you can turn your anti-virus back on.

How to locate your log file?

C:\Users\NAME\AppData\Local\OE OpenExplorer\log

If you are not able to see the AppData folder, make sure the “Hidden Items” checkbox under “View” is checked.

Which operating systems support OE 1.5?

OE 1.5 is currently supported by Windows 10 on PC and virtual desktops

How do I know when my free trial expires?

Click About -> Licence Information to check expiry dates for your licence.

Does OE 1.5 expire?

If you purchased a Lifetime subscription, OE is yours for life!

How can I contact the OE technical team?

For any additional questions or issues, please contact the OE team at contact@thefindengine.com

Can I go back to previous search results?

If you choose to expand your search by Times Cited, you can use the “Undo” button to go back to your previous results

Can I pause and resume a search?

Yes, you can pause and resume a search. However don’t close the software or turn your computer off while a search is paused, as you will lose the search results.


Do the techniques available also account for synonyms and abbreviations?

Yes, hover over a technique to reveal additional terms searched with it.

What if I don’t find a technique of my choice in the Techniques section of OE?

You have the ability to predefine one or more techniques. Include the techniques in the “Other” search field in the Techniques section and OE will do the rest. You can also use AND OR NOT functions in this field to add more than one technique e.g. CRISPR OR Gene editing.

What if I don’t find a journal of my choice in the Method-Based Journals section?

You have the ability to predefine your own journals. Include the journal in the “Other” search field in the Method-Based Journals section and OE will do the rest.

What if the Company/University/Institution I’m looking for is not suggested?

Type the full name of the organization and any abbreviation into the appropriate field.

Which article section should I search in?

This depends on the search outcomes you desire. If you are looking for a product or technique, your search should be focused in the Materials&Methods section.

Can I search more than one article section at a time?

Yes, using the + sign button. Boolean operators AND, OR, NOT are also active.

Can I copy and paste special characters and symbols e.g. α?

Yes, in any search field.

Country Abbreviations e.g. United Kingdom OR UK OR U.K.

Publications will refer to countries in different ways. Use the Boolean operator “OR” to capture all countries with different spellings.

Organizations Abbreviations e.g. UCL OR University College London

Publications will refer to organizations in different ways. Use the Boolean operator “OR” to capture all organizations with different spellings.

Why do the number of authors in Metrics and World map differ?

Author information is extracted from the affiliations section of a publication. The Metrics generates total number of authors worldwide. The world map prioritizes the country first, and then authors.

Why can’t I find patents after 2012?

Only patents pre-dating 27 April 2012 are available in public databases interrogated by OE.

Information not provided by EuropePMC. To be available in OE OpenExplorer v2.0.

OE extracts information from public databases such as EuropePMC. The search outcomes faithfully reproduce those results generated from the public databases. OE 2.0 will have the ability to access a wider range of databases and repositories.

Why do similar search enquiries generate different result outcomes?

OE is mining 40 million articles. Expect anomalies. Work with these anomalies as they yield surprisingly useful outcomes too.

How do I save my searches? Is there a maximum number of searches that I can save?

Just click on save searches and assign a name to your search. There is no limit to how many searches you can save!

Can I export my saved searches?

Yes. Use the export button to give your saved search a file name and save as a .ini file on your computer.

Will exported searches work on a different computer?

Yes, as long as the file type isn’t altered or damaged.

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