People Search Help Documentation

Simple Formatting Rules

• Names are typically entered as firstName lastName with a blank separating the two fields. A name is matched if the input is a prefix of the stored name (e.g., ge wash matches George Washington)
• Wildcards may be used in the input (e.g., *org *in matches George Washington, ge *sn*to matches George Washington)
• If only one field is entered it is assumed to be the last name (e.g., george will NOT match George Washington). To match only the first name precede the field by a comma (e.g., ,geo will match George Washington).
• If blanks or special characters are included in names (e.g., Van Buren, O'Brien) we recommend using the lastName, firstName entry format (i.e., fields separated by a comma). Under this format, every character before the comma is considered part of the last name and every character after the comma is considered part of the first name.
• ,, -, *, ',   are the only special characters allowed in the search query.   indicates a space character.
• -, ',   are optional, i.e., O'Brien, O Brien, O-Brien, and OBrien are equivalent. The space character is REQUIRED in firstName lastName searches.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I search by full name?

   To perform a full name search you must use an acceptable input format of firstName lastName for single-word first and last names (e.g., George Washington) or lastName, firstName for more complex names (e.g., Van Buren, Martin).

2. How do I search by last name alone?

   Input a lastName (e.g., Washington) or a lastName followed by a comma into the search field (e.g., Washington,).

3. How do I search by multiple-word last name?

   Place a comma after the last name words (e.g., Van Buren,).

4. How do I search by first name alone?

   Input a comma followed by the first name (e.g., ,George). A missing or misplaced comma will return incorrect results. George or George, will both perform a last name search.

5. How do I perform a wildcard search (if I don't know the exact spelling)?

   Replace the unknown characters with the wildcard character(s) *. For example, when searching for Dougherty you may be unsure whether Dougherty is spelled with an o (Dougherty) or an a (Daugherty). In this case simply replace the character in question (a or o) with the wildcard character *. Your query term should now look like D*ugherty and will return results for both spellings.

6. Can I search using a nickname?

   No. At this time nicknames are not supported. Please use full first names instead (e.g., William instead of Bill).

7. Can I use first or middle name initials in my search?

   Middle name initials are not supported (e.g., John F. Kennedy), please use first name and last name only (e.g., John Kennedy or Kennedy, John). First name initials are not supported (e.g., Washington, G. or G. Washington ) in the initialLetter. format. Please use the first name initial without the period (e.g., Washington, G or G Washington).

8. Can I use a title or position as a prefix in my search (e.g., Professor Washington, Dr. Washington)?

   Searching by title or position is not supported (e.g., Dr., Mr., Dean, etc.).

9. Can I use a person attribute search? Can I use anything other than a person's name to find them?

   No. At this time searching by netID, phone number, email address, mailing address, department, or title and position are not supported. Faculty/Staff may find a person from a specific department by first performing a department search and then viewing it's directory listing of members (requires logging in with a valid netID).

10. How do I search for someone who may have changed his or her name due to marriage?

    Try searching by maiden name first. If that doesn't work, try placing a wildcard character * either before or after the maiden name (e.g., *Smith or Smith*).

Search Tips For Better Results

• The more specific your search, the more accurate the results.
• For common name searches (e.g., Smith, Patel, etc.) only the first 50 results are displayed. Use a last name with a partial first name to narrow your search (e.g., Washington, G)
• Searches performed outside of the Rutgers University IP address range, may be restricted by the searched individual.
• Try to search for individual words of multiple-word first and last names.
• Don't use middle names or middle initials.
• Try partial or wildcard searches for names with multiple possible spellings.
• Use first name initials without the . character.
• Try a wildcard * search for hyphenated names (e.g., Smith-* or *-Johnson to find Smith-Johnson).

For assistance, contact the Help Desks in: Camden, Newark, or New Brunswick.

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