Report a problem
When something in the Explorer looks wrong — the results on a page, or the page itself — you can tell us from that page without losing your place. You write what looked wrong and how much it is holding you up; the Explorer saves the page and what it was showing, so the rest comes with it. Later you can see what happened to anything you reported.
Reporting a problem
Every page carries one way in: the bug icon in the header, with Report a problem also in your account menu. There is no button on every row — one entry per page keeps things quiet and makes a report a deliberate act. Whichever you use, a short dialog opens for the page you are on.
Where is the problem
The dialog first asks whether the problem is with this page — how it looks or works — or with the results on it — the data shown. You are not asked to pick a technical category; this one choice is enough, and the Explorer works out the rest. The page address and what it was showing are attached to the report and cannot be edited; they are simply what you were looking at.
How much it matters
You then say how much it is holding you up — a nuisance, blocking part of your work, or stopping you entirely. This is about how serious it is for you, not what kind of problem it is. Write a sentence on what you saw and what you expected, and send. A brief acknowledgement confirms it; you stay where you were.
Tracking your reports
Updates on your reports arrive by email and in your notifications (the bell), where they collect under a Bug reports tab beside your research alerts. Each report shows where it has got to in plain words, and the date you sent it. Open one for the full detail: your note, what was attached, the status in full, and — once it is resolved — the reply saying what changed. A report you have sent is a record; you track it, but you do not edit or withdraw it.
What the statuses mean
- In the queue — received, and waiting for the next triage pass.
- Looking into it — being looked at now; we will follow up as we learn more.
- Referred upstream — passed to the team that maintains the source data; we will tell you when the source rebuilds.
- Fix scheduled — reproduced on our side and a fix is scheduled; we will tell you when it ships.
- Fixed — now fixed; the reply says what changed, so you do not have to re-run anything to find out.
- Closed — outside what we can address; the reply says why.
Reporting a data source (administrators)
If you administer your organisation and your subscription covers bulk data, you can report whole source files that look wrong. From the organisation view, open Report a source and paste the source references you suspect, one per line. Each comes back found or not found: a found reference attaches to the report; a not-found one may be mistyped or outside your subscription, so you can correct it and check again, or send without it. Add a note, choose the kind and how serious it is, and send. We may contact you directly for more detail.