Effective Internet Searching
Tangled in the Web?
Using Search Guides & Engines
to Untangle Information Resources:
A
Central Florida Library Cooperative Workshop
- AskScott - Your guide to finding it on the Internet
- http://www.askscott.com/
- A well-organized site from a librarian trying to organize where to search by type of information needed.
- CFLC's Original Search the Internet Page
- http://cflc.net/search.htm
- NOTE: No longer maintained! This page has no tutorials, simply listings by broad category; it was added to this page by request of CFLC members.
- How to Choose a Search Engine or Research Database
- http://library.albany.edu/internet/choose.html
- From the University at Albany Library, an excellent chart in an "if you want..." format linking to selected search engines or subject searching sites by specific features, fields, or options.
- Internet Search Tools, A Library of Congress Internet Resource Page
- http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/search.html
- Provides links to a number of WWW sites organized by subject, meta-search sites, evaluative information about search engines, and individual search engines.
- Internet Web Text: Index
- http://www.december.com/web/text/index.html
- A particularly good outline overview of the Web, which distinguishes between "Subject-Oriented Searching" and "Keyword-Oriented Searching" and links to many of the popular subject sites.
- Yahoo: Computers and Internet: Internet: World Wide Web: Searching the Web: How to Search the Web
- http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/
Searching_the_Web/How_to_Search_the_Web/- At last count, lists twenty-nine sites with significant information about how to search the Web, most including information about subject guides as well as search engines.
Definition
- Subject searching sites are those where human beings have indexed and
often rated and summarized Internet sites. For purposes of this page, "subject
searching" includes subject guides (often called "Webliographies"),
i.e., documents that list many types of Internet sources but about a single
topic, subject directories, i.e., sites that list one type of Internet
source but about multiple, categorized topics, and the newest entry in the
field, "hybrid" sites, i.e., those that attempt to rate Web sites. For
broad subject searching, any of these classified sites usually provides fewer
but more relevant results than those provided by search engines, which rely on
computer-generated algorithms searching on keyword hit numbers. For narrow
topics, a combination of subject searching and search engines can be the most
effective way to search.
WWW Subject Searching Sites
Good Starting Points (Alphabetically)
- About.com
- http://about.com
- Formerly The Mining Company, this site relies on human "Guides" to index Internet content in their own areas of subject expertise. Designed so that users may search by "channel" or by keyword, the results are annotated lists with occasional added original content; guides are identified and their background listed.
- Britannica.com
- http://www.britannica.com/
- This is much more than the online version of the well-known encyclopedia; it is instead a site where users can access "the world's most respected encyclopedia, expert reviews of the Web's best sites, timely articles from leading magazines, and Books in Print." Web sites are rated and summarized; also includes a link to allow searching beyond the site.
- INFOMINE: Scholarly Internet Resource Collections
- http://infomine.ucr.edu/
- In its own words, "INFOMINE is intended for the introduction and use of Internet/Web resources of relevance to faculty, students, and research staff at the university level." It categorizes 20,000-plus scholarly Internet and Web resources and provides indexing and annotations about the sites listed. Begun in 1994 at the University of California (UC), Riverside, it is now maintained by librarians at all nine UC campuses and Stanford University. A few links are limited to UC patrons, but subscriptions to the same sources may be available at other university libraries--ask!
- Internet Public Library: Subject Collections
- http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/
- This is an ever-growing and increasingly useful annotated and indexed collection of selective sites, hosted by the School of Information at the University of Michigan.
- The Librarians' Index to the Internet
- http://lii.org
- Begun as one librarian's bookmark file to sites useful in a public library setting, this is now an organization employing over 100 librarian-indexers. An extremely well-organized and well-annotated site searchable in various ways.
- Yahoo!
- http://www.yahoo.com/
- "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle," YAHOO is one of the older and better searching sites around. With broad categories determined by human beings, keyword searching can be done across all categories or limited to a specific category. Search results show site title, brief summary, Yahoo category, and links to other sites and search engines. An excellent place to start if searching for what sort of information can by found on the Web by discipline.
- "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle," YAHOO is one of the older and better searching sites around. With broad categories determined by human beings, keyword searching can be done across all categories or limited to a specific category. Search results show site title, brief summary, Yahoo category, and links to other sites and search engines. An excellent place to start if searching for what sort of information can by found on the Web by discipline.
Other Selected Subject Sites
- BUBL Information Service
- http://bubl.ac.uk/index.html
- Originated as BUlletin Board for Libraries, and while it retains a strong library element, the subject trees (accessible alphabetically or by Dewey Classification number) now provide broader access to research and academic Internet sites.
- Internet Resources For...
- http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/ACRL/Publications/
College_and_Research_Libraries_News/Internet_Resources.htm - Archives of a monthly column that appears in College & Research Libraries News, there are few bibliographies here, but those found are extensive and highly authoritative. Listed by title and by date.
- Library Journal WebWatch
- http://libraryjournal.reviewsnews.com/index.asp?layout=sectionsMain
&verticalid=151&industry=WebWatch&publication=libraryjournal - An archive of a regular Library Journal column, these vary widely in content, but all are annotated and evaluated. Access is strictly chronological, with titles and a brief annotation listed.
- The World-Wide Web Virtual Library
- http://www.vlib.org/
- This is probably the oldest search site on the Internet. It allows keyword searching plus viewing the subject list either hierarchically or alphabetically.
- This is probably the oldest search site on the Internet. It allows keyword searching plus viewing the subject list either hierarchically or alphabetically.
"Hybrid" Sites: Reviews and Ratings of the Internet
- Many of the parent sites listed in this section show up in other portions
of this page, as they produce subject directories or search engines, but each
of these organizations also employs teams of professionals specifically to
review and/or rate Internet sites. In most cases, searching the master site
does not automatically include the associated reviewed directory.
- The Internet Public Library: Ready Reference Collection
- http://ipl.si.umich.edu/div/subject/browse/ref00.00.00/
- "Not intended to be a comprehensive hotlist to all sites on every subject, but rather an annotated collection, chosen to help answer specific questions quickly and efficiently. Sources are selected according to ease of use, quality and quantity of information, frequency of updating, and authoritativeness." Arranged by broad category then by subcategories, the "collection" (several thousand items) is also searchable by keyword. Entries give title, URL, a review, the site author, and the IPL subject headings and keywords.
- Looksmart
- http://www.looksmart.com/
- Claims to give access to "1 million Web sites ...indexed into more than 70,000 categories." The ultimate results are lists of briefly summarized sites. Has a "LookSmart Live!" feature that allows asking a human being a question and claims to respond within 24 hours. Also provides the FindArticles.com service, "a vast archive of published articles" dating back to 1998 from more than 300 magazines and journals.
- The Scout Report
- http://scout.wisc.edu/
- A weekly publication of the Internet Scout Project (part of the InterNIC), this valuable current awareness tool is available by subscription or on the Web. Professional librarians and subject matter experts select, research, and annotate what they judge to be "the best" Internet resources available and more than three years of issues are archived and searchable by keyword, fields, subject category, or LC Classification.
- A weekly publication of the Internet Scout Project (part of the InterNIC), this valuable current awareness tool is available by subscription or on the Web. Professional librarians and subject matter experts select, research, and annotate what they judge to be "the best" Internet resources available and more than three years of issues are archived and searchable by keyword, fields, subject category, or LC Classification.
"Also-Rans": Recommended With Qualifications
- With more time and work, these sites will probably eventually become quite
useful, but for now, they fall short of the mark. Use them for exploring
or surfing, but be warned that they are frustrating if you are on an
expeditious hunt for information!
- AskJeeves
- http://www.askjeeves.com/
- Though really more in competition with search engines than with subject searching sites, this is definitely an "also-ran." AskJeeves uses natural language processing and knowledge bases rather than just Boolean keyword searching, but unfortunately, the "millions of researched answer links" frequently do not contain the specific answers sought. AskJeeves responds with the questions for which it does have answers, checks several of the popular search sites, and provides lists of their links. Still a far cry from fulfilling its claim that "each answer link is guaranteed to be relevant to the question asked," this might be useful for homework help (see particularly AskJeeves for Kids!), but not yet for research.
- IPL Pathfinders Subject Index
- http://www.ipl.org/div/pf/
- A relatively new service from the Internet Public Library, this is a limited, but ever-growing, list of guides to starting research on particular topics. They primarily link to Internet resources, but most also cite books of interest.
- WebRing
- http://dir.webring.com/rw
- WebRing operates from a sound basic premise, i.e., linking like subject
sites together so that a searcher can move from one to the next and know that
they are related to the desired topic. The organization of and search
engine for the 50,000-plus rings greatly improved while it was previously
owned by Yahoo!, but the included pages
are still predominantly personal and commercial.
Definition
- World-Wide Web search engines are sites that use software (often referred
to as spiders, crawlers, worms, or robots) to automatically create searchable
databases attempting to "index" the Internet. Many engines "weigh" the results
for relevancy, relying on a computer-generated algorithm to compare the
numbers of times keyword hits appear. Meta-search sites provide an
advantage, in that they will allow querying several search engines from a
single site (either one or several at a time), but they usually do so without
taking full advantage of the features of each search engine. For narrow
searches where a specific term is required, search engines are the most
effective way of finding those sites which use the term. For broader searches
going beyond the keyword into a discipline or subject area, a combination of
search engines with subject searching sites, or directories, is more
effective.
Background Information
- Comparison of search engine user interface capabilities
- http://library.curtin.edu.au/staff/personal/gwpersonal/compare.html
- A table by a librarian from Australia listing and comparing the search capabilities and commands for Exalead, Gigablast, Google, Mooter, MSN Search, Sensis, Teoma, WISEnut, and Yahoo Search.
- Search Engine Watch
- http://www.searchenginewatch.com/
- For Web surfers and Web developers, this provides massive amounts of information on search engine news, design, tips, statistics, and more. For added value, true fans may subscribe.
- Yahoo:
Computers and Internet: Internet: World Wide Web: Searching the Web:
Search Engines and Directories: Comparisons_and_Reviews - http://dir.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/
Searching_the_Web/Search_Engines_and_Directories/Comparisons_and_Reviews/ - At last count, lists eight sites with significant information about
search engines and their various functions and features.
WWW Search Engines: Meta-Sites (more than one search engine listed and accessible)
- SEARCH.COM
- http://www.search.com/
- A search engine to find search engines, this is a very professional meta-index compiled by the staff of CNET: The Computer Network (whose television show, C/NET Central, airs on USA Network and the Sci-Fi Channel). Provides subject menus as well as an A-Z listing of some 500 search engines.
- Find-It! - Search tool finds *anything* on the net!
- http://www.iTools.com/find-it/
- A site with many forms linking to search engines, there is also a companion site, Research-It!, where users can easily use forms to look up language, geographical, financial, and other questions.
- W3 Search Engines
- http://cuiwww.unige.ch/meta-index.html
- Grouping search sites into fourteen broad categories, this provides forms to search approximately 40 different engines and links to over 100 others. Other than the categories, not much information is given about the engines.
- Grouping search sites into fourteen broad categories, this provides forms to search approximately 40 different engines and links to over 100 others. Other than the categories, not much information is given about the engines.
- Dogpile, the Friendly Multi-Engine Search Tool
- http://www.dogpile.com/
- Dogpile searches for Web documents (using thirteen popular engines), USENET entries (using four sources), FTP sites (using two engines), plus a variety of specialized areas, including weather, stock quotes, business news and other news wires. Results are listed by engine, with a small proportion of entries [10-20] from each shown (in the style of that particular engine), but with the option of going to the engine itself for any entries not listed.
- Ixquick Metasearch
- http://ixquick.com/
- Ixquick, "the world's most powerful metasearch engine," searches for Web documents, news, MP3 files, and pictures; combines results into one list, ranking results based on how many times they appear in the top ten rankings from the different search engines; allows any type of search syntax; and is available in over a dozen languages.
- Mamma: Mother of All Search Engines
- http://www.mamma.com:80/
- This meta-search engine site uses Alta Vista, Excite, Infoseek, Lycos, WebCrawler, Yahoo, and HotBot simultaneously to generate one set of results. Items are ranked by percentage, identified by engine used, and give summaries if requested.
- MetaCrawler Searching
- http://www.metacrawler.com/index.html
- A sophisticated meta-site, this sends queries to eleven different search engines simultaneously, compiles the results on one page (attempting to eliminate duplicates), and provides a "relevance ranking" for each hit. "Metaspy" is a new feature great for voyeurs that shows ten real-time search topics; the page refreshes every 15 seconds. Also has added a subject guide on the home page.
- ProFusion
- http://www.profusion.com/
- Designed by the Center for Research, Inc., at the University of Kansas, this meta-site includes nine search engines, searchable as "the best three," "the fastest three," "all of them," or by manual selection. Searches the Web or Usenet and compiles and ranks the the results, eliminating the duplicates.
- Vivísimo
- http://vivisimo.com
- Developed at Carnegie Mellon University, this 2001 entry in the field searches multiple search engines and then organizes the search results into "document clusters" or meaningful groups.
-
Meta-Sites That Provide Search Forms & Links; Search One At A Time
Meta-Sites That Search More Than One Engine Simultaneously
WWW Search Engines: The Largest Single Search Engine
Sites
(Listed by Size as of
12/31/02)
- http://www.google.com/
- Google uses a technique, "link analysis", which allows it to be a huge index (over 3 billion pages), not all of which are indexed. While it is not the same as full-text indexing of all of those pages, if sheer numbers are desired, Google is the engine. Results are returned on the basis of link popularity, which works remarkably well, and the engine also allows searching within the results. The 3 billion figure does not include the Google Groups [formerly Deja.com] discussion posts (about 700 million), the 425 million image files, or the 4500 news sources, all of which are separately searchable.
- All the Web Search
- http://www.alltheweb.com/
- Formerly called "Fast", this entered the search engine scene in 1999 and for a good portion of that year was the largest search engine on the Web by far. Given that it is a Dell partner and trying to demonstrate its technology and speed, it is not a fancy search engine, but it is a good alternative if others are not finding relevant results.
- AltaVista: The Search Company
- http://www.altavista.com/
- This is an extremely popular search engine, as it includes more documents and allows for more sophisticated searching than most (including 25 languages). Has BASIC and ADVANCED search modes, each with a lengthy help file, but no help is available if "Bad Query" is the system response. Results are not ranked; each lists title, summary, and URL. Allows turning on a family filter; searching for images, video, audio, MP3, and news; and searching within results.
- WiseNut
- http://www.wisenut.com/
- A relatively new search engine, this returns related categories as well as a list of resources.
-
WWW Search Engines: Selective Smaller Single Search Engine Sites (Listed Alphabetically)
- HotBot
- http://www.hotbot.com/
- This search engine, now owned by Lycos, has gone through many changes since its award-winning entry into the search engine field in 1996. Still is a good place to try if overwhelmed by one of the larger engines or if advanced search capabilities are desired. The text version (http://www.hotbot.com/default.asp?css=none) provides an improvement in loading speed without any loss of search features.
- Lycos
- http://www.lycos.com/
- Results show title, summary, and URL. Does not allow terribly sophisticated search techniques, but does allow searching within the results.
- Northern Light Search
- http://www.nlsearch.com/
- This late 1997 entry into the search engine field is different in that it returns classified results (by concept or by type of site) and it includes both Web documents and "Special Collection" documents, i.e., book chapters and articles not available free on the Web, but which may be purchased inexpensively from Northern Light. The company made a concerted effort in 1999 to greatly expand the size of its index and briefly captured the number one ranking. NOTE: As of January 16, 2002, Northern Light "is discontinuing free public access to our Web search."
- Teoma
- http://teoma.com/
- Results pages also have a "refine" button to narrow searches and a "resources" button linking collections from "experts and enthusiasts."
- WebCrawler Searching
- http://webcrawler.com/
- Allows searching for Web sites, news sites, or photos. Also has a "zoom in" feature that suggests and allows searching on more narrow subject divisions.
WWW Search Engines: Specialized Search Engines or Lists
- About.com's Guide to Search Engines and Directories
- http://websearch.about.com/internet/websearch/msubmenu12.htm
- This starts as a routine list of links to various common search engines and directories, but it has two outstanding features which bring it quickly out of the norm. First is the list of Regional Search Engines and Directories, which includes links to search engines focusing on Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, Latin and South America, the Middle East, and Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, etc.). Second is the Specialized Search Engines and Directories link, leading to a list of (at this writing) 36 unusual specialized search sites, from the esoteric American Sign Language Browser to the 1000 Best and Busiest Sites.
- Business.com
- http://business.com
- Though built on a paid search model, this business-focused search engine and directory is useful, containing "more than 400,000 listings within 25,000 industry, product and service subcategories." Results show the paid listings first but then go into a strict alphabetical listing; some entries include additional links.
- Daypop
- http://www.daypop.com
- A current events/weblog/news search engine; updated each hour.
- FirstGov, the official site for U.S. Government information, services, transactions, and forms
- http://www.firstgov.gov/
- Begun in September 2000, this is self-described as "the only official U.S. Government portal to 30 million pages of government information, services, and online transactions." Excellent, award-winning site.
- Google Groups
- http://www.google.com/grphp?hl=en
- This search engine was formerly known as Deja News, then Deja.com, and it began its life designed to search Usenet postings exclusively. It is now providing "...complete access to Usenet data since 1995" and includes more than 700 million messages.
- Search Engine Colossus
- http://www.searchenginecolossus.com/
- From Canada, this is a list of more than 1,500 search engines and subject directories from 176 countries, organized by country or broad category. Indicates the language of the source and includes a brief summary of the resource.
- Search Adobe PDF Online
- http://searchpdf.adobe.com
- Not a good first place to start, as it is difficult to narrow down, but unique in that it searches PDF-format documents on the Web. Still under development, this site is currently for demonstration only.
- Not a good first place to start, as it is difficult to narrow down, but unique in that it searches PDF-format documents on the Web. Still under development, this site is currently for demonstration only.
Created 8/23/97; Last revised 4/4/2005