Recommended
Search Engines [3/08]
The
following search engines are recommended for academic research:
Google
URL: http://www.google.com
One way to limit results for use in college is
to choose "Advanced Search"
to the right of the search box. Scroll down to "Domain"
and add the extension ".edu"
in the appropriate box. Or from the drop-down menu, choose
"don't" and add the extension ".com"
in the appropriate box. There are many other options.
Ask the Reference Librarian.
[3/08]
All
the Web
URL: http://www.alltheweb.com
Search with more than one search engine all at
the same time. [3/08]
Alta
Vista [3/08]
URL:
http://www.altavista.com
Ask.com
[3/08]
URL: http://www.ask.com/
Ask is currently merged with Teoma.
Dogpile
[3/08]
URL: http://www.dogpile.com/
Search Google, MSN, Ask, Yahoo all at the same
time.
Excite
[3/08]
URL: http://www.excite.com
iTools
[3/08]
URL:
http://www.itools.com/
Excellent grouping and quick access to search
tools for Financial tools, Map tools, Internet tools,
Search tools, and more.
Kartoo
[3/08]
URL: http://www.kartoo.com
Graphical display of results.
Internet
Search Tips
Search
engines are used to locate web sites and documents on the
Internet. Google is recommended as the primary search engine,
but many others are available. If you are using Google and
cannot find what you are looking for, try some of the search
engines above. Some search engines filter through a number
of other search engines simultaneously.
The
following tips will be helpful when using a search engine:
-
Spelling
counts -- a misspelled term will not retrieve
much information.
-
Be
specific when entering search terms -- very
broad terms like "psychology" will return
far too many hits to be useful.
-
But... don't be too specific -- an
extremely narrow search which includes too many words
is not likely to retrieve the information that you need.
- Do
use some of the search tips that are provided on
each search engine's web site. They provide some
effective strategies for getting the information you need
more quickly and efficiently.
Fine-Tuning
your Searches
The
search strategies listed below can help you construct searches
that get you fewer "hits" and more accurate results.
These tips work with most search engines, but not all. Consult
the help or tutorial information for each search engine
to get the most out of your searches.
•To
search for exact phrases, put multiple search terms
in quotes.
Example: "state of the union"
will only search for web sites that contain that exact
phrase.
•To specify that a word or phrase must
be included in search results, put a plus sign
(+) in front of the term that must be included.
Example: snake +python will
force a search to include the term python.
•To specify that a word or phrase must
not be included in search results, put a
minus sign (-) in front of the term that must be excluded.
Example: snake -monty will force
a search to exclude the term monty.
•To include all forms of a word (wildcard matching),
place an asterisk after a truncated form of the word.
Example: medic* will retrieve results
with the words medicine, medical, medicinal, etc.
Subject
Directories [3/08]
Subject directories are useful
web sites arranged by subject and selected by editors
based on specific criteria for inclusion. For a
more detailed explanation of subject directories,
go to Lesson
3 of Bare Bones 101.
Library
Gateways (aka
Virtual or Digital Libraries)
Library gateways are websites
arranged by subject and usually selected by librarians
for the high quality of their content. For a more
detailed explanation of library gateways, go to
Lesson
4 of Bare Bones 101.
Academic
Information
URL: http://www.academicinfo.net/
An educational subject directory with hand
selected sites. [3/08]
Big
Eye
URL: http://www.bigeye.com/
Well organized information portal and Blog Index.
[3/08]
Digital
Collections and Content: Digital Resources from
Libraries, Museums and Archives [IMLS,
Institute of Museum and Library Services]
URL: http://imlsdcc.grainger.uiuc.edu/
“Includes collections from model projects
supported by IMLS that help preserve library resources,
develop best practices for digitization, and digitize
collections of national value." Excellent resource.
[3/08]
Digital
Librarian: a Librarian's choice of the best of the
Web
URL: http://www.digital-librarian.com/
Carefully selected links by Librarian Margaret Vail
Anderson. [3/08]
Librarians'
Internet Index
URL: http://lii.org/
Well respected, long-standing publicly
funded evaluated resources. [3/08]
refdesk.com
URL: http://www.refdesk.com
Linked resources, dating from 1995. Bob
Drudge. [3/08]
The
WWW Virtual Library
URL: http://vlib.org/
"The VL is the oldest catalog of the web, started
by Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of html and the
web itself. ...the VL pages are widely recognized
as being amongst the highest-quality guides to particular
sections of the web." [3/08]
Those
Dark Hiding Places: The "Invisible Web"
Revealed
URL: http://www.robertlackie.com/invisible/index.html
Good explanation of hidden sources on the web, and
search engines and directories that show different
results. Robert J. Lackie, Associate Professor-Librarian,
Rider University. [3/08]
Other
Useful Search Engines
Each
of these search engines may give you different results.
If you have a particularly challenging topic, it would
be wise to try a variety of searches.
Ask.com
URL: http://www.ask.com
A natural language search tool. Good for trivia. [3/08]
A9
URL: http://a9.com
An
interesting search engine from Amazon.com, also
allows for "search inside the book™"
if registered with amazon.com. [3/08]
BUBL
Information Service: BUBL Link
URL: http://www.bubl.ac.uk
Selected
Internet resources covering all academic subject
areas. [3/08]
Complete
Planet
URL: http://www.completeplanet.com/
Search the Deep Web with this meta-search engine.
Discover over 70,000+ searchable databases and
specialty search engines. [Apparently
not being updated, but some information still
valid, [3/08]
Dogpile
URL: http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/
Searches multiple search engines or directories,
good people search. [3/08]
Gigablast
URL: http://www.gigablast.com
One novel feature is the archived web pages from
1996 forward. [3/08]
Go
Network
URL: http://infoseek.go.com
Standard search engine, part of the Disney enterprise. [3/08]
Google
Scholar
URL: http://scholar.google.com/
Search for scholarly articles across numerous
college catalogs. [3/08]
Infomine:
Scholarly Internet Resource Collections
URL: http://infomine.ucr.edu
Searches academic sites. [3/08]
MetaCrawler
URL: http://www.metacrawler.com
Searches multiple search engine. [3/08]
Soople
URL: http://www.soople.com
Soople claims their interface makes searching
easier than Google. [3/08]
Search
Engine Directories
These
sites provide lists of specialized, subject-specific search
engines.
Search
Engine Resources and Tutorials
Evaluating
Web Resources
Critically
Analyzing Information Sources
URL: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill26.htm
Assessing the value and point of view of information
sources, Cornell University Library. [3/08]
Evaluating
Information Found on the Internet
URL: http://www.library.jhu.edu/researchhelp/general/evaluating/index.html
What to consider (about websites): authorship, publishing
body, bias, currency, verifiability, more. From
The Sheridan Libraries of Johns Hopkins University.
[3/08]
Evaluation
of Information Sources
URL: http://www.vuw.ac.nz/staff/alastair_smith/evaln/evaln.htm
A bibliographical listing of articles related to evaluation.
The World Wide Web Virtual Library. [3/08]
Using
Search Engines
Bare
Bones 101: A Basic Tutorial on Searching the Web
URL: http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/pages/bones/bones.shtml
Great information for experts and beginners alike. University
of South Carolina, Beaufort Library. [3/08]
Choose
the Best Search for Your Information Need
URL: http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/adviceengine.html
Noodle Tools offers suggested search engines for different
types of information. [3/08]
Finding
Information on the Internet: A Tutorial
URL: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html
Sarch strategy, search tools, evaluation skills. University
of California, Berkeley. [3/08]
Search
Engine Watch
URL: http://searchenginewatch.com/
Information on getting the most out of search engines,
search engine reviews and ratings. [3/08]
Searchpath (Western
Michigan University)
URL: http://www.wmich.edu/library/searchpath/index.html
Interactive tutorial on searching the Internet, includes
modules that describe a range of resources, give tips
on choosing a topic, finding articles, using the Web
effectively, and citing sources. Each module concludes
with a quick quiz to test mastery of module content. [3/08]
Those
Dark Hiding Places: The "Invisible Web" Revealed
URL: http://www.robertlackie.com/invisible/index.html
Learn about searching for information that regular search
engines will not find. [3/08]
Web
Searching
URL: http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/clips/2002_12.html
Learn to be an effective web searcher. University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. [3/08] information, still valid 11/06]
Search
Engines for Images
All
the Web [3/08]
URL: http://multimedia.alltheweb.com/?cat=img&cs=
utf8&q=&rys=0&_sb_lang=pref
Altavista
[3/08]
URL: http://www.altavista.com/image/default
Amazing
Picture Machine
URL:
http://www.ncrtec.org/picture.htm
As of 2005, this site is being decommissioned.
[3/08]
Corbis
URL: http://pro.corbis.com
Royalty free, but need to be purchased. Inspiring
photography. [3/08]
Digital
Collections and Content: Digital Resources from Libraries,
Museums and Archives [IMLS, Institute of Museum
and Library Services]
URL: http://imlsdcc.grainger.uiuc.edu/
“Includes collections from model projects supported
by IMLS that help preserve library resources, develop best
practices for digitization, and digitize collections of
national value." Excellent resource. [3/08]
Ditto.com
URL: http://www.ditto.com/ [3/08]
Google
Image Search
URL:
http://images.google.com/
Image search.
[3/08]
Image
and Sound Databases
URL: http://sunsite2.berkeley.edu:8088/ERF/servlet/ERFmain?cmd=searchResType&resTypeId=14
Complete listing of databases for images (and sound)-
some are password protected, many available to the public.
University of California Berkeley. [3/08]
U.S. Fish
& Wildlife Service: National Image Library
URL: http://images.fws.gov/
DLS: Digital Library System. Click on free images by topic.
Your country's dollars at work.
[3/08]
Calishain,
Tara & Dornfest, Rael. (2003). Google hacks.
Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly. (ZA4230 .C25 2003)
Cooke,
Alison. (1999). Neal-Schuman authoritative guide
to evaluating information on the Internet. New
York: Neal-Schuman Publishers. (ZA4201 .C66 1999
Halvorson,
T. R. (2000). Law of the super searchers : the
online secrets of top legal researchers. Medford,
NJ : CyberAge Books. (KF242.A1 H35 2000)
Hane,
Paula J. (2000). Super searchers in the news: the
online secrets of journalists and news researchers.
Medford, NJ: Information Today. (PN4784.E53 H36 2000)
Hock,
Randolph. (2007). The extreme searcher's
Internet handbook : a guide for the serious searcher.
Medford, N.J.: CyberAge Books. (ZA4230 .H63 2007)
Hock,
Randolph. The extreme searcher's guide to Web
search engines: a handbook for the serious searcher.
Medford, NJ: CyberAge Books. (ZA4226 .H63 2001)
Laurence,
Helen & Miller, William, editors. (2000). Academic
research on the Internet : options for scholars and
libraries. New York: Haworth Information Press.
(ZA4201 .A216 2000)
Milstein,
Sarah & Dornfest, Rael. (2004). Google: the
missing manual. Sebastopol, CA: Pogue Press/O’Reilly.
(ZA4234.G64 M45 2004)
Mintz,
Anne P., editor. (2002). Web of deception: misinformation
on the Internet. Medford, N.J: CyberAge Books.
(ZA4201 .W43 2002)
Parsons,
June Jamrich & Oja, Dan. (2001). The practical
Internet. Boston, MA: Course Technology/Thomson
Learning. (TK5105.875.I57 P37 2001)
Paul,
Nora & Williams, Margot. (1999). Great scouts!:
cyberguides for subject searching on the Web.
Medford, N. J.: CyberAge Books. (ZA4201 .P38 1999)
Sauers,
Michael P. (2001). Using the Internet as a reference
tool : a how to-do-it manual for librarians.
New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers. (Ref. Z711.45
.S28 2001)
Schlein,
Alan M. (2002). Find it online: the complete
guide to online research. Tempe, AZ: Facts
on Demand Press. (ZA4230 .S35 2002)
Thurow,
Shari. (2003). Search engine visibility.
Indianapollis, IN: New Riders. (ZA4201 .T48 2003)
Tomaiuolo,
Nicholas G. (2004). The Web library : building
a world class personal library with free Web resources.
Medford, N.J.: Information Today. (ZA4150 .T66 2004)
Woodward,
J. A. (1997). Writing research papers: investigating
resources in cyberspace. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC
Publishing Group. (LB2369 .W66 1997)
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