Researching the Topic Library Home Working With Topics Researching the Topic Evaluating Sources Writing the Paper Citing Sources

 

 

 

 

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Searching the Web

Unlike material in books and articles, the material on Web sites goes through no editorial process. There is no one "in charge" of the Web, no editors, no publishers, no censors. Anyone can publish on the Web, material does not have to be updated or maintained. In order to select high quality material from the Web, evaluate the Web site you plan to use in your research paper. It is also a good idea to print the page(s) you cited because Web material can quickly be updated or deleted.

Not all published information is on the Web. While some books and many articles are available through subscription services on the Web (see Searching for Books, Searching for Articles), the best information for your research paper may be available only in print format.

Web Search Tools by Type:

  • Search Engines
    Which search tool you use depends on what you are looking for. Most research for a paper probably requires that you use a search engine. These are the most powerful of the Web search tools in that they generally index every word on a Web page and attempt to index as much of the Web as possible. The Web sites indexed in search engines have been selected by computer software.     The largest and most popular search engines are Google and Yahoo!. Bing (Microsoft) and Ask (formerly AskJeeves) are also popular.
  • Subject Directories
    Subject directories contain sites selected by humans. The directories are organized in a hierarchical subject arrangement which makes browsing for information convenient. Subject directories contain fewer Web pages than do search engines. The most popular subject directory is Yahoo!. The ODP: Open Directory Project (best used through Google here) is a volunteer-based subject directory used by search engines such as Google, Live Search, AOL and others. For the purposes of college research, some subject directories that might prove useful are Librarian's Internet Index, Infomine and Voice of the Shuttle.
  • Meta Search Engines
    Meta search engines attempt to search several different Web search tools (both search engines and subject directories) with one search. The problem with these search tools is that they cannot take advantage of unique search features within any tool. Popular meta search engines include DogPile (which searches more of the large search engines than any other meta search engine), Ixquick, and Clusty.
Because all search tools are searched differently and return different results, it is a good idea to become familiar with and use at least two search tools. Remember: no one search tool indexes all of the Web.

Using Web Search Tools

Every Web search tool is different and is searched differently. Most have easy to find Help screens and most have certain things in common. For a short printable overview of online search tips, click here. The University of California at Berkeley has produced Web pages that can help in preparing a Web search strategy and in taking a selecting and using certain Web search tools.

Search the Web

The Recommended Search Tools page provides easy access to several search tools by search type.

Web Search Tools Based on Type of Information Needed

This chart lists search tools based on the type of information needed.

Selecting and Evaluating Web Sites

Because the quality of sites can vary, it is important to evaluate information found on the Web.

Finding Specialized Information



Address comments or questions to: gvail@pjc.edu
Last updated on 11/09