How to Search the Web
findingDulcinea’s Guide teaches you how to find anything you are looking for on the Web, and will direct you to more Web sites to help you in any search. It will make you a smarter searcher, whatever you are looking for. For foreign-language versions of this guide, see the links under "More Guides..." on the right.
Understanding the technological underpinnings of the Internet and the World Wide Web will enhance ... read more »
Finding information on the Web is like being a police detective: your information is only as good ... read more »
Searching is the most popular way to find information on the Web, and search engines, which are ... read more »
This is a question most people don't ask, because established search routines are hard to escape. ... read more »
Many of the Web’s most extensive sites work like libraries. These database sites keep all of ... read more »
Web directories are lists of hand-selected sites compiled by Web users and organized into ... read more »
One of the recent trends in Web research is "social bookmarking." Social bookmarking ... read more »
Most standard sources of information aren't adequate for academic purposes; what you need is the primary information and in-depth research found only in scholarly resources. Scholarly resources aren’t for learning the basics of a subject; they focus on technical information and professional research studies. These sources are often peer-reviewed and are a reliable way to get information for your research or writing.
- Scholarly resources are not meant to be easy to read or understand. They are often first-hand sources, or come from people and organizations that deal specifically with your topic of interest.
- Start by checking out library Web sites. They can be helpful in beginning your search, as they often have directories and lists of useful online tools and resources. An example is the New York Public Library, which has a comprehensive directory of librarian-selected and annotated links to sites with information on a variety of topics. Libweb can help you find a library Web site by the library's subject or location.
For an article …
INFOMINE
, compiled by various libraries, is a good resource for university-level research. It has links to databases, electronic journals, electronic books, bulletin boards, articles, researcher directories, and more.
Academic Info
maintains more than 25,000 academic sources, including annotated subject directories and digital collections from academic groups, libraries, and museums. There are also a lot of ads on this site; try not to be distracted from the real content. This site was created by a former law librarian.
Directory of Open Access Journals
provides free access to full-text online journals. Allowing you to search by title or by subject, this site is great even if you simply want to explore a topic.
Live Search Academic
employs a familiar search strategy by searching academic articles using keywords (similar to many search engines), and returns results with site listings and small abstracts (also similar to many search engines). A unique feature of Live Search Academic is the ability to view abstracts by moving your mouse over the results.
For a book …
WorldCat
is a bibliographic database. It allows users to locate books in catalogs of over 50,000 libraries around the world. With bibliographic information for more than 1 billion items, users can also read reviews and summaries.
Google Book Search
allows users to discover new books, read reviews and excerpts, search within the text of a book, and provides links to online stores and actual libraries that carry the book.
For statistics …
The U.S. Census Bureau
hosts the 2007 Statistical Abstract, a summary of statistics from the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and other organizations. You'll find stats on a variety of things such as income level or household pet ownership.
The CIA World Factbook
invites you to select a country or location and then presents that country’s flag, places it on a map, and provides a thorough overview. Learn about the people, geography, economy, military, transportation, communications, and more.
For a way to share your finds …
Connotea
lets you store and share your scholarly resources using keyword tags to organize them as you like. The tool is free and easy to use, making it a snap to access and share your references.
CiteULike
shares your favorite scholarly resources and lets you look through the sources of other users. The Web site also offers news, discussion, and search groups.
For legal reference ...
The Public Library of Law
offers a free searchable database of case law, statutes, regulations, court rules, constitutions, and legal forms. Do a basic search of this free database and you'll find resources from the paid database fastcase (also the site's sponsor), advanced options allow you to search for resources from specific jurisdictions and date ranges.
Almost all of the information you find on the Internet is copyrighted. All copyright and ... read more »
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