Using Directories and Search Engines
Overview
You will read information about and practice using directories, search engines, and meta search engines to conduct research on the Internet to find resources for various activities and reports throughout the year. Read through the instructions carefully. When you finish this tutorial, you will go to RDN Virtual Training Suite and take one of their tutorials.
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If you seek general information on a broad topic or want to explore different areas of a broad topic, use a Web directory. Directories are arranged by subject and usually return links to the top level of the directory’s Web site rather than to pages within the Web site. Users of directories often begin searches by selecting a broad category and then narrowing their focus step by step. For example, a user searching for general information on the Civil War might first begin with the category Social Sciences, then narrow the choices by clicking through the subcategories of History , U.S. History, By Time Period, 19 th Century, Military History, then Civil War or by simply typing in the search term of Civil War. If one directory does not give you satisfactory results, try another one. Results often vary widely from one directory to another because sites included in each category are hand-selected by people rather than machines.
Examples of directories are:
The Internet Public Library http://www.ipl.org
Look Smart http://www.looksmart.com/
The Open Directory http://dmoz.org/
WebBrain http://www.webbrain.com
Yahoo! http://www.yahoo.com
Yahooligans! http://www.yahooligans.com
Step 2: Using Search Engines
If you want very specific information on a search topic and you know the appropriate titles, phrases, or technical language, use a search engine, meta search engine, or specialty search engine. Search engine computers continually visit Web sites on the Internet in order to create catalogs of Web pages. In most cases, search engines are best used to locate a specific piece of information such as a known document, image, or phrase, rather than a general subject.
For more information on specific search engines and how to use them, visit:
Choose the Best Search Engine for Your Purpose http://nuevaschool.org/~debbie/library/research/adviceengine.html
FindSpot http://wwwfindspot.com
Search Engine Watch http://www.searchenginewatch.com
Examples of search engines:
All the Web http://www.alltheweb.com
Altavista http://www.altavista.com
Excite http://www.excite.com
Google http://www.google.com
Hotbot http://hotbot.lycos.com
NorthernLight http://www.northernlight.com
Step 3: Using Meta Search Engines
If you want to search multiple databases simultaneously for difficult-to-find information, use a meta search engine. It retrieves results from various databases and gives a consolidated report of its findings.
Examples of Meta search engines:
Ask Jeeves! http://www.askjeeves.com
Dogpile http://www.dobpile.com
Metacrawler http://www.metacrawler.com
Vivisimo Clustering Engine http://www.vivisimo.com
Step 4: Using Specialty Search Engines
If you are looking for specialized information, you may want to use a specialty search engine.
Examples of Specialty search engines:
GovSpot http://www.govspot.com GovSpot.com is a non-partisan government information portal designed to simplify the search for the best and most relevant government information online.
Infomine http://www.infomine.ucr.edu/ A virtual library and reference tool containing highly useful Internet resources including databases, electronic journals, electronic books, bulletin boards, listservs, online library card catalogs, articles and directories of researchers, etc.
Language Tools http://www.itools.com/lang/ Includes dictionaries, thesauri, and language translators for 188 different languages, as well as a Web page translator. Translate a Web page on-the-fly (seven languages supported).
MedHunt http://www.hon.ch/MedHunt/ Index on medical information. Searches can be narrowed by region.
Moreover http://w.moreover.com/ A search engine that gathers information from major, regional, and international news sources. Comprehensive coverage on any topic, delivered within 15 minutes of publication
Research It! http://www.itools.com/research-it/ Specialty search tools to find people, quotations, maps, facts. Currency converters, stock quotes, zip codes, etc.
SciSeek http://www.sciseek.com/ SciSeek is a focused Web directory created by human editors. It is a useful tool for browsing for information in a specific scientific area.
Search Engine Watch: Specialty Search Engines http://searchenginewatch.com/links/Specialty_Search_Engines/ Categories of specialized search engines.
Step 5: Refining your Search
When conducting an Internet search, it is useful to start with a broad concept and to narrow as you begin to find information. Computerized search mechanisms are based on Boolean logic, named after George Boole, a nineteenth-century English mathematician who devised a new system for analyzing variables. It is helpful to know Boolean logic when doing Internet research. Remember, each search engine is different. You may want to check the search engine’s help page before beginning your search.
Using Boolean Logic
When conducting a search, you may end up with too many choices or the wrong results. Some search engines allow you to narrow your search by using Boolean logic. Boolean logic consists of three logical operations: AND, OR, and NOT.
AND requires all terms to appear in a record
OR retrieves records with either term
NOT excludes terms
Sample searches using Boolean logic: bats NOT baseball bats AND fruit NOT baseball 
Using Simplified Boolean Logic
Some search engines allow you to designate the most important words within your search by inserting a + (plus sign) immediately before the most important words. Conversely, inserting a – (minus sign) immediately before a word excludes it.
Example of a search using simplified Boolean logic: + bats + fruit - baseball 
Searching by Phrase
If you are looking for an exact phrase or string of words, enclose the phrase within quotation marks.
Example of a search using quotation marks: “ four score and seven years ago” “genetic diversity” + California +”gold rush”
Using Truncation
If you want to expand your search to include a specified word root with different word endings, enter the first part of a key word (word root), and insert a symbol, usually * (asterisk).
Example of a search using truncation: dictat* (retrieves dictator, dictated, and dictation) 
Special Assignment:The following Web site is designed to help you improve your internet information skills. These tutorials take about an hour each, and include quizzes and interactive exercises. Your assignment is to select one category and go through the tutorial. When finished, copy your quiz and turn it in to your grade level basket. Label the assignment Virtual Training Suite.
RDN Virtual Training Suite
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