Search Engines

There are over 250 search tools available on the Internet. Each search tool has its own way of finding information, so to search each one effectively, look at the "Help" or "Tips" pages before you search. Before you begin, consider the following:

Questions to Ask Yourself	Where to look
Have you looked for books?	Check OPAC (online public access catalog) http://vufind.carli.illinois.edu/vf-iec/
Have you searched our online subscription services?	Try our online subscription services at http://www.iecc.edu/wvc/lrc/onlinedb.htm
Do you need suggestions about where to look for your topic?	Ask your librarians for help before you begin searching. http://www.iecc.edu/wvc/lrc/asklib.htm
What are you looking for?	Print a search engine worksheet to help plan your strategies. http://www.iecc.edu/wvc/lrc/assign.htm
Are there related words that you might consider?	Use a synonym dictionary and brainstorm ideas. Read relevant chapters in your textbook for keywords. Look for keywords in the returns from search engines.
How do the search tools you select want you to ask questions?	Read the "Help" or "Tips" pages on search engine web pages.

Evaluate Web Pages	Analyze information you find on the web carefully, especially when writing papers for class.
	Google http://www.google.com PC Magazine gives Google its top rating as it "consistently turns up high-quality, highly relevant results". It has a simple, uncluttered appearance - no advertising - and is fast and reliable for school topics.
	Yahoo! http://www.yahoo.com Yahoo! has a search directory with sites selected by humans and a list of topics to browse when you are just beginning to search for something. Click on one of the subject areas, such as "Science" and then type in your keyword(s) or phrases like "acid rain". Yahoo! is a good source for history topics, and country studies, particularly if you need information in another language.
	Kartoo http://www.kartoo.com delivers visual returns in an interactive map format with topics listed on the side. Rollover features make searching fast and finding what you need easier.
	Mamma http://www.mamma.com is a metasearch engine that has a Health Search feature which searches handpicked, authoriative sites which cover health topics. Mamma also has a job search feature and can be viewed in French.
	Clusty http://www.clusty.com is a metasearch engine with strength in business topics. It groups search results into topical folders in an ordered list based on comparative ranking. Clust is wii friendly.
	Dogpile http://www.dogpile.com This tool searches the Internet’s top search engines simultaneously to find results for the keywords or phrase typed into the search bar. It removes duplicates, puts the “best” results at the top of the returns list and hasa list of related links on the right side of the results page.
	Vivisimo http://www.vivisimo.com is a meta search engine that that searches several engines simultaneously and categorizes results into various topics. Selecting a topic from the list created on the left side of the page brings up results relevant to your idea or keyword.