my.CSMD
Internet Search Engines
Examples
The World Wide Web contains millions of documents; it can be hard to know how to find what you need. You will not find everything you want on the Web. Copyrighted material appearing in print sources or in subscription databases is typically not available on the Web.
So which search engine should you use? It depends on your needs. The following are listed alphabetically.
| Ask |
Produces search results by attempting to identify the most authoritative sites on the Web. |
| Dogpile |
Combines results obtained from several search engines including Google, Yahoo, Ask, and MSN. |
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Popular, all-purpose search engine. Search for pages in English or specify a different language. |
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| Google Books | Search and preview books from libraries and publishers worldwide. |
| Google Scholar |
Search across disciplines for scholarly literature. Provides a mix of free and fee-based resources. |
| Librarians' Internet Index |
Not really a search engine but an index. |
| Yahoo | One of the oldest search services. Offers category links below some of the sites in the results listing. |
How do I start?
Choose concise terms that describe your topic. Think about the different ways of saying the same thing. Try variations when you plug them into your search engine.
Evaluating websites as Reliable Resources will help you determine if you can trust the information that you find.