Academic Resources.Net online research and reference

This page lists some of the various ways to search for information on the Web.  There is no one method that always works the best, so it's helpful to know a variety of search methods.

Search Engines:
Alta Vista
     This search engine features date restrictions, refine, language options, etc. Try basic searching first.  Alta Vista has the largest database of all the search engines, but many of the results are often of  low-quality. 
Excite
     This is the second largest search engine.  Full service features include "power search", subject "channels", "more like this button", news, etc.
HotBot
     Highest overall rating from internet surveys.  This search engine has subject directories, "super search" options, limit search by date, news, etc.

Multi-Engine Searches:
Dogpile
     Simultaneous search of over 25 search engines and newsgroups.   Best for exhaustive searches of a subject.
Metacrawler
     Simultaneous search of 7 major search engines.

Subject Directories:
Looksmart
     An excellent directory compiled by the editors at Looksmart.com.
Yahoo
     Good for browsing because information is categorized by subjects.  Although their database is smaller than the major search engines, the results are often of higher quality because the information is organized by human editors.

Specialized Searches:
All in One Search Page
     Links to almost 200 major and specialized search engines.   These search engines will locate phone numbers, email addresses, shipping information, etc.
Lycos Media
     A search engine devoted to images and sounds.

Reference Sites:
Encyclopedia.com
     This is the largest, free encyclopedia on the Web.  The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia contains over 14,000 articles.
My Virtual Reference Desk
     This is an excellent reference site with hundreds of magazines, search engines, newspapers, weather and news sites, etc.
Webster Dictionary
     Merriam Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus.
World Factbook
     Great resource for information on countries, maps, etc.

Reviewed Sites:
E-Blast
     A list of Web sites recommended by Encyclopedia Britannica.
Librarians’ Index to the Internet
     A list of Web sites reviewed by the librarians at Berkeley.
The Lycos 50
     Top sites at Lycos.
Magellan
     Search the entire Web or their database of high-quality, reviewed sites.

Major Sites:
Engineering Electronic Library Sweden (EELS)
     Example of a major site that searches over 1,460 selected engineering sites.
MSU-CIBER International Business Resources
     Excellent source for international business information.
World Wide Art Resources
     Example of a major site that links to thousands of museums, galleries, art shows, etc.

Academic Journals:
ARL Directory of Electronic Journals, Newsletters, and Academic Discussion Lists
     A major archive of quality journals and other information.
Alliance E-Journals
     This site is provided by the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries.  Their database can be searched in a number of ways including alphabetically by title or LC subject headings.  They also list other journal directories.