Guide
Home >> Finding
web pages
How do I find good web sites?
To find information on the free web, use your favorite search engine, e.g. Google.
Tip: Many search engines allow for advanced searching; take advantage of those options to make your search as effective as possible.
Tip: Search Engine Watch is a guide to the major search engines on the Web, giving comparisons and reviews, so you'll know when to use other commerical search engines (besides Google).
Good sources of free web sites include those found in expert subject directories, where web sites are selected by people
who know the subject. These can help
you target a specific category of information quickly and accurately
without having to wade through many irrelevant sites.
MIT Libraries-created pages: |
| Virtual Reference Collection |
Find links to dictionaries, encyclopedias and other reference materials on the web (includes links to MIT-only resources). |
| Subject Guides |
Created by subject specialists, these can help you identify web sites, books and other resources on your topic. |
Expert Subject Directories: |
| Librarian's Index to the Internet |
A directory of annotated web sites by
category - "a well-organized point of access for reliable, trustworthy, librarian-selected Internet resources". |
| Infomine |
A virtual library, a "unique Web resource featuring well organized access to important university level research and educational tools on the Internet". |
| WWW Virtual Library |
Volunteers "compile pages of key links
for particular areas in which they are expert." |
| TIP: Make sure you have found a good source of information: Evaluate your information. |
What is the difference between the free web and the fee-based web?
The "free" web is the part of the
web that you browse or surf all the time via commercial search
engines like Google or Yahoo. Most of the information found there is free and accessible to anyone with a web connection and web browser.
The "fee-based" web is hidden or invisible
from commercial search engines for various reasons. Usually
information in the hidden web is accessible only to those who
register, pay or license the information. But that means the
information is of high quality and more valuable than what
you typically find on the free web. Examples of the fee-based
web are included in Vera (library databases for journal articles).
Google Scholar,
in its Beta version, is an attempt to provide free citations
to scholarly publications that are typically "fee-based".
Not all articles found in Google Scholar will be accessible
at MIT. See Making Google Scholar Work for You for more information.
Why should I use web sites?
- Web sites are a great source of information about organizations and institutions and government generated statistics and reports. They are also useful for comparing popular perceptions to scientific research findings.
- The free web contains a vast collection of resources - both worthwhile and worthless.
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