http://hotbot.comDrake Memorial Library Guides
This guide offers an overview of some popular and powerful search tools for finding sites on the Internet. It ought to be noted that search engines are adding and changing their features constantly, so please refer to the individual site's HELP or FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) links if you need additional assistance with your search.
Often ranked in the top 3 search engines in computer literature, HotBot features one of the largest Web databases along with a wide range of search options. With the use of multiple drop-down menus in both the default and Advanced Search, a search can be customized by combining search terms (all of the words, any of the words, etc.) along with the date, domain/continent, audio/video and other media, and also by website.
Search examples:
| Search term examples: | Choose this option from drop-down menu |
| Andy Grove | "the person" |
| Unabomber manifesto | "all of the words" or "exact phrase" |
| east is east and west is west | "the exact phrase" |
| appaloosa not breyer | "Boolean phrase" |
Always a contender in powerful search engine showdowns, Altavista has maintained a presence over time—and maintains a large database and powerful search capabilities. Search options include image, host, title, date range, truncation, anchor, domain and applet, along with software features such as the "Family Filter" and translation service.
Search Examples:
| Type in: | To find: |
| "the road to ensenada" | the exact phrase, in that word order |
| domain:uk +Beatles | for Beatles sites only in the UK |
| host:harvard.edu +leadership | for sites about leadership at harvard |
| domain:edu +teaching +technology | for education-based sites about teaching and technology |
| image:golden retriever | to find images labeled "golden retriever" |
| title:movie database | for sites with keywords "movie" & "database" in the title |
Consistently rated one of the top search engines, now merged with the GO! Network , Infoseek combines a large database with powerful search options including phrase searching, Boolean (and/or/and not) capabilities and advanced features including 'pipe (subset) searching, URL, site and link options. "Goguardian" filtering software option available. Case and number sensitive. Click on "Search options" under default search query box for advanced search features.
Search examples:
| Type in: | To find: |
| "critical thinking skills" | the exact phrase |
| "5si LaserJet" | exact number and upper/lower case combination |
| +"Clinton's ditch" -Bill | for information about the Erie Canal, but without the President |
| link:www.brockport.edu | find what pages link to that page |
| site:www.census.edu|population | anything following the pipe '|' will be searched as a subset of what came before it |
| "united states" | "online newspapers" | for searching the phrase "online newspapers" as a subset of the phrase "united states" |
A relative newcomer, this search engine is unique in its database, not necessarily its search capabilities.This site is the only search mechanism that sorts and classifies results into viewing categories: personal pages, commercial sites, government sites, educational sites, etc. Supports Boolean operators 'AND,' 'OR' & 'NOT,' implied Boolean + & - , truncation and phrase searching using quotation marks. Its special angle comes in the form of its "Special Collections" database, a searchable set of published citations able to be viewed free and printed/downloaded for a nominal fee.
Search examples:
| Type in: | To find: |
| "self esteem" OR "self concept" | either of the phrases |
| what is the capital of Norway? | natural language search for your query |
This search engine has always boasted one of the largest databases and offers the standard search options of AND, OR, & AND NOT (MUST be typed in ALL CAPITAL letters) and implied Boolean '+' & '-'. Features include parenthetical searching for grouping related terms, quotation marks for phrase searching, and case sensitivity. Excite offers a [more like this] link that automatically searches the database according to search result.
Search examples:
| Type in: | To find: |
| +surf AND (san diego OR santa cruz) | sites mentioning surf and either city |
| Canada AND NOT Quebec | sites about Canada that don't mention Quebec |
| Canada -Quebec | same concept as above without text operators |
| "cooperative learning" | to find the words as a phrase |
Although not one of the larger databases, Yahoo is one of the most popular and user-friendly web portals. Listing 500,000+ sites in its hierarchical arrangement, it is useful for browsing by category. It also offers a search mechanism for finding information.
A multimedia search engine that provides the searcher with thousands of legal MP3 (audio) files. MP3-player software, such as the free and downloadable RealPlayer is necessary to listen to files, along with speakers or headphones hooked up to the PC. (Not available at all campus labs.)
AskJeeves
http://www.askjeeves.com
This interactive search engine performs searches with a personal touch—it will ask you questions to assist you in refining your search.
Metacrawlers
The following search engines operate by sending search queries to a number of different databases all at once. Although there is efficiency in returning so many results at once, some of the specialized search capabilities tend to be lost.
"Fetches" information from a list of databases (you choose). Confirms search strategy used to search each database.
Another metasearch, metacrawler spews your search to a variety of search engine databases. Sorts results by engine and number of results.
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