Internet Search Strategies

1) You can often guess or truncate the URL to find a page.

2) Choose the proper tool.

3) When you "search the Internet," you are actually searching a database.

4) Most subject directories can be searched.

5) Search for "gateway" sites or guides rather than several individual web pages.

1) You can often guess or truncate the URL to find a page.

If you understand how URLs work (see #3 of Internet/World Wide Web Concepts), you can often guess a particular organization's Web address. Usually, the URL simply contains the organization's name and the domain appropriate to the type of organization it is (see #4 of Internet/World Wide Web Concepts).

For instance, the URL for Skidmore College Web page is

A related strategy is to truncate the URL of a page which is no longer active to find out if the page has been moved, renamed or replaced by some equivalent resource.

For instance, if you had this URL:

you could drop off the file name (literature.htm) and take a look at the directory in which it sits (subjects):

and see that although there isn't a subject page for "literature," there are subject pages for ""English" and "Foreign Languages & Literatures."

Finding a page by truncating the URL is not always as easy as this example might suggest; however, it's often worth spending the time to see if a page has been moved or renamed before giving up on it.

2) Choose the proper tool.

The Internet Search Tools Explained page discusses the differences between search engines (#1), subject directories (#2), meta search tools (#3), and tools that allow you to search for specific types of Internet resources (#4). Understanding the differences between types of search tools aids in the decision of which tool you should choose.

The Internet Search Tools page provides links to engines, directories and meta search tools as well as some tools for finding Discussions/Lists/Newsgroups resources. The first time you use a search tool, read the descriptive blurb and help hints provided, as well as any description/help pages that a search site offers itself. Don't be afraid to try a new search tool. As mentioned in Internet Search Tools Explained (#5), you may need to use several engines/directories to do an effective search.

Here are some very general guidelines about choosing between types of search tools:

3) When you "search the Internet," you are actually searching a database.

As discussed on the Internet Search Tools Explained page, when you use a search engine or subject directory, you are searching a previously compiled index. You never actually "search" the Internet or the Web. You search a database of information about Internet and World Wide Web resources: titles, URLs, sometimes text. Most of the general concepts of database searching apply directly to using search engines and subject directories. See Database Searching (in the Lucy Scribner Library) for information about database searching.

4) Most subject directories can be searched.

Although subject directories (see #2 of Internet Search Tools Explained) often provide a hierarchy of subject categories, which can be quite useful if you have the time to browse them, don't forget that most directories can also be searched. Instead of browsing, try searching directories such as Yahoo. Often they will show you (with your search results) where a particular resource falls within the hierarchy, so you can browse after you've come closer to locating what you are looking for.

Remember, browsing usually takes more time than a well-constructed search.

5) Search for "gateway" sites or guides rather than several individual web pages.

As explained on the Internet Search Tools Explained page (#5), you would need to use several Internet search tools to have a chance at doing a thorough search. Instead of trying to use search engines and subject directories to find all the sites that pertain to your topic, search instead for the one or two good sites that have done your work for you. Find the sites where some expert has taken the time to find the best material available on the subject.

Gateway sites (sometimes called directories) attempt to collect the best (or sometimes all) Internet resources on a particular topic. The best will provide a well-structured subject hierarchy and/or descriptions of the sites. Resources recommended by your department or the library might be a good starting place to find a good gateway site for particular disciplines/topics. Try the subject pages.

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