For
most people, finding something on the Internet can be like
searching for a needle in a haystack. But, there is no shortage
of information on the subject that you’re searching for,
on the internet. There are millions of documents on the Internet,
published by specialists, scientists, teachers and students,
some of which will be useful for your research project. But,
the difficulty lies in trying to find them.
So, many people turn to search engines for help. But the problem
with search engines is that they tend to return a lot of results,
sometimes millions. And needless to say, most of the results
are just junk. So, you end up looking at lots of irrelevant
pages while trying to find the relevant ones. However, an
alternative is to find a web site where the topics have been
organized and cataloged, like in a library, so that everything
in a particular area is relevant. Such sites are called "directories."
And directories are compiled by teams of editors who choose
what they judge to be the best sites and organize them by
categories, subcategories, and further subcategories of the
subcategories. While they generally provide searching tools
to find information in sites they list, you can browse directories
as well. To browse directories is to choose categories of
interest and see where they lead. And the best place to start
is with a general category. Then, choose a subcategory within
it, and continue through subcategories of the subcategories
till the topic narrows. This is a good way to get quick information
on a topic.
The good advantage of a directory is that information will
be well organized and all the results will most likely be
on the topic that you’re looking for, just like in a
library. There are directories that focus on one subject area
as well as ones that collect and organize resources in a number
of areas.
Features of subject organized directories:
While deciding on which directory to use, it’s usually
useful to take note of the features of subject-organized directories.
With subject organized directories, the items are, as in a
library, arranged with like items, and lateral browsing may
offer fruitful possibilities. And, selectivity can compensate
for the lack of comprehensiveness in some cases. For example,
while searching for a standard or classic work in a subject
area. Also there are greater chances of finding quality resources.
And in contrast to automatic index searching, these selective
human-compiled lists will not normally throw up multiple hits
for the same work.
Specialized Subject Directories:
Because, it’s impossible to keep up with important sites
in all subject areas, there is usually a guide, compiled by
a subject specialist, to important resources in their area
of expertise. And these specialized guides are more comprehensive
and likely, than a general subject directory, to produce relevant
information. For example, Voice of the Shuttle (http://vos.ucsb.edu)
provides an excellent starting point for humanities research.
And, film buffs should consider starting their search with
the Internet Movie Database (http://us.imdb.com).
And, many of these sites offer reviews and annotations of
the subject directories included. Also, most work on the principle
of allowing subject experts to maintain the individual subject
directories. And while some clearinghouses maintain specialized
guides on their own web site, others link to guides located
at various remote sites. One of the most useful directories
for serious researchers is The Argus Clearinghouse (http://www.clearinghouse.net).
Also, there are About.com (http://about.com),
and Virtual Library (http://www.vlib.org).
Author's
bio:
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