Web Search Tools > 1: Choose the Right Tool

"We're all informavores now, hunting down and consuming data as our ancestors once sought woolly mammoths and witchetty grubs."

Rachel Chalmers, "Surf Like A Bushman," New Scientist

The Internet is a vast global supermarket of information. With billions of documents available and growing rapidly, sources exist on the Net that provide answers to almost any type of question.

In a store this big, how do you ever find what you are looking for? Your success depends on choosing the right search tool and using it effectively. This tutorial will help you to accomplish both of these important goals.

1A: Types of Search Tools

There are three types of Web search tools that you should become familiar with: Web Index (also known as "search engine") -- tool that uses special software programs (called robots, spiders or crawlers) to find Web pages and "index" or list all words within each one. Indexes capture the largest amount of information on the Web, but no Index lists everything on the Web. Web Directory -- tool created by editors or trained researchers who categorize or classify Web sites by subject. Directories are more selective than Indexes. Specialized Database -- the smallest, most focused tool, where information is usually limited to a specific topic but provided in-depth.

1B: How to Choose A Search Tool

Here are some simple guidelines to help you decide which type of search tool to use.

SCOPE: Selected or "best Web sites" on a topic.

USE FOR: Searches on broad or general topics (one or two words).

EXAMPLE: Find background, best sites on earthquakes.

- - - Web Index (search engine)

SCOPE: Every word on billions of Web pages that are included in the Index.

USE FOR: Narrow or specific searches, such as those shown in the illustration.

EXAMPLE: Find information about the 1994 Northridge, California earthquake.

- - - Specialized Database

SCOPE: In-depth, factual information not easily found by other kinds of tools.

USE FOR: When available, use first for specific searches.

EXAMPLE: Compare the magnitude of recent earthquakes.

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