Knesset Library - Internet Search Tips

Internet Search Tips

As with any library, the job of the Knesset Library is to provide information. Today, the greatest, most-widely accessible source of information is the Internet. The Knesset Library developed the following document to help connect users to the exact information they seek.

Contents:
About Internet Directories and Search Engines
Tools for Finding Information
Listing of Internet Directories and Search Engines

Internet Directories and Search Engines

Web Directories and Search Engines are websites that provide the means for finding specific information across the millions of websites of the Internet.

Directories:
Web Directories are the responsibility of information specialists who catalogue the contents of sites on the Net according to classifications of topics and sub-topics. This is how guides are assembled.

Every classification contains the titles of relevant websites, short descriptions of the contents of the sites, their addresses ("URL") and even links to other related sites.

The use of directories enables us to locate information according to subject. Thus they are assembled according to various subject categories. Most directories give users the option to search according to keywords found in the classifications or the descriptions of websites.

The directories also provide us with the option to check the classification of a particular website whose address we know, and thus we are able to gain access to other sites classified under the same category of subjects.

Search Engines:
Complex web-crawling "robots" operate search engines. In this they are different from the directories which are assembled by human beings and thus by definition are of more limited scope.

The "robots" scan pages over the entire Internet and direct their contents to databases. An automatic program is applied to the pages, while search interfaces enable access to the material. When applying a keyword in a search engine, the search engine will find all pages in its database on which that word is found.

Search engines usually include a number of search interfaces, such as: simple search (by keywords), advanced search (which includes Boolean parameters), search by field, language, type of material and more. For those interested in a particular parameter such as date, language, type of material, finding the names of people, places and more, one should use the appropriate search engine. The search engine ranks the results of the search according to the degree of suitability for the search parameters. Accordingly, it is to your advantage to investigate the uppermost pages of the search results.

Tools for Finding Information

As mentioned above, Internet directories and search engines enable access to specific information in the millions of websites residing on the Internet. The directories and engines provide users with several basic tools, whose aim is to help refine one's search and locate the desired information. These tools are: keywords, correlators and Boolean operators. These tools appear as "search boxes."

Keywords:
The directories search for the keywords within their classifications and web site descriptions, while search engines search for the keywords on all Internet pages. Consequently, the more keywords used in conjunction with correlators and/or boolean operators, the more effective your search will be.

One may broaden the search by using a "wildcard symbol" such as the asterisk sign (*) at the end of a word. The asterisk sign comes in place of a letter or group of letters, and thus it enables us to receive information about all the possible endings of a word or parts of a word that was typed for the search. For example, a search for the keyword "school*" will find documents containing the words school, schools, schooling, schoolteacher, etc... A search for the keyword behavi*r will find documents containing the two spellings, behavior and behaviour.

Correlators:
The task of the correlators is to enhance one's search strategies when using multiple keywords. There are three basic correlators that one may use in most the search engines:

Minus (-): When this sign appears before a keyword, it means that the requested word should not appear in the search results. For example: school -middle means that the information found includes the word "school" and excludes the word "middle."

Quotation Marks (" "): When quotation marks appear on both sides of the keywords, the search will retrieve all documents that contain that precise term. For example: Searching for "garden landscaping" will find a smaller number of documents than a search for garden + landscaping.

Boolean Operators:
Similar to the correlators, Boolean operators define the relationships between words or groups of words. The "Advanced Search" options in many search engines allow the user to perform a search using the following Boolean operators (note, some search engines require the operators to be capitalized, and some operators may not be functional in some engines):

AND

OR: Using OR broadens the search by retrieving records containing any or all of the words it separates (similar to using no correlator on a regular search).

NOT: Using NOT (some search engines require "AND NOT") narrows the search by retrieving records that do not contain the term following it (similar to "-").

NEAR: Using NEAR narrows the search by finding the search terms in any order within 10 words of each other.

( ): The parentheses are used to group complex Boolean phrases and to show the order in which relationships should be considered when performing the search. Two examples:
(school OR academy) AND (teacher OR educator)
(garden OR landscaping) NOT greenhouse

Listing of Internet Directories and Search Engines

Historically, internet directories and search engines were separate entities. One would go to Yahoo! when seeking a directory while Altavista was considered a powerful search engine. Today, the famed search engines also have directories while the traditional Internet directories also provide search engines.

Recommended Directories and Search Engines:

Yahoo!
This is the oldest, largest, and most highly recommended directory. It includes search options according to categories and sub-categories. It also contains an Internet-wide search engine composed of simple and advanced search options. It is recommended to search by category, as it is more accurate and suitable for defining narrow subjects.

Google
This search engine contains tens of billions of pages - the largest number of indexed documents in the world. Google also has its own Internet directory, translation service, and other language tools. The advanced search option on Google allows for precise search options including the ability to retrieve documents that contain a particular link.

Altavista
Altavista is one of the original search engines on the Internet. This search engine includes hundreds of millions of full-text pages. It is user friendly, fast, and contains several search possibilities: simple search, advanced search (including Boolean parameters), search according to a particular language, domain, file type, or date. Altavista also provides an automatic translation into several languages. Altavista also has a directory, allowing a search by way of categories.

About
About is an Internet directory that has maintained its specialty - a search within its own 24 main categories and thousands of sub-categories, without an option to conduct an Internet-wide free search.

FindArticles
FindArticles is an Internet Directory that covers the material in periodicals. One can search by keyword, category, or by name of the publication.

More Recommended Directories and Search Engines:
Lycos
Beaucoup
Excite
Search.Com
Dogpile
Metaeureka

Hebrew Language Directories and Search Engines:

Hebrew language directories and search engines work in much the same way as the English: One can search through and within the categories, and/or search the web using keywords and combinations of keywords. In addition, the Israeli web portals have integrated search engines and web directories, and many offer additional services such as news, forums, chats, and free email.

Google
The Hebrew Google is based on the same principle as the English one. Of all the search engines in Hebrew, Google is the most likely to find the largest number of documents.

Iguide
Iguide appears with a "Yahoo!" style in Hebrew and in English. Some interesting features found at Iguide include statistical tables that rank the extent to which Israeli sites are visited, an alphabetized list of Israeli sites, a list of internet suppliers, and a map of internet lines.

Morfix
Morfix serves both as an Internet-wide search engine and as a Hebrew-English/English-Hebrew dictionary.

start
"Start" is a portal which also allows access to many other search engines in Hebrew and English. It also has a limited directory with a heavy emphasis on news sites. The search ability there is limited.

More Recommended Hebrew Directories and Search Engines:
Tapuz
Nana
Walla
MSN Israel
Portelo