Researching On The Net – Take Advantage of Directories

By Olivia Lambeth

For most people, finding something on the Internet can be like searching for a needle in a haystack. There is no shortage of information – there are millions of documents online 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.

Many people turn to search engines for help. But the problem with search engines is that they return a lot of results, sometimes millions. And most of the results are junk. You end up looking at 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."

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 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. 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 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 his or her area of expertise. 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).

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. The most useful directories for serious researchers are the Argus Clearinghouse, About.com, and Virtual Library .

Olivia Lambeth is a creative and multi-talented fashion designer and has worked with reputed fashion houses for the past twelve years. She specialized in casual wear but nevertheless her unique design for formal and hand work is worth mentioning. For more information visit Discount Search. Published in Networking Today, November 2005.