Web Indexes Introduction

As I mentioned in the introduction to search engines, the results returned by search engines are generated by computers, not humans. If we learn to work within the confines of the search engine's strengths and limitations, they can be very effective in returning useful resources.

However, search engines do not review the indexed pages to check if the information is accurate. We have all seen instances where search engines returned pages with little or no academic value.

Another search option is available which relies on the expertise of real, live humans to review webpages before they are included in the searchable database.

I have broken these search tools into two categories, the more commercial web indexes (which cater to a broad cross-section of users) and the more academic web directories (which are aimed at educators and students).

We'll start with the more commonly used web indexes.

Next: Yahoo!