THE INVISIBLE WEB

While Google, Yahoo, or MSN seem easy to use, most of the information found by using common search engines miss scholarly articles. The term “invisible web” was coined to describe the scholarly and professional pages that popular search engines miss.

To find information for research on the web, your best bet is to use search engines designed for the invisible web or web directories created by researchers, academics, and librarians.

INVISIBLE WEB SEARCH ENGINES

• Complete Planet: Provides access to more than 70,000 searchable databases on the invisible web, arranged into subject categories
• OAIster: (pronounced “oyster”) A searchable union catalog of digital resources for scholarship and research, hosted by the University of Michigan
• Direct Search: Provides a search engine for the invisible web and offers directory of sites, organized by category
• Google Scholar: A beta-stage search engine that will offer citations of books and articles that you might be able to find at the library or request through Interlibrary loan

WEB DIRECTORIES

• Intute: A searchable directory of websites and resources, divided into categories and compiled by universities in the UK
• Directory of Open Access Journals: Provides access to more than 100,000 articles without charge and contains sections divided by subject
• INFOMINE: Offers a search engine and a collection of Internet resources compiled by university and college librarians, organized by subject
• Librarians Internet Index: A searchable list of 20,000 websites that have been screened by librarians, organized by topic
• Internet Public Library: A searchable guide to informative websites, divided into category, along with a ready reference section