Search engines help you find the gold among the ore, the pearls hiding in the sand.
 

Where to find search engines

• Pandia Powersearch

"Pandia Powersearch is our all-in-one list of search engines and directories. Search the Web using our search form, or select one of the categories below to find the best  information retrieval tools. "
• Search Engine Colossus

This international directory of search engines  is a gold mine of specialized search engines from various countries and regions of the world.
• Virtual Search Engines

• AlltheWeb
• AltaVista
• Google
• HotBot
• Lycos
• Northern Light via NLResearch.com

Yes, I know Northern Light is supposed to be no longer available, but Northern Light search engine can be found at NLResearch.com, which is soon to become password protected.  It is still available from the meta-search, qbSearch.com .  This information was made available in LLRXBuzz, February 25, 2002.
• Teoma

Teoma uses subject specific popularity ranking. Review of Teoma by Greg Notess.
• Wisenut

Review of Wisenut by Greg Notess

• Animated Internet: How search engines work. (1996 -2002) Learn the Net. Michel Lerner Productions.
• Barlow, L. (2001). A helpful guide to Web search engines: How search engines work. The Spiders Apprentice.
• Franklin, C. (n.d.) How Internet search engines work. How Stuff Works.

Illustrated with specific references to Google.  The author explains the relevant terminolgy terminology including the use of meta tags, Robot Exclusion Protocol, and so on.
• Search Engines: How software agents and search engines work

Here is the explanation of how search engines really work through the discovery of a site to the building of a database, how a user searches the engine, including the presentation and ranking.
• Sullivan, D. (2001). How search engines work. Search Engine Watch.   http://searchenginewatch.com/webmasters/work.html

Notess, G. (1999- 2002). Search engine showdown.

University of California. Berkeley. Library (2002). The best search engines: recommended search  engines: Tables of features

• Google (Google's search results are based upon a method  that ranks relevant Web sites based on the link structure of the Internet itself. A good place to look for a good "hits" on your topic.)
• Oingo (Oingo is the Internet's first meaning based search engine. By going beyond searching for just simple text words, Oingo is the first search engine on the web that allows you to refine your search based on the actual meaning of your search words or search phrase. Oingo lets you select which of a word’s many meanings you were thinking of when you typed in the word. )
• University at Albany Libraries. (2002). Second generation Searching on the Web.

Describes some second generation search engines as well as trends to watch for in second generation search engines.

• How to Choose a Search Engine or a Research Database (If you want to search by...)
• The best search engine for the purpose  (Prosser Schools)
• Choose the best search engine for your information need (Debbie Abilock)
• University at Albany Libraries. (2002). How to choose a search engine or directory.
• National Network of Libraries of Medicine. Nothing but Net: Choosing a Web search engine.

This is a checklist approach to choosing a search engine.  Check the features that you want in a search engine, and the search engine with those features is recommended.
• Ratings, Reviews, Tests  (Search Engine Watch)
• Recommended Internet search tools for students. (2002)

A flowchart (created with Inspiration) of choices students face when beginning a search for information.
• Search Engine Showdown  (Notess)

• Search Engine Sizes  (Search Engine Watch)
• Search Engine Statistics (Notess)
• Database Total Size Estimates (Notess)
• Relative Size Showdown
• Search IQ (ZdNet)

Reviews, ratings, articles, and a comprehensive guide to searching the Web.

• Brin, S. & Page, L. The anatomy of a large scale hypertextual search engine.

A scholarly article about Google and its architecture by its developers.
• Calishain, T. (2002). Clustering with search engines.

"With clustering search engines gather results into groups around a certain theme, or in some cases just provide you with related keywords that perhaps you wouldn't have thought of yourself, helping you zero in on your goal. " The article discusses how clustering is used in  Google Sets,  Wisenut,  Teoma, Oingo, and AlltheWeb.
• Calishain, T. (2002). Clustering with search engines. Part 2. LLRX.com

A futher discussion of clustering techniques with AltaVista, Vivisimo, Query Server, Surfwax, and Northern Light.
• Carlson, C. (2002). The seven commandments of highly effective Web searching. LLRX.com

I. Thou Shalt Not Waste Thy Time, II. Believe Not All Thou May Read, III. Use Thou The Appropriate Tool, IV. Readest Thou Thy Directions, V Be Thou Flexible in Thy Searching, VI. Thou Shalt Keep Up,
VII. Thou Shalt Not Forsake the Old Ways
• Notess, G. R.  (2002, May/June). Dead search engines. Online. 26 (3)
• Price, G. (2001). Web search engine FAQ's.  Searcher.  Information Today.

Search tips for various search engines with advice on how a Web searcher can keep up to date with changing searching technology.
• Sullivan, D. (2002). Search engines and legal issues.

Includes descriptions of pagejacking and lawsuits involving crawling and linking, domain names, patents, etc.
• The technology behind Google's great results. (2002).  Google.com
  Have a sense of humour when you read this parody.
• Vidmar, D.J. (1999).  Darwin on the Web. Computers in Libraries, 19 (5) 22 - 28.

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