Search Tool Guide for Effective Internet Search: About this Guide (Guide organization)

This web version of our Search Tool Guide is designed for use with an open connection to the Internet. As well, if you have the electronic version of our book, Effective Internet Search, you will be able to hyperlink to points on the book website.

Use either the left navigation bar on any page, or the Search Tool Guide Control Center (next section) to take you to the next level of this guide (see levels 1 and 2 in the table below).
Use the hyperlinks in the modules below level 3 (see table below) to branch either to particular search tools on the Web or to go to the next level of the guide, where individual search tools are provided within a specified tool category or sub-category.
There are also frequent links throughout to take you back to your starting point, especially the "Tothetop" arrows, found at the end of each major section, to return to the start of that section.
Use the provided links to cross-reference sideways between and within the sections at the same level, e.g., between where you "Search by Topic" and "Search Other than by Topic."

Hierarchical guide structure

Web documents are generally organized by subject category. We have adopted a similar tack with our own search tool guide. To help you better visualize and understand its organization, our overall structure is summarized in the table below.

Hierarchical Structure of Search Tool Guide

Level

Description

Tool grouping based on searches by: (a) by topic; (b) other than by topic.

See Search Tool Guide Control Center below for breakdowns by topic and other than by topic.

Sub-categories of level 2, e.g., sub-topic in the case of organization by topic.

Meta or all-in-one search tools for level 3, including ones that:

Provide or allow you to create search tool search sets. Such sets are lists of search engines, searchable subject directories, or internal website search tools. Each one is designed to satisfy the needs of a particular kind of search, e.g., on a particular subject. Meta search engines permit you to integrate the results of several tools in a single search set.
Furnish different branches on their search interfaces for searching by subject or other means.
Have simple interfaces with no branching by subject or other means.

Individual directories and other search tools for level 3

5-9

Tools
	Tool #1: web address
	Tool #2: web address
	...
	Tool #n: web address

Category identifier:
	Sub-category #1:
		List of tools and their web addresses
	Sub-category #2:
		List of tools and their web addresses
		...
	Sub-category #n:

Levels 5 to 9 materials represent a synthesis of various sources. In particular, examples of individual search tools are drawn from other search guides or meta search tools, especially from Copernic, the one meta search tool featured in our book, "Effective Internet Search." Copernic presently has more than 142 categories that group over 1366 information sources (individual search tools). These will continue to grow, keeping pace with changes on the Web.

Notes:

Levels 5 to 9: Individual tools are listed at level 5 if the tool is not inside a category, or at level 6 if there is a tool category provided at level 5. In the latter case, the level 6 details are obtainable by linking to a different spot in the text. For instance, in the above generic structure, "Category #1" is at level 5, while "Tool #1" is at level 6. The tool details at level 6 are contained in a separate module to which you must link. This approach provides different levels of abstraction of detail where needed.

Additional sub-categories are provided for deeper levels of complexity.

Cross-references: Because some search tools, or categories thereof, may fall into more than one part of the guide, cross-references are provided where applicable. However, for simplicity's sake, details of the tool or tool category are usually provided in only one place in the guide. For example, search tools for computer shopping are in the "Computers, Internet" section, but there is a cross-link in "Shopping: other," as well.