October 2011
Specialized searching – giving Google a rest
Last month, I shared some favorite Google alternatives. Yet another way to supplement the Google habit is to use a search engine that covers a specific subject area or type of information. In addition to ready access to specialized information, tools like these save time and effort by helping me avoid sorting through pages of irrelevant Google results. In this issue of ResearchNOTES, I've lined up some handy specialized search tools for your consideration:
I'm amazed by how many of my searches contain a science or technology component. That's when I use Scitopia. It searches multiple databases and organizes results into clusters, or folders related to topics, authors, sources, dates, and more. I used Scitopia recently for getting up to speed on the various topics related to sustainability metrics.
To find discussions on how businesses measure sustainability, I headed to business search engine Zibb.com. This tool also organizes results into folders, and I especially like that you have the option of refining your search by content type.
If you're looking for numbers that are likely to be contained in charts, graphs, or tables, try Zanran. I used this for gathering examples of sustainability metrics currently in use or in development.
Have you come across any super-useful specialized search engines? Let me know and I'll share with the class!
Regards,
Marcy
**Check out my tips for using Census.gov for business information - in the October issue of Entrepreneur magazine.
Marcy Phelps
Phelps Research
Phone: +1 303.239.0657 Email: mphelps@phelpsresearch.com
Web: www.phelpsresearch.com Blog: www.MarcyPhelps.com