Microbiology Internet Resources
The Internet can be a very good resource for information on scientific topics, including microbiology. However, it can also be a very bad resource as well. This lesson will discuss some ways of using the Internet to find information appropriate for a research paper: Specialized Directories and Search Engines
Specialized Directories
Most of you are probably familiar with the general Internet directory Yahoo! There are also many specialized directories on the internet that can help you find information about your topic. A specialized directory is a directory or page of hypertext links dedicated to one or more related subjects. The links in the directory lead to subject specific sites on the Internet. Often these sites are compiled by subject specialists in colleges/universities or libraries. Sometimes knowledgeable individuals create directories as well. Some of the best directories come from educational or government sites. An example of a specialized directory in microbiology can be seen below (this is only the first screen of the site, there are many more links below those in the example):
You may want to visit our library web page. On the "Internet Links" page, under the academic area of Math/Science, is the topic Microbiology, with a number of current links to useful subject guides online.
Search Engines
If you need to search for a particular concept or name, search engines can be very helpful. Search engines allow you to search for a very specific topic or concept. There are several types of search engines you might use:
General--Similar to Yahoo in that it searches all subjects. Example: Google (www.google.com) or Alta Vista (www.altavista.com).
General Science--Searches only science web sites. Example: SciNet Science Search (www.scinet.cc).
Specialized Science--Searches specific science subjects, such as biology. Example: The BioHunt: Molecular Biology Finder (www.expasy.ch/BioHunt/).
Metasearch--A search engine that will search several other search engines at one time and list the results for you to review. Example: Dogpile (www.dogpile.com); Ixquick (ixquick.com).
Some of the best, most reliable Internet sources can be found by using specialized science search engines such as The BioHunt: Molecular Biology Finder http://us.expasy.org/BioHunt/
For some useful microbiology Internet Resources click on the link below:
Microbiology Research Guide (PDF) format.
In the next section of this presentation you will learn how to evaluate the quality and usability of Internet sources.