General search engines such as Google, Dogpile, and Yahoo are fine for locating general information on any topic. Students, writers, and researchers, however require more authoritative information, and thus a different set of search engines to accomplish the task. Some favorite search engines for this task are INFOMINE, RefSeek, Google Scholar, and Infotopia.
INFOMINE
INFOMINE is a virtual library online. Developed by librarians at the University of California at Riverside, INFOMINE links and indexes collections in most academic disciplines for easy access to scholars.
RefSeek
RefSeek does for students and researchers what Google does for the general public. With more than one billion documents in its database, RefSeek offers users complete coverage without the overload of superfluous information.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar connects users to scholarly journals and papers many of which must be purchased to read. Search by author, title, or subject. Choose specialized searches, such as legal opinions from the Google Scholar drop down menu.
Infotopia
Infotopia is a search engine that accessing trusted websites that were individual chosen by librarians, educators, and scholars. Search for information through specialized portals such as Arts and Leisure, Biography, Health, Literature, History, News and Opinion, etc., or through a generalized search that encompasses all the portals.
Thorough researchers will add several scholarly search engines to their list of favorites and use them regularly to get both a broad overview of their topic and specific details unobtainable elsewhere. The four search engines listed above are a place to start, but as you continue your research you’ll discover many more that fit your particular discipline.