BARE BONES 101:

"You can't expect to hit the jackpot if you don't put a few nickels in the machine. "
             --Flip Wilson, 1971

LESSON 2: METASEARCH ENGINES

WHAT ARE METASEARCH ENGINES?

Metasearch engines do not crawl the web compiling their own searchable databases. Instead, they search the databases of multiple sets of individual search engines simultaneously, from a single site and using the same interface. Metasearchers provide a quick way of finding out which engines are retrieving the best results for you in your search.

HOW DO METASEARCH DISPLAY THEIR RESULTS?

Metasearch engines present the results of their searches in two ways:
  1. Single List.  Most metasearchers display multiple-engine search results in a single merged list, from which duplicate entries have been removed.

  2. Multiple Lists.  Some metasearchers do not collate multiple-engine search results but display them instead in separate lists as they are received from each engine. Duplicate entries may appear.

WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF METASEARCHERS?

Metasearch engines don't offer the "salad bar" of search options that individual search engines do. When you initiate a keyword or phrase search on a metasearch engine, you are usually at its mercy as far as how the search is configured and conducted.

Although metasearch engines query a number of individual search engines, few query Google, one of the largest and most popular search engines on the Web.

More and more, metasearch engines seem to be casting smaller nets by relying on subject directories and pay-per-click engines for their Web results.

Metasearchers are very fast.

WHEN DO YOU USE METASEARCH ENGINES?

Use metasearchers when you are in a hurry. Metasearch engines are useful in obtaining a quick overview on a subject and/or unique term.

Use metasearchers when you are conducting a relatively simple search and also when you are not having any luck pulling up documents in your search.

EXAMPLES OF METASEARCH ENGINES:

ASSIGNMENT:

Select any two or three of the metasearchers listed above and search for:
   Challenger disaster
Compare your results.

Search Engines                                        Subject Directories

[Table of Contents] [Search Engines] [Subject Directories] [Gateways & Databases] [Evaluating Web Pages]
[Search Strategies] [Search Tips] [Boolean Operators] [Field Searching] [Troubleshooting] [All the Web (Fast)]
[Alta Vista] [Google] [Ixquick] [Yahoo!] [Final Exam] [Beyond Bones] [User Agreement]

Links and text checked regularly. Latest update on 10 July 2002.
This tutorial was first created in January 2000 by Ellen Chamberlain, library webweaver.
Copyright © the Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina.
URL: http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/lesson2.html