The answer to the question "What's on the Web" is "a little bit of everything" but *not everything*.  Never assume something is on the web if you have never actually seen it.  The task of putting information on the web has been in most cases a haphazard effort, but fortunately one that has produced much for most any user.

As a college student, what promise does the web hold for you?  If you're hoping for easy research--couch-potato style--you may be (as they say in the South) "buying a pig in a poke".
 

Click on this link to read the Internet Public Library's essay on Reference Resources. This should answer the question, "Why isn't everything on the web?"  Thinking about those answers should influence your choice of resources and your strategy for your research. Then, click on the BACK button at the top left of the screen to return to this tutorial page.

Subject Directories

In its haphazard way, what's on the web is only loosely organized.  The current claim to organization consists of indexes to the web, compiled usually as subject directories and searchable through search engines.  Let's discuss subject directories first.

A directory of the Web such as Yahoo (see sample screen below) lists pages by subject, similar to listings in a telephone directory or a restaurant menu.  Subject directories are most useful when you need information on a broad topic.

Using a subject directory is simple.  Just click on the topic listed that most broadly represents your topic or interest.  The next page that appears will list another directory listing where you again click on the most appropriate listing for your topic.  Keep clicking through the directory listings until it narrows down to specific pages about your topic, and click on those links to pages about your topic and evaluate whether this page provides the information you are looking for.

In all cases, be sure to scroll down enough on each page to be fully aware of all of the directory or page listings before you click on any one.

Continue now with the tutorial
by clicking on the underlined link in this sentence.