Helps for Writers

Quick Links to Reference Works, Search Engines & Libraries

Compiled by Cherie Dargan

Updated Spring 2005

Reference Works

http://webster.com   Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus site
Web resources for Writers A Listing of links for writers
REFDESK                http://www.refdesk.com/

This site offers quick links to an astonishing variety of sites: you have to visit it to believe it! In one page you will see quick links to major search engines, links to reference materials, news, images, etc. 

Dictionary.com             http://dictionary.reference.com/  There are links here to both dictionaries and a thesaurus.
Yahoo Reference -- This page is full of links to numerous categories of reference materials, ranging from dictionaries to encyclopedias to abbreviations to etiquette to phone numbers. http://dir.yahoo.com/Reference/
Reference Materials -- Here is another site with multiple links to a variety of reference materials. http://www.cln.org/subjects/refmat.html
Math on the Web -- References. http://www.ams.org/mathweb/mi-reference.html
About.Com's List of References online. http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/reference/
Geography -- Reference materials online. http://www.library.ubc.ca/geog/gref.html
The Practical Professor's list of links      http://www.usual.com/refer.htm

A nice collection of links including search engines, dictionaries, and more.
The Honolulu Community College library presents this set of links in nicely organized fashion, by categories in alphabetical order. http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/education/hcc/library/eref.html
Legal References.  http://www.palidan.com/legal5.htm

Purdue University -- OWL Links
Purdue University's OWL (Online Writing Lab) is one of the best, and oldest, OWLs online. This is a great resource to check out next time you have a question. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/index.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/index.html ESL Handouts -- Purdue University
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/index.html   Grammar & Punctuation help from the OWL at Purdue University
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/index.html  General writing concerns -- handouts from the OWL at Purdue University

Handy HOT LINKS for Learning How to Use the Internet

Visit the Internet Search Decision Tool -- Rosenfield Library Website. http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/resources/library/libinet.htm

This website has a list of search engines, metasearch engines, business portals, news websites, and websites with pictures. There are also several tutorials about how to do research on the web.  This is more a resource to explore over time than a place to look at for 15 minutes and know it all!

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html. Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Handouts.html. Go to the Handout page and find the link to the pdf file below.

Searching: Hands-on Exercises (search engines, meta-searchers, and directories) (pdf file) - This document illustrates step by step how to use various search engines to find information, giving you specific tips for using each search engine. The search engines used include: Google, Vivismo, Teoma, AllTheWeb, Alta Vista, Surwax, Copernic Agent, Librarians' index, infomine, academic info, about.com, and Yahoo.

Search Engines & Online Sources

Google -- This has become part of our vocabulary. "I'm going to google it!

http://google.com

However, did you know that there is now a more academic google? Check it out.

http://scholar.google.com/
Metasearch Engines -- This is my original list of the top 10 Metasearch Engines, according to Bovee & Thill newsletter.  Which one is my all time favorite? 

Surfwax!  http://surfwax.com
More Search Engines -- Here is an older, but extensive list of search engines, from the Middleschool website.   

http://www.middleschool.net/refmater/searcheng.htm
Searchenginewatch.com.        

http://searchenginewatch.com   Here is a great website, with lists/links to search engines and tutorials. You can find a list of search engines here, as well as tips on searching.
http://searchenginewatch.com/links/article.php/2156241 -- Their list of metasearch engines.

The list includes surfwax, mamma, dogpile, infogrid, fazzle, and vivisimo.
http://searchenginewatch.com/links/ -- Listing of search engines, broken down into categories: metacrawlers, specialty, news, major, and multimedia. 

Parents: check it out! There is a list of search engines for kids here!

http://searchenginewatch.com/facts/index.html -- Tips on using search engines.

http://searchenginewatch.com/resources/tutorials.html -- Tutorials

http://searchenginewatch.com/facts/glossary.html -- Glossary of terms.
Kartoo           http://www.kartoo.com    This website presents your results in a visual web, "with sites being interconnected by keywords."  Very Cool. 

Vivisimo      http://vivisimo.com/    Vivisimo searches a variety of search engines and then automatically organize the results into categories.

All4one Meta Search                 http://all4one.searchallinone.com                               This new search tool lets you search AllTheWeb, AltaVista, hotbot, Lycos, msn, Netscape, wisenut, and yahoo all at once!

ONLINE DATABASES -- MAGAZINE ARTICLES
Infomine -- A more scholarly collection of sources. http://infomine.ucr.edu/index.html
Magportal.com -- A great place to find magazine articles online. http://magportal.com
Findarticles.com -- Another online resource for finding articles. http://findarticles.com

HCC Library, Other Area Libraries

HAWKEYE LIBRARY LINKS (Cedar Valley Consortium)
Link to the Hawkeye Library's Main Page. http://www.hawkeye.cc.ia.us/academic/library/index.html
http://www.hawkeye.cc.ia.us/academic/library/seriallist.html. List of magazines and journals carried by HCC
We have a number of databases available (such as Ebsco Host) that you can use online; however, if you access it from off campus, you will be prompted to log on, using the standard lab log on (the one for general use at HCC; it has your own initials plus numbers). If you have any questions, contact the library or go to the Academic Support Area (Bremer Hall, room 116) for help getting your log on information. http://www.hawkeye.cc.ia.us/academic/library/onlinedatabases.html
http://www.hawkeye.cc.ia.us/academic/library/newresources.html. Check out the new resources at the HCC library
http://www.wplwloo.lib.ia.us/wpl.html. Link to the Waterloo Public Library webpage
http://unistar.uni.edu/search~S2/. You can also search the catalogs for books and videos; you will notice that we are part of the Cedar Valley Library Consortium, which is made up of UNI, Waterloo Public Library, Cedar Falls Public Library, Hawkeye Community College Library, and others.
The Citation Machine - The web-based tool for creating MLA or APA citations. http://landmark-project.com/citation_machine/cm.php

Want Help with Critical Reading & Writing strategies? Need help with documentation of sources? Go to my Helps for Writers: Reading, Writing & Documenting Page.

Created by Cherie Dargan

Updated March 31, 2005

Email me at: cdargan@hawkeyecollege.edu

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