How to do research on the internet

Subject gateways

How do they work?

Subject specific pages have been compiled into one site to help you locate useful web pages. These pages have been sorted into categories to make them easier to find.

Use a subject gateway when you are looking for well defined topics, less material, or access to databases or journal articles

Examples:
Yahoo http://www.yahoo.com.au
BUBL http://bubl.ac.uk/
lii.org http://lii.org

Advantages of subject gateways:

• less likely to find sites that are no longer available
• organisation of gateway makes finding material on a topic easier
• information is likely to be substantial and relevant

Disadvantages of subject gateways:

• smaller coverage of the web
• may not list very new sites
• subject organisation and categories not always clear
• maintenance is dependent on the amount of human input available