[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Internet Subject Directories

Last updated Jul. 12, 2023.
by Greg R.

Subject directories include human-selected Internet resources and are arranged and classified in hierarchical topics. Most search engines and portals have a subject directory component or partner. Use these for with broad topics and to find a few good sites on a particular topic.

	Selection	Size	Boolean	Truncation	Fields	Sorting
Yahoo Review	User Submitted, editors	3,000,000?	+, -	Automatic, except in phrase	t:title u:url	Categories then Google
Open Directory Review	59,000 editors	3,800,000	and, or, andnot, +, -	Yes, *	None	Categories then sites
LookSmart Review	Selected	2,300,000	Automatic AND	Automatic stemming	None	Random sites, then Inktomi
Librarians' Index (LII)	Public Librarians	10,000	and, or, not, ( ) "phrase"	Yes, *	Subject, title, author, more	Relevance
InfoMine	Academic Librarians	120,000	and, or, and not, ( ), near4	Yes, *	Subject, title, author, more	Relevance, title
RDN	Academic selections	30,000?	and, OR, -	No	None	Relevance

There are many other specialized subject directories and many other general ones. About.com is arranged like a subject directory and includes over 400 meta sites on many topics. Others to consider include the World Wide Web Virtual Library, GoGuides, and JoeAnt.