Many Web sites act as front ends to searchable databases. Complete Planet, IncyWincy Spider and The Librarians' Internet Index provide quick links for quality Web database searching. This technique is called split-level searching. Enter the key phrase "searchable database" into the above for more.

You can find other subject searchable databases by entering the keyword phrase

"subject_name database" into your favorite search engine (e.g., "jazz database," "virus database").

A naive searcher typically enters a keyword into a general-purpose search engine, gets too many hits and then expends time and energy sorting through relevant and irrelevant results. Alternatively, they get no hits and wonder why. It is difficult to get all relevant hits and no irrelevant hits. (Information scientists call this the Law of Recall and Precision.)

Almost by definition, authoritative searchable specialty databases contain relevant information and minimal irrelevant information.