Keyword and text string searches of online library catalogs often provide different results according to library and database used and depending upon how books and journals are indexed. For this reason, online databases such as ERIC often provide tutorials and recommendations for searching their site, such as how to use Boolean search strategies. Using Internet search engines to conduct research is an even more problematic task than searching online library catalogs. This paper focuses on conducting an effective search of the Internet using several popular Internet search engines. A keyword search was conducted using Excite, Yahoo, AOL. Lycos, Alta Vista and Google search engines with the same search query string, "substance abuse research," used each time. A follow-up query of ERIC was conducted using the same search terms, keeping in mind that ERIC searches yield results only for published articles in journals (including electronic journals) or published by one of the ERIC Clearinghouses. An annotated list of sites that resulted from the keyword search of "substance abuse research" by AOL, Yahoo, and Lycos is provided. The paper concludes that results of queries of search engines may be influenced by the following: content of the pages; hypertext markup language authoring skills of the Web author; design of the search engine's Web site rating method; registration of the site with search engines; selection of keywords used in the search; number of pages on the Web site and number of times the keywords appear; and intended audience and purpose of the Web site. (Author/AEF)