The top level categories have been created to encompass most areas of conventional research. Each of these top level categories have eight second level subcategories.

The General top level category is the fifth top level category. It contains top sites that don't fall under the others. This category has eight category lists which includes our ultimate top 16 websites, general databases, web search engines, web dictionaries, web libraries, web encyclopedias, general government information and top downloads.

The second level subcategories all have a set of eight items which link directly to a list of top websites or to a third level category. The third level categories all have a set of eight category lists of top sites. Each top category and subcategory has a list of top sites specific to that higher level category. The top site listings include the name of the site, the address to the site, a link to the site and a description containing details about what to expect in the site's content.

The categories are chosen by determining the most popular areas of interest for conducting research on the web. To recommend a new category use our add a category form or join our blog community. The upper level categories are created to be broad, encompassing large areas and the lower categories below get more granulated to be more specific in their areas of research.

To access the categories without using the navigational application or without searching you can look the categories up in our site category index or by using our web 2.0 dynamic category list. The Top 100k website retains the right to determine the categories that we use.