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Throughout the world there are individuals and groups who are experts on specific topics. Many are willing to share their knowledge with others because they believe they should help and encourage people to learn more about those areas.
In the past this has not always been easy. Contact between people was more difficult and took longer. With the coming of the internet, there is a much quicker way of getting this help.
While most help is wanted on a specific topic, many links below go to sites designed to answer a range of questions on different topics.
There are several ways of getting help. These include posting a question on a site, reading answers to previously posted questions and using How to topics [including videos in some cases] to gain answers and assistance. All are covered below.
As with all help from the internet, Check The Source Carefully. Be happy to have an answer from a site like Ask an Expert, run by Australian Broadcasting Commission, but not as confident with an answer from someone with an interest in the area but little, or no, real knowledge. We work to ensure a listing which follows this principle.
Expert Help
- Academici
‘The global resource providing a web-based environment in which knowledge workers can interact, collaborate, transfer knowledge’ and more. Both Free and Fee-based levels of access. - All Experts
Directories broken into areas. Lists people and what you can ask them and when they are/are not available. - Answers.com
Ask a question, get an answer. It operates off a huge database of information. Use its 1-Click answers. - Askachef
Database of recent answers and ‘meet the chef’ section. Now requires access authorisation. Alternatively, you can access the forums at Chef2Chef - Ask a Chef for answers. - Ask a Child Psychologist
Ask child psychology questions of Dr. Sam Hackworth. [US based] - Ask a Geneticist
Ask a question. View answers to other questions in the archive. - Ask a Librarian
Done by the US Library of Congress. Choose from the areas offered. they try to provide the answers. -
Ask an Expert at able2know
‘Ask Questions, Share Answers’. - Ask an Expert - Braille
Created, using a forum format, by the US National Braille Association. - Ask An Expert Sites
‘An extensive range of links to experts in the sciences from The Centre for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education’. - Ask an Expert Sources
Annotated links to ‘experts in K-12 curricular related topics’. - Ask a Philosopher
‘Submit question to Pathways and we’ll see what we can do to help you’. - Ask a Psychologist/Psychiatrist
Part of a larger site where you can ask a range of questions of people in different medical areas. - AskA Service
[Virtual Reference Desk]
Replaces the previous AskA+ Locator site. Has many experts willing to help in areas from the Arts to Vocational Education. - Ask a Physics Professor
‘If you have questions about how things work, or why things are the way they are, visit Physics Central’. - AskA Services
A small collection of annotated links to various ‘Ask a …’ services. - Ask Dr. Econ
‘I am Dr Econ, and I specialise in clarifying topical and challenging economic quandaries’. - Ask Dr Maths
Student and teacher areas included. They answer Mathematical questions and let you find answers from FAQs. - Ask a Child Psychologist
From Education.com. - Ask Earl
Work through ‘Today’s Question’, recent questions, ‘Spotlight …’ or access information via categories on the left. Part of Yahooligans. - Ask for Kids
Questions and links to answers for children to about 14-15 years of age. Also a study section. [Jeeves has now retired after 10 years of answering questions !] - Ask Jeeves
The original site for asking questions and getting answers. - Ask Me Help Desk
‘At Ask Me Help Desk you can ask questions in any topic and have them answered for Free by our experts. To ask questions or participate in answering them you must Register for a Free Account’. - Ask Mr Calculus
Not only calculus but all subjects leading up to it. - AskOxford
The Oxford Dictionaries’ site. Ask Experts [Frequently Asked Questions], get word of the day, educational material, question and answer, tools, etc.. - AskPhilosophers
‘Puts the talents and knowledge of philosophers at the service of the general public. Send a question you think might be related to philosophy and we will do our best to respond to it’. -
Asktec
A business, technology and higher education level ask me site.. - Ask the Expert [WHO]
‘A judiciously selected group of health professionals in Genetics and related disciplines. They are committed to the development of genomics, public health systems and public engagement in the development of science and technology. You are encouraged to contact them to address any queries you have on genetics and related issues. They have been listed by area of expertise with detailed contact information’. - Ask the Psychologist
‘What would a psychologist say ? There’s an easy way to find out : just ask’. - Askville [Amazon]
‘Ask a question. Get real answers from real people’.
- Ask Wendell
[Science Entertainment for Kids]
‘Everything you want to know about science’ by Wendell the Worm. Also stated to be ‘The yuckiest site on the Internet’. -
Authoratory
‘Authoratory is a search engine for finding experts. The information provided on Authoratory.com web site is intended to help visitors find experts in the specific areas of life-sciences, including chemistry, biology and medicine’. - Cool Interview
‘World’s Largest Collection of Free Interview Questions’. In the computing area and designed for people working at the mid to higher levels of this. -
CorrectMyText.com
‘You can enter your text at CorrectMyText.com and native speakers will correct your grammar and provide a spoken version !’. - Expert City
A brains trust of people who answer from how to fix a stain to more complex areas. Type your request. An expert will solve your problem. - Experts
Connects to people and groups who are expert in many areas. Huge range, US based. - FAQ Kids !
‘Answers to Questions Kids Ask ! [via] Homework Help : Kids Learning Games : Online Learning for Kids : Science for Kids’. A good range of categories to check as well as ‘Random Questions’ and ‘Popular FAQs’. -
InboxQ
‘Find people who can answer your questions and questions you can answer’. - Internet Public Library Ask a Question
‘You’ll get a brief factual answer if you’ve asked a specific question, or, if you have a broader topic of interest, you’ll get a short list of sources that you can use to explore your topic’. -
KnowBrainers
‘KnowBrainers is a social question & answer community’.
You have to register to get answers but this is Free. - Linguist, Ask a
‘Ask A Linguist is designed to be a place where anyone interested in language or linguistics can ask a question and get the response of a panel of professional linguists’. -
Problem Solving with Smithsonian Experts
‘Smithsonian historians, scientists, and other researchers share their questions, their methods, and their intriguing findings in an interactive format that welcomes you to contribute your own ideas’. - Quandaries & Queries
‘If you have nagging mathematical problems or questions you can’t solve, or are just plain curious about something, we’re here for you. Our panel of consultants will try to answer your question’. - Question.com
‘Question.com is a Free service dedicated to providing accurate information about common and current topics. It includes many thousands of articles from almost every possible reference resource including encyclopedia, dictionary, healthcare & medical reference material, famous quotes and geographical information’.
Science Help
- Ask an Earth Scientist
Help on anything geographical. - Ask an Expert
From the Australian ABC comes this site which gives the opportunity to ask a range of experts about various scientific matters. - Ask Dr. Science
- Ask Dr Universe
Answered by experts, sometimes with blunt truth. - Mad Scientist Network, The
An Ask-a-Scientist section, archives of previous questions, information desk even a random Knowledge creator. - Scientific American Ask an Expert
Scientists willing to answer questions you pose them.
- Shipwrecks - Ask The Experts
Covers both shipwrecks and diving. -
Simply Explained
‘Simply Explained gives you the opportunity to share the expertise you have in any subject from Asbestos through to Zinfandel, by answering questions relevant to your field, posed by other Simply Explained users throughout the world’. You can also pose questions to be answered. - SnappyFingers
‘We search millions of FAQ’s spread across the web so that you don’t have to. Use our search to find answers or to discover more. Whether you are doing research or home work, or you just have a plain old question, SnappyFingers has the answer’. - Spree
‘Welcome to the home of the spree - the knowledge exchange network project. Spree is an expert search engine where users ask questions to find other participating users, who are knowledgeable in that area and willing to help’. Still continuing development. Based in Germany. -
The AnswerBank
‘Ask questions and get real answers from real people. Whether practical or just for fun get answers to your questions. To get started all you need to do is register’. To ask questions or participate in answering them you must Register for a Free Account - WiseGEEK
‘We are a team of writers and editors dedicated to providing clear and concise answers to common questions. Currently, there are over 50 active contributors’. More than 30 000 articles to check in a range of topic areas. -
Wonderopolis
This opens to the Wonders page of the site - all 400+ of them. Many are quite fascinating. - Yahoo!®7 Answers
Ask a question, share what you know about a question, discover more than 25 million answers. Check the extensive range of categories to narrow your search. This is the Australian version, or you can try the International Yahoo Answers version here.
How to Sites
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Animated Knots
‘Welcome to the most popular website about knots. You can start with The Basics; Find a Knot by Name; or select one of the Sections in the row above. Each animation can be controlled : step through with the arrow keys, use your mouse, or choose the speed. There is additional information beneath each animation’. - Dummies
By the people who generate the ‘Dummies’ texts. Covers just about everything. - eHow
‘Clear Instructions on How To Do [just about] Everything’. Also incorporates wikiHow pages. - eNotes
‘eNotes is an educational resource used by millions of teachers and students. We have thousands of literature study guides, lesson plans, literary criticism, and a vibrant community that we invite you to join’. - FindHow
A search engine ‘simplifying and speeding access to trusted, reliable How-To content on the Internet [while] providing a “Family, School, and Library Friendly” site’. Has a range of topic areas from Automotive to Wild and Wacky including Education.Also has other specialised options.
Well presented ! - Howcast
Select from 25 Categories and watch videos on specific topics within each. Covers much more than education. - How Everything Works
Database of information on how things work. Enter a general term e.g., ‘engine’. It selects all articles related to that. Will search links also. - How Stuff Works
Gives you the chance to learn how things work. - How to Do Things
15 000+ guides to help you understand and do things. - How to Vet an Expert
While American and using American examples, the ideas and points being made are still worth using as a basis for checking. - Instructables
‘Instructables is a web-based platform where passionate people share what they do and how they do it and learn from and collaborate with others’. Multiple sections listed on the home page. - Make-Stuff
‘Crafts & Projects, Kids Stuff, Cooking, Formulas & Remedies, Gardening, Holidays, Sewing and Recycling’. - MonkeySee
‘MonkeySee is a new destination website, that provides Free access to a large collection of professionally-produced and user-generated how-to videos. Find a rapidly growing library of videos on a wide variety of topics, presented in deep detail by accomplished, credible experts’. - Refdesk
One of the best sites for information, from news to everything else. Extensive listing of ‘Ask an Expert’ sites on a page with 120+ annotated entries. - So You Wanna ?
Helpful aids on how to do things. Even ‘Mini Wannas’ for those with little time. - SuTree
‘Use SuTree to learn virtually everything by watching how to videos from all over the web. If you’re looking for free how to videos of good quality, look no further’. More than 70 000 videos available. - TED - Ideas Worth Spreading
‘Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world’. Select by Themes, Speakers, Talks even Translations. Inc ludes a range of education-oriented material, e.g. Ken Robinson. More suited here than anywhere else. After all, they are all experts. - Tipnut
‘Tipnut.com now shares thousands of tips and projects to get your creative juices flowing !’ Everything from Cleaning Tips to Reference. - Videojug
‘1 000s of videos, articles, answers & people, here to help you. You can do anything & Videojug will show you how - it’s all free’. - WikiAnswers
‘WikiAnswers is a wiki-based Q&A project powered by contributors from all walks of life. Anyone can ask, answer or edit questions, building a global Q&A database, covering all topics’. - wikiHow
‘wikiHow is a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest how-to manual. With your contributions, we can create a Free resource that helps people by offering clear, concise solutions to the problems of everyday life. wikiHow currently contains 48 000+ articles written, edited, and maintained primarily by volunteers’. -
wiseGEEK
‘Clear answers for common questions’. Nearly 200 000 articles providing information. - WonderHowTo
‘WonderHowTo.com is a community-fueled, search engine and directory for Free How-To Video. We provide the largest, most contemporary and most diverse resource in this increasingly vibrant space’.