Last Updated: Oct 13, 2024
In today’s digital world, knowledge seekers have access to a vast amount of content but actually finding credible and actionable insights in the flood of noise is very difficult. Sooth addresses that by providing a curated search engine focused exclusively on credible, diverse, expert, and original sources.
With Sooth, you can quickly access high-quality information without the distractions of ads or unreliable content. Our platform enhances the effectiveness and accuracy of your research and accelerates your productivity, enabling you to maximize your learning and production.
There is an overwhelming amount of information online. It has become so easy for anyone—especially now with generative AI—to create and share information. It’s very challenging for knowledge seekers to efficiently find reliable, actionable information they need to make informed decisions.
Sooth addresses this problem by providing a curated search engine focused exclusively on diverse, expert, original sources. By delivering high-quality information without the noise and distractions of traditional search engines or the incomplete and limited answers of newer conversational AI agents, Sooth enhances your productivity and helps you get smarter, faster.
Sooth is designed for knowledge seekers, specifically:
K-12 Students: Typically, 7th grade and above, as they tend to conduct more in-depth online research. However, it can also be useful for younger students depending on their research needs.
College Students: Whether it is looking for open-access research or additional commentary and analysis on complex issues or events, Sooth is a powerful tool for undergraduate and graduate students across disciplines.
Educators and School Staff: Teachers, professors, and academic staff who require reliable sources for teaching and research.
Librarians: Both school and public librarians who assist patrons in finding trustworthy information.
Government Researchers: Professionals in government agencies who need accurate and timely data.
Please note that while all sources are vetted at the source level, we do not filter individual content for age appropriateness.
Sooth is old English for truth. It reflects our commitment to providing truthful, reliable information to our users.
To help you get the most out of Sooth, we’ve prepared several demo videos. More tutorials can be found inside the app.
These videos provide step-by-step guidance on how to maximize your use of Sooth’s features and tools.
Sooth offers significant research productivity gains by providing:
Access to High-Quality Information: Only reliable, diverse, expert sources are included, ensuring you receive trustworthy information.
Ad-Free Experience: No ads, sponsored content, or commercial distractions.
Efficient Knowledge Discovery: Organizes your search results by source type, accelerating your research process.
Productivity Tools: Includes features like citation generators, bookmarking, research collections, collaboration tools, article summarizers, and source transparency features.
No Dubious Sources or Chatbots: Focuses on original content from expert sources, avoiding the inaccuracies and limited summaries of generative AI chatbots.
Use Sooth like any other search engine:
For comprehensive research, try varying your search terms and exploring different recency settings. Check out our demo videos for detailed guidance.
Databases are closed systems that incrementally add archived content of various provenance and vintage. Typically, the content is in the form of PDF’s and the search technology used is keyword search. While databases can be valuable archived resources, the diversity and scope of the content is usually limited to digital copies of printed newspapers, journals, and periodicals.
Sooth, by contrast, is live web semantic search that encompasses tens of billions of pages of dynamic internet content that is near-instantly discoverable by our users once it has been published online by the originating source. Sooth has access to content that is orders of magnitude larger than what is typically available in databases. Recent open access initiatives within the academic and research communities are also pushing more research online today than in the past. Content that was once the exclusive domain of research databases is now being made available online. Recently, the U.S. federal government mandated that all research funded by taxpayers must be publicly accessible, without an embargo period or cost.
Sooth performs exceptionally well on topics such as:
Our Academia category includes direct access to over 100 million open-access research papers from repositories like Semantic Scholar, Arxiv, PLOS, Springer Nature, and CORE. This makes Sooth an invaluable resource for in-depth academic research.
Sooth does not use any conversational chatbots. We believe that this technology has made remarkable advancements, but it is not yet reliable enough to enhance the knowledge discovery process for serious research. They can be prone to errors and do not provide the depth of quality or insight required for informed learning and fostering the human intellect.
We do carefully employ generative AI for very specific research purposes:
Article Summarizer: Generates summaries of articles by first retrieving the full text and then summarizing it using our in-house language model.
Custom Summaries: Allows you to input text and receive a concise summary.
Article Leveling: Generates leveled text of articles by first retrieving the full text and then leveling it to the appropriate reading level using a specialized, third-party language model.
Custom Leveling: Generates leveled text from content provided by you.
Our generative AI applications are accurate, efficient, and safe. We do not use or store any user data to train our models, and no personal data is shared with third parties.
Generative AI is a powerful technology but it should not be used in a manner that replaces critical thinking or limits choice. As we continue to evaluate and explore additional applications of Generative AI, we will always keep this in mind.
Sooth organizes search results into seven categories to accelerate your knowledge discovery:
Each category is carefully curated to ensure the inclusion of reliable, expert sources relevant to knowledge seekers.
Our sources are chosen through a dynamic vetting process focusing on reliability, relevance, expertise, and transparency. Our selection framework includes:
We rely on data from NewsGuard and other reputable organizations to inform our selections. We also consider factors like subject matter expertise, ownership, transparency, and reputation.
We welcome your feedback to improve our curated sources. If you believe we are missing high-quality sources or have included sub-standard sources, please let us know at contact@sooth.fyi.
We focus on sources whose primary product is information — news, data, research, and insights — and exclude sources primarily focused on selling goods or services. This means:
No Ads or Sponsored Content: Search results are free from advertisements and sponsored links.
No Commercial Bias: Excludes content from companies trying to sell products or services, ensuring information is free from commercial interests.
Enhanced Research Focus: Allows you to concentrate on high-quality, reliable information without commercial distractions.
For example, searching for “clean energy” topics on Sooth will yield results rich in expert information without being saturated with ads or commercial content from companies selling energy-related products.
We vet sources at the domain level before including them in our curated index. Once a source is included, most of its content may appear in search results. We do not vet individual pieces of content published by these sources.
Users should always:
Apply Their Own Judgment: Always critically evaluate the information you consume, leveraging best practices in information, media, and digital literacies.
Use Transparency Tools: Utilize features like NewsGuard Trust Scores and AllSides Media Bias Ratings™ for additional insight.
Report Issues: If you encounter sub-standard content, please inform us at contact@sooth.fyi. Our goal is to provide a valuable level of focus and source vetting, not to replace your critical thinking skills.
As of January 31, 2024, we no longer include user-generated content (UGC) in search results. This decision was made because UGC platforms often lack rigorous vetting, which is inconsistent with Sooth’s commitment to reliable, expert sources. While UGC can offer intriguing insights and disseminate breaking news quickly, we prioritize maintaining the highest standards of reliability.
We are building administrative controls that will allow account admins to reactivate UGC search results for their respective accounts sometime in the future.
No. Sooth aims to provide access to high-quality information from diverse contributors without promoting any specific agenda or ideology. Our approach is driven by the following commitments:
Society Benefits from Diversity: Exposure to all sides of a topic enriches understanding.
Neutral Platform: We do not take sides on any issues or ideologies.
Informed Decisions: Our platform helps you explore all perspectives to make well-informed decisions.
We strive to present information transparently, allowing you to form your own opinions based on reliable sources.
No. Sooth includes a wide variety of international sources:
Global News: Approximately 50% of our Global News sources are non-U.S.
International Think Tanks and IGOs: Includes leading international organizations.
Government Sources: Currently indexing U.S. federal and state government websites, with plans to add non-U.S. government sources soon.
European Union Content: EU-related websites are included within the Intergovernmental Organizations category.
Our aim is to provide a global perspective, enhancing the diversity and richness of your research.
Not at all. Our curated index includes tens of billions of pages from thousands of reliable sources, covering a vast range of topics relevant to knowledge seekers. By focusing on high-quality sources, Sooth provides:
Rich, Comprehensive Search Results: Access to a vast amount of reliable information.
Enhanced Productivity: Less time sifting through irrelevant or unreliable content.
Depth and Breadth: Despite being a subset of the internet, the scope is immense and continually growing.
We encourage you to explore Sooth to experience its depth and breadth firsthand.
Yes. We offer transparent pricing for individuals and group subscriptions across three user categories:
For detailed pricing information, please visit our Subscriptions page. All purchases can be made using our self-service platform from inside the app. To purchase a subscription, please sign-in (or sign-up if you haven't already done so.)
Of course! All new users get a 30-day free trial period. No payment details are required.
Yes. We are committed to providing an ad-free experience to ensure uninterrupted, high-quality research.
Currently, subscriptions are available only to:
All users must have a verifiable school, library, or government email address. Existing users without an appropriate email will be migrated off the platform by the end of 2024.
Absolutely! We offer:
Group Subscriptions: For classes, schools, or districts.
Discounted Pricing: You may be eligible for special rates.
Easy Integration: With Single Sign-On options for seamless access.
Please reach out to us at contact@sooth.fyi to discuss your needs.
Of course! Just download the appropriate template (K-12, Higher Ed, Gov / Public Library), populate the green cells, and return it to us at subscriptions@sooth.fyi.
No setup is required. Sooth is a web-based application optimized for:
Laptops and Desktops: For the best experience.
Tablets: Fully compatible and optimized.
Mobile Devices: Accessible but not optimized; our mobile app is launching in Winter 2024.
To use Sooth:
Create an Account: Use an email and password or Single Sign-On options like Google, Microsoft, Clever, or ClassLink.
No Software Installation: Everything runs in your browser
Your trust is fundamental to us. We are committed to:
Protecting Your Data: We never sell or share your personally identifiable data with third parties.
No Tracking: We do not track you outside our site nor do we allow third-party tracking on our site.
Anonymized Analytics: We collect anonymized usage data solely to improve your experience.
COPPA Compliance: We comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
Minimal Data Collection: We only collect the personal information needed to operate our platform securely.
Industry Best Practices: we are a member of the Student Data Privacy Consortium.
For more details, please read our Privacy Policy.
Yes. Sooth is compliant with the Standard Student Data Privacy Agreements (SDPA) as endorsed by the Student Data Privacy Consortium, of which Sooth is a member. We have signed multiple SDPA’s including the corresponding Exhibit E that other schools can leverage for their SDPA’s.
We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of data privacy and security.
Yes. We offer Single Sign-On (SSO) through:
SSO simplifies access for users and enhances security.
NewsGuard is an independent organization that rates the credibility and transparency of news websites. They provide:
Trust Scores: Each site is rated on a scale of 0 to 100 based on nine credibility and transparency criteria.
Nutrition Labels: Detailed write-ups explaining each rating.
We have partnered with NewsGuard to:
Enhance Trust: Display Trust Scores alongside search results for rapid insight into source reliability.
Inform Users: Provide access to in-depth evaluations of sources.
Maintain High Standards: Only include sources with a Trust Score of 60 or above.
This partnership aligns with our mission to promote informed decision-making based on reliable information.
AllSides provides Media Bias Ratings™ for over 1,400 media sources. They aim to:
Expose Bias: Help readers understand the political leanings of news outlets.
Promote Balanced Perspectives: Encourage exposure to all sides of a topic.
Combat Filter Bubbles: Reduce polarization by breaking echo chambers.
We have partnered with AllSides to:
Increase Awareness: This is why Sooth displays Media Bias Ratings™ to inform users about potential biases.
Encourage Critical Thinking: Help users critically evaluate the information they consume.
Promote Diversity of Thought: Facilitate access to diverse viewpoints.
This collaboration supports our commitment to providing a neutral platform that empowers users to explore all perspectives.
Sooth was founded by Jeff Walsh and is supported by a passionate and dedicated team committed to enhancing knowledge discovery for students, educators, and researchers.
We are always interested in people who are passionate about our mission. We are particularly interested in:
If you are focused on building customer love and want to be part of our team, please email us at contact@sooth.fyi.
