In November of 2004, Google launched a beta version of Google
Scholar, a search tool that indexes items Google considers
"scholarly" including articles, books, preprints,
abstracts, conference proceedings, and technical reports.
To help you use this internet search tool effectively, here
is an assessment of its strenghs and weaknesses, as well as
some recommendations from McQuade Librarians.
Strengths
| Weaknesses | McQuade
Librarians Recommend...
STRENGTHS |
Fast and easy to use
This tool can lead to hundreds of relevant "scholarly"
articles in seconds. It has a search interface similar to Google
-- it's clean and simple to use.
Provides a "cited by" feature
Google Scholar includes a list of references under each
source. Next to each paper listed is a "Cited by"
link. Clicking on this link shows Google's citation analysis
--all the pages pointing to the original one listed are
displayed.
Provides a library link
Book results often have a link showing which libraries
own a particular title. A book record usually contains a
brief citation and lists libraries closest to your location.
Links to libraries' catalogs and home pages are also provided.
Find open access journals
See full text of articles from open access journals
and pre-print repositories that may not be in library databases
[To learn more about open access, visit Cornell University's
Open
Access overview page]
Find science & technology articles
Currently Google Scholar is strongest in scientific, technical
and medical disciplines thanks to partners such as PubMed, Cambridge
Scientific Abstracts,and the Association for Computing Machinery.
New materials in the social sciences and humanities are being
added. You'll also find article citations from databases such
as Project Muse and Ingenta.
It's in beta
Google Scholar is a work in progress. New features and adjustments
should lead to improvements over time.
WEAKNESSES |
Is everything really "scholarly"?
NO and Google has yet to reveal what
criteria they are using to select "scholarly" material.
As always, it is important to review and assess each source
for its authority and quality for your research (see McQuade
library's "Criteria
for Assessing Sources").
Hey -- I have to pay?!
Google Scholar often links to papers and articles on
commercial publisher websites. These sites will ask you to buy
a subscription or pay for an article. DO NOT
pay for articles. Check the library's
databases to see if we have free access to the article.
If we don't have access, we can interlibrary
loan it for you.
No full text?
Google Scholar is NOT a full text database.
Most records in Google Scholar are journal article citations,
not articles in their entirety. Articles indexed in Google Scholar
may be accessible through Academic
Search Premier, Lexis
Nexis Academic or another quality McQuade library database.
My results are all over the place. Is there a
way to sort results?
Keep in mind that a regular search displays highly relevant
citations at the top of the list (just like in Google), not
the most current materials. Unfortunately, there is no easy
way to sort, import, or email results like in McQuade databases.
Use the "Advanced
Scholar Search" option to limit by date range and take
advantage of other advanced searching features.
Sometimes I'm not sure what I'm looking at.
Your results can contain a hodgepodge of sources (including
citations, cited references, and books). Also
duplicate and fragmentary entries may appear, as well as different
editions of works, such as preprints, which may vary from the
version published in a journal. Ask a librarian for help if
you're confused.
It's in beta.
As noted above, enhancements are in the works. A feature
could be here today, gone tomorrow.
McQuade Librarians
Recommend... |
Start with a comprehensive, subject specific library database
Most of the time you will need to go to a
library database to actually obtain the full text of the
article anyway -- why not save time & start there?
Also, Google Scholar lacks certain sophisticated
searching features you'll find in McQuade library databases.
For example in PsycINFO
you can limit by population group or in MEDLINE
you can limit by age.
Remember, no single source (not even
Google) is the answer!
Google Scholar gives you a sampling of research performed in
a certain area, but is certainly not adequate, by itself, for
college-level research.. As Mick O'Leary writes, "If your
research is serious, Google Scholar should be your last option
-- if you decide to use it at all" (see his article below).
If you do choose to use Google Scholar, use it to supplement
your academic research.
Explore Google Scholar
on your own
Read all about it in the "About
GoogleScholar" area.
Let us know what
you think!
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Interested in learning more about Google
Scholar?
Google
Scholar: What's in it For You?
by Mick O'Leary (Information Today, Jul/Aug 2005)
Google
in the Academic Library
by Carol Tenopir (Library Journal, February 1, 2005)
Google
Scholar Focuses on Research-Quality Content
by Barbara Quint (Information Today, November 22, 2004)