Google Scholar
Connect to Google Scholar
Contents
What is Google Scholar?
In November 2004 Google introduced Google Scholar, a search engine to locate scholarly literature. Materials found in Google Scholar include "peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations" (About Google Scholar, 2006). Sources of material include academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and open access publishers. Some but not all of the content in Google Scholar is available in full text.What disciplines are covered in Google Scholar, and to what extent?
Google Scholar is a good starting point for research, but it is not considered comprehensive for academic/scholarly content. It is most comprehensive for the sciences, technology, and medicine (STM), much less so for the humanities. For the most thorough search of a topic, consult subject specific indexes and databases to which the SDSU Library subscribes. For a complete list of these, see Article Databases.What are some of the apparent weaknesses of Google Scholar?
- Its lack of accountability regarding specific resources and time periods covered.
- Gaps in its coverage of publishers' archives.
- It often includes several versions of the same paper; while sometimes helpful, this also tends to be confusing.
How Does Google Scholar Work?
- Google Scholar ranks and lists results according to how relevant they are to the search query. The rankings include how often the work was cited in other resources indexed in the Google Scholar database.
- Selecting the "Cited By" link will display a list of items that have cited the original document. Keep in mind, that Google Scholar is not comprehensive for citation analysis as it only includes documents indexed within its database. For more complete citation searching, please use the SDSU Library database Web of Science. Other library databases, e.g. CINAHL and PsycInfo, also include cited references for some search results.
- Many items in Google Scholar are available in full text. Some entries, usually enclosed in brackets, e.g., [citation], [book], are simply citations from documents indexed in the Google Scholar database.
How do I search Google Scholar?
Search Google Scholar in the same manner as you would search Google. For a more focused search, use the Advanced Scholar Search page; this permits searching by author, publication, and publication date. Please note: SDSU Library databases generally offer more and better features for refining a search strategy to obtain more focused results. For information on interpreting search results, adding citations to a bibliography manager (e.g. EndNote), and more, consult Google Scholar Help pages.How do I see if the Library has full text access to items retrieved in a search?
You must set Google Scholar preferences by entering SDSU under "Library Links" and then checking the box to show library access. Look for SDSU SFX and follow that link. For example: A Conceptual Analysis and Historical Overview of Information Literacy.SJ Behrens - College and Research Libraries, 1994 - eric.ed.gov
Title: EJ486800 - A Conceptual Analysis and Historical Overview of Information Literacy. Abstract: Analyzes definitions of information ... Cited by 70 - Cached - Web Search - Import into EndNote - SDSU SFX - BL Direct Please note: Google Scholar includes many citations that link directly to publishers' web sites which charge a fee for access. Use the SDSU Library's Interlibrary Loan service to obtain materials once you have determined they are not available at SDSU.
