Google scholar why

Google Scholar is great for many things, including:. There are many icons and links underneath each result when you search in Google Scholar.

Here is an explanation of the common ones you will see. This button will save the resource to your "My Library. You do not have to create a profile in Google scholar. This button will open a box that has the citation information for the resource in many different styles.

You can also download the citation to EndNote or another citation management software. Disadvantages of using Google Scholar: Google Scholar's coverage is is wide-ranging but not comprehensive. It can be a research source, but should not be the only source you use. Google Scholar does not provide the criteria for what makes its results "scholarly". Results are often vary in quality and it is up to the researcher to determine which of the results are suitable for their purposes.

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. Use the "Find it McQuade" links to find a copy of the item. The options listed on the "Find it McQuade" menu will help you obtain the item -- either through a subscription, in print, or through interlibrary loan. 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. Select "Find it McQuade" to see if we have full text access. 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.

This tells you how important the article is within the scholarly literature and gives you access to other relevant articles. See Google Scholar search tips for more help. You can set up your Scholar profile to track citations to your articles by accessing Google Scholar directly. Here is how:. Find out more about Researcher Profiles and Identifiers. Main Menu. Main Menu Borrowing and collections. Main Menu Borrowing and collections Membership, borrowing and returns.

Main Menu Study. Main Menu Study Getting started. Main Menu Teach. Main Menu Research.