Google Scholar

Google Scholar is a free and widely used tool for finding academic research. While it is a convenient starting point, it’s important to remember that Google Scholar cannot always replace library databases for in-depth research. Library databases often provide advanced search features and peer-review filters that Scholar does not, which can make your searching more precise and efficient.

Where Google Scholar excels is in quickly locating specific articles—especially when you’re looking for the full text of a paper or just want to scan the abstract.

This guide will walk you through key tips and strategies to help you use Google Scholar more effectively and speed up your research process.

Google Scholar: Basics-8/20/2025, 9:08 AM.mp4

Video 1: Google Scholar: The Basics

What is Google Scholar

Unlike Google Search (google.com), Google Scholar (scholar.google.com) does not scan the entire web. Instead, it focuses on scholarly sources such as journal articles, book chapters, conference proceedings, and academic theses. This makes it a powerful tool for discovering high-quality academic content.

However, it is important to note that not everything you find in Google Scholar is guaranteed to be peer-reviewed. Many library databases allow you to limit search results specifically to peer-reviewed sources, which remains an advantage over Google Scholar.

Google Scholar Basics

💡 Did You Know?

The HJF Library is able to connect roughly 70% of its holdings to Google Scholar. This means that when you search in Scholar, you may see direct links indicating whether the library provides access to a specific item.

However, it’s important to remember that this does not cover the library’s entire collection. If you do not see access through Google Scholar, be sure to search the library’s Discovery tool before placing an Interlibrary Loan request. This ensures you are not missing material already available through the library.

The following is a short overview of key features in Google Scholar. Some of these will be explained in more detail later, depending on specific search situations or advanced functionality.

For the purposes of this guide, we’ll assume that you are on campus and logged into Google Scholar. Be sure to sign in with your Morningside Google account—doing so enables stronger integration with library resources and ensures you have access to the full range of available features.

Search Bar – Enter your search terms here to begin looking for articles, books, or case law.
Google Profile – Displays which account you are currently signed into. Be sure to use your Morningside account to enable full access to HJF Library features.
Articles vs. Case Law – By default, most users search for articles, but Google Scholar can also search legal opinions and court cases, including results from specific courts. (Case law searching will be covered in more detail later.)
My Library – Allows you to save articles by clicking the ⭐ icon below each search result. Saved items can be accessed from this section at any time.
My Profile – Designed primarily for authors who wish to create an academic profile and link their publications to their Google Scholar account.
Menu – Provides access to My Profile, My Library, and a variety of other options. We will look more closely at the Menu later, since it contains many important customization settings for Scholar.

Screenshot of Google Scholar landing page.

Figure 1: Google Scholar Landing Page

Google Search Results

After you submit a search, Google Scholar will display a list of articles, books, and other academic sources. Each result includes several important details and interactive options that can help you evaluate and manage your research.

Figure 2: Screenshot of a Google Scholar search result.

Title - The title of the item serves as a link to the publisher’s website. Keep in mind, a listing does not guarantee full-text access; many articles may be behind a paywall.
Publication Information - Includes the author(s), journal title, date of publication, and publishe
Brief Abstract - Usually a short excerpt or snippet from the article’s abstract. Most publishers provide the full abstract on their website, even if the article itself is paywalled.
Actions - Blue links at the bottom of each result give you tools for managing and exploring the item:
1. Save - Click the star to save the item to “My Library” for future reference.
2. Cite - Provides a quick citation in APA, Chicago, or MLA formats (as of this guide’s publication). ❗Note: citation generators can introduce errors, especially with title capitalization—always double-check your citations.
3. Cited By - Shows how many other publications (indexed by Scholar) have cited this work. Click to view those citing articles.
4. Related Articles - Runs a new search for articles similar in topic to the current result.
5. All Versions - Lists different versions of the article (e.g., preprints, revised editions, etc.).
6. More (>>) - More links where the full text of the item can be found.
Full Text Links - If the HJF Library provides access, you’ll see direct links to the full text. This often works on campus; later in the guide, you’ll learn how to set up these links for off-campus access. Sometimes these links connect to open access versions, freely available online, either permanently or for a limited time.

Google Scholar: Search Results-8/20/2025, 9:22 AM.mp4

Video 2: Google Scholar: Searching

💡 Open Access

Open Access refers to scholarly articles and books that are made freely available to readers without any paywall or subscription barriers. There are several types of open access—such as green and gold open access—but the most important point is that open access materials discovered through Google Scholar are free for you to read and use.

Advanced Searching

Figure 3: Screenshot of the Menu options.

Google Scholar includes an advanced search feature that allows you to refine your search with greater specificity—for example, by limiting results to certain publication date ranges, authors, or keywords. To access the advanced search, open the menu (three horizontal lines) at the top left corner of scholar.google.com (see Figure 3).

When you click “Advanced Search,” a dropdown form will appear just below the main search box. Here, you can set various search parameters to target your results more precisely (see Figure 4).

Figure 4: Google Scholar Advanced Search Options

Add the HJF Library to Scholar Results Off Campus

Google Scholar works especially well when you are on campus, because connecting through campus WiFi provides automatic authentication for library resources. Authentication is the process the library uses to verify that you are a Morningside student. On campus, access is assumed and you’ll see links to library holdings appear right in your Google Scholar search results.

When you’re off campus, this automatic authentication does not occur. Scholar can’t identify you as a Morningside student by default, so library links may not appear. Fortunately, you can easily add the library’s holdings to your own Google Scholar account—just make sure you are logged in with your Morningside Google Account before starting this process.

Google Scholar: Settings-8/20/2025, 9:26 AM.mp4

Video 3: Google Scholar Settings

Figure 5: Google Scholar Library Links

To ensure you have full access to the library’s resources in Google Scholar when off campus, follow these steps:

Click the Menu Button (the three horizontal lines—see Figure 3) at the top left of the Google Scholar homepage and select "Settings".
In the menu on the left, choose "Library Links" (this is the middle option).
Use the search box in the center of the screen to look up the following libraries. For complete access, you’ll need to add all three options—sometimes, the library name varies based on the database:
1. Hickman-Johnson-Furrow Library - Full Text @ Morningside
2. Morningside University - Full Text @ HJF Library
3. Morningside University - ProQuest Fulltext

By completing these steps, you’ll see full-text access links in your Google Scholar results, just as you do on campus.

More Scholar Help

We have some more Google Scholar help available if you would like to learn how to search for case law or the various browser extensions available to make Google Scholar a larger part of your research process.

Searching Case Law

Scholar Browser Extensions

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