Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes the full text or metadata of scholarly literature across various formats and disciplines. It includes articles, theses, books, conference papers, and patents from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities, and other websites12.
Accessing Google Scholar:
Go to Google Scholar.
You can also access it through your institution’s library website for additional resources and links to full-text articles.
Searching for Literature:
Enter keywords, phrases, or the names of authors in the search bar.
Use quotation marks for exact phrases (e.g., “climate change impact”).
Use the advanced search options for more specific queries, such as searching by publication date, author, or journal.
Filtering Results:
After searching, you can filter results by year, sort by relevance or date, and see how many times an article has been cited.
Look for links to full-text PDFs or HTML versions on the right side of the search results.
Creating Alerts:
Set up alerts for specific topics or authors to receive email notifications when new research is published.
Using My Library:
Save articles to your personal library by clicking the star icon under each search result.
Organize your saved articles into different folders for easy access later.
Citing Articles:
Click on the quotation mark icon to get formatted citations in various styles (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).
You can also export citations to reference management software like EndNote or Zotero.
Combine Google Scholar with Library Databases: While Google Scholar is a great starting point, combining it with your library’s databases can provide more comprehensive results.
Check for Full-Text Access: Not all articles are available for free. Use your institution’s library links to access full texts or request them through interlibrary loan if necessary.
Google Scholar is a fantastic resource for students and researchers alike, making it easier to find and access scholarly literature. If you have any specific questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask! 😊