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Psychology: Google Scholar

Using Google Scholar

Google Scholar

What is Google Scholar?

Google Scholar is designed to provide access to the scholarly material available through Google.  It uses the familiar Google interface and commands so as to locate books, articles, conference papers, and other scholarly materials.  

If you find an article on Google Scholar that is not free, but you feel it would be beneficial to your work, there may be an option for you to get the article using the Nashua Public Library's InterLibrary Loan system.  This is a free service and requires only that you have a library card.   Your librarians can help guide you through the process; it is quick and easy!

Sample Google Scholar Search Results

A Google Scholar search for "Alfred Binet" results in a number of articles available for free. You will know which articles are free when you see a link on the right side of the screen (it will often say PDF, HTML and the site where the article is located.) Finding articles is helpful, but it can also be beneficial to look at who has cited an article by selecting the Cited by option under the result.  Articles citing a source may have a similar focus and can help to find more current options.  Another option worth checking is Related articles. 

Click on Cite so that you can copy and paste the citation in APA format into NoodleBib.                      

              

Attribution

Some content was adapted from West Morris Regional High School District's Google Scholar LibGuide.

Search Google Scholar

Setting Up Google Scholar

Make sure to click on Settings (far right side of page, under the down arrow) to select English as your language.  This will weed out results written in other languages as seen below. 

Tips for searching

As you search ask yourself, "Is this the best keyword to find what I'm looking for?"  and "Are there synonyms I could use, alternate ways, I could search for the same thing?" 

  • Search by title: E.g., intitle: cognition ensures that the term 'cognition' is in the title of the site.  Additionally, allintitle: cognition sleep deprivation ensures that EACH term shows up in the title.

  • Phrase search: put your term in "quotations": E.g., "sleep deprivation"

  • Synonym search: use a ~ before a word/phrase: E.g., ~cognition will look for "cognition" as well as "perception", "intelligence", etc.

  • Eliminate unwanted words:  use a -  (minus sign) before the word you want to eliminate from your results: E.g., -disorder

Benefits and Disadvantages of Google Scholar

ADVANTAGES

  • Covers many disciplines and time periods.  For interdisciplinary topics, it will retrieve materials from several disciplines.

  • A familiar Google-like interface

  • Many of the searching tips are similar to Academic Search Premier

  • Google Scholar can be a good place to find supplemental sources.


DISADVANTAGES

  • Google Scholar does not search all disciplines equally. The Sciences are well represented, but the Humanities are not.

  • Google Scholar does not allow you to sort and refine your searches as efficiently as you can directly in the databases.

  • Google Scholar is often inconsistent and unpredictable in how and what it retrieves. It is not comprehensive.

  • Google Scholar will not provide everything free that you need for your research. Do not ever purchase material from Google Scholar. Bring your citation to the Library, and we will help you try to find it through other sources.

  • Google Scholar cannot guarantee highly credible sources. Some of the results may be high school term papers, or books that are too old to be useful. Always approach with a critical eye.