Google Scholar is a search engine for finding scholarly literature across many academic disciplines. It can be a useful resource for helping you get started on a new research project; however, Google Scholar lacks many of the features, functionality, and journal coverage of other library databases. Google Scholar is best used as a supplemental database in combination with traditional library databases.
Benefits of Google Scholar:
- Familiar Google search interface.
- Provides search results from a wide range of academic disciplines.
- "Cited By" and "Related articles" features allow for browsing articles similar to a particular search result.
Limits of Google Scholar:
- Google Scholar does not search everything available to you through the Boxer Library.
- Google Scholar does not have an option to search for only peer reviewed materials.
- Google Scholar lacks many of the filters and tools that other library databases provide to help you limit and refine your search.
- Google Scholar's indexing is not as focused or as thorough on specific subject areas as databases available through the Boxer Library.
Instructions for displaying "Find it @ RFUMS" full text links in Google Scholar.
Information on Google Scholar's advanced search options, Cited by feature, and Related articles feature.