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Google Scholar

This guide provides information on the pros/cons of using Google Scholar in the academic setting to supplement library resources.

Finding Text

 

Basic Search

Start off with several key terms, using quotation marks to group words and phrases together, along with Boolean searching (using AND, OR, or NOT between search terms). 

A Google scholar search groups the phrase "coffee production" with quotes, followed by the Boolean operator AND to join it to the word conservation. 

 

On the left side of the search results, you'll find a menu to filter by document type, date range, relevance or date. Use these to narrow your search further.

 

A menu allows the user to filter by time, relevance, type, patent or citation, and to create a Google alert for the search

 

Search results appear in order of relevance by default, and usually contain a linked title of the article, the basic citation information, and a brief abstract from the text. 
Additional links will appear below the result. 

  • The Save option allows you to save the article in your Google Scholar account (requires account creation).
  • The Cite option generates citations in common styles like MLA, APA, and Chicago, and creates downloadable citations for EndNote.
  • The Cited By option shows you where other scholars have cited this paper. See the FAQs at the end of this guide to learn more.
  • Related articles will take you to similar works and can be a useful way to find more research in an area. 

To the right of a search result, links will appear to access the full text through Duquesne's website, or available as PDFs through another institution.

A Google Scholar search result screenshot

Advanced Search

If you want to perform an Advanced search, go to the menu tab > Advanced Search.

 

The menu tab of Google Scholar with "Advanced Search" beneath "Metrics"

 

The advanced search option may not appear if you are in another window such as the Settings page. If this happens, click on the Google Scholar logo to navigate back to the homepage and then go to the menu tab > Advanced Search.

Navigating to Advanced Search from an existing basic search will copy over your search terms for you! Be sure to adjust your Boolean operators if needed.

The advanced search dialog box includes fields to find articles with all of the words entered, with the exact phrase entered, etc., and to return articles by specific authors, from specific journals, or in a date range..

Accessing Full Text

After searching for a resource, click the Full Text Finder @ Duquesne link on the far right to access an article through Gumberg Library.

 

A search result in Google Scholar with a link reading "FullTextFinder@Duquesne" on the right.

 

If a Full Text Finder link does not appear, click a link that does appear on the far right. This will usually lead to the resource in HTML or PDF formats on the publisher website. If the resource asks for a payment, do not purchase the article or book.

 

A search result with a link at right that reads "[PDF] jstor.org"

 

If LibKey Nomad is installed, it will search for full text and provide a button prompt for PDF download if available. Click the link to the article and then select the option to download PDF or find other access options via Gumberg Library.

 

A blue button with a green LibKey Nomad icon appears in the bottom left corner with a prompt to Download PDF through Gumberg Library.

 

If you cannot find electronic full text through Google Scholar, another option is searching DUQSearch with the citation information. If you still cannot find full text, enter an ILL request or contact a librarian for further assistance.

Locate Author Citation Information (Cited By)

Quickly track and analyze articles that list you as an author. For more information on using Google Scholar profiles, click here.

The citation information in Google Scholar is extracted from the scholarly journal articles within the Scholar database, as well as from the U.S. patents within the Google Patents database. You can choose to eliminate or include the patents from legal journals and opinions from the federal and state courts in the citation results.

To find information on a particular author in Google Scholar, start out by searching in the advanced search box for the author's first initial and last name in the designated field.

 

A screenshot of Google Scholar advanced search with "C Bertozzi" entered into the "Return articles authored by" box

 

The results will show all publications by that author indexed in Google Scholar. If the author has an active and public Google Scholar profile, their full name and a link to their profile will appear at the top of the screen

If a publication has been cited by sources indexed in Google Scholar, it will contain a "Cited By" link below the abstract on the results page.

A screenshot of search results for author "C Bertozzi" shows the Scholar profile for Carolyn Bertozzi and includes an article with "Cited by 3278" underneath it,

 

Clicking on that link will show all journal articles, patents, and court opinions citing that publication that are indexed in Google Scholar. The original publication will appear at the top of the page.

Screenshot of the 3278 results returned by clicking the "cited by" link