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Google Scholar

The Basics

Google Scholar is a great way to find scholarly sources from books and journals using a tool that is very similar to "standard" Google. You can also get an idea of "how important" a particular source is. This LibGuide will also show you how to get access to this material without cost. Because it is a mystery how Google selects scholarly materials to index, Google Scholar should be used in conjunction with other tools.

You can get to Google Scholar in a number of ways: i) use the search box below; ii) go to scholar.google.com; OR iii) from Google, select "Apps," then "More," then "Even More," and look for the link to Google Scholar.

Google Scholar Search

Google Scholar will return a list of sources. The algorithm for what is included is known only by Google, but research has shown that the results are comparable to other products for this (see tab, "Google Scholar Research"). Note below how to get free access to articles. If there is a source which looks very good, and you cannot get direct free access to it, you may be able to get it using Interlibrary Loan (ILL).