While both are products of Google, Google Scholar is specifically for academic material While Free to search, most academic content is not freely available. Google Scholar will attempt to find free copies in public databases. If you are on a Tarleton WIFI or computer, then you can also set up a library connection that allows you to see items that are available to you as students of Tarleton
Help identify journal titles and authors connected to a subject Identify items such as white papers, online books, or obscure references that fall outside of a database Access books and articles in a single search Locate information based on partial citations
While you may find many items in the search results, you’ll only have access to articles or documents available through Tarleton Library databases, Open Access content, or publicly available resources outside of paywalls. Not everything in Google Scholar is scholarly; some results may include PowerPoint slides, public announcements, unpublished works, or non-peer-reviewed articles and books. Additionally, Google Scholar doesn't provide clear information about the topics covered, making it hard to judge the completeness of the research.
Do you want to know if an article you found was peer-reviewed?
Check out Ulrich’s Global Serials Directory in the A to Z Database List and look up the publisher! Almost all officially recognized journals published will have an entry to help you determine if the journal who published your specific article is peer-reviewed or scholarly.
Google Scholar is a free search tool for finding academic sources like journal articles, theses, conference papers, and other scholarly materials. It can be a good starting point when you are researching a topic for class .
Google Scholar can help you:
Google Scholar is free to search, but not every result is free to read. Some links may go to publisher websites that ask you to pay. If that happens, do not pay. Use Tarleton Library access or request the item through Inter-Library Loan : www.tarleton.edu/library/ill/
If you connect Google Scholar to Tarleton Libraries, you may be able to access more full-text articles through the library’s subscriptions .
Follow these steps to connect Google Scholar to Tarleton Libraries :
If you are off campus, use the library’s off-campus Google Scholar link and sign in with your Tarleton username and password.
A screenshot guide is available in PDF format if you want step-by-step visual instructions below.
These search tools can help you get better results in Google Scholar :
AND — narrows your search
Example: social media AND college students
OR — broadens your search
Example: college students OR undergraduates
NOT — removes unwanted topics
Example: jaguar NOT car
Quotation marks — searches for an exact phrase
Example: “artificial intelligence in education”
Google Scholar is useful for:
Google Scholar cannot do everything. It does not offer the same filtering and subject-specific tools you get in library databases . It also may include items that are not truly scholarly, such as slides, announcements, or unpublished materials.
If Google Scholar is not finding what you need, use the Tarleton Libraries Databases A–Z List, Global Search, or the Library Catalog to find articles, books, and media .
Not everything in Google Scholar is peer-reviewed. If you need to confirm whether a journal is peer-reviewed, check Ulrich’s Global Serials Directory through the library’s databases. Link: https://tarleton.libguides.com/ulrichs
Need help with your research? Use the library chat service available on library pages or call the reference line at 254-459-9249 .
Google Scholar is a helpful tool, but it works best when combined with library resources and librarian support. When in doubt, ask for help rather than paying for an article yourself.
