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Google Scholar: Comparing Google Scholar to Databases

A Tarleton Guide to using Google Scholar for research and coursework

Use Global Search and Academic Search Complete

Pro's

  •     Quality Assurance: Tarleton primarily includes peer-reviewed and scholarly content, from high-quality databases.
  •     Full-Text Access: Provides full-text access to articles through institutional subscriptions and Open Access Content.
  •     Advanced Search Options: Offers advanced search features like Boolean operators, filters, and subject-specific searches.
  •     Citation Tools: Creates citations for your papers for your references
  •     Stronger Filters capabilities: More filtering tools to narrow your topics such as subject, publication date, and peer-review status

    

Con's

  •     Access Restrictions: Database Access will typically require institutional login or access, limiting use to Tarleton affiliated students and staff.
  •     Learning Curve: May have a steeper learning curve due to more complex interfaces and extra search functionalities.
  •     Coverage Limitations: Each database may not cover as broad a range of sources as Google Scholar, focusing more on specific disciplines or publishers.
  •     Discovery: Finding the right database for research may require visiting different database subscriptions, with new search terms/keywords.

Pro's and Cons of Google Scholar

Pro's

  •     Accessibility: Free to use and accessible from anywhere with an internet connection.
  •     Broad Coverage: Indexes a wide range of scholarly articles, theses, books, conference papers, and patents.
  •     User-Friendly: Simple and intuitive interface, similar to Google's main search engine.
  •     Citation Tracker: Easily track citations and see how often a paper has been cited.

    

Con's

  •     Quality control: Includes a mix of peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed content, which may require careful evaluation.
  •     Limited Full-text Access: Some articles may be behind paywalls or require institutional access.
  •     Search Precision: Can return a large number of irrelevant results due to broad search parameters.
  •     Lack of Advance Features: Has fewer limiters or ways to narrow your search.