How to Use Google Scholar for Academic Research?

Google Scholar, the free academic search engine, is undoubtedly one of the most prominent search repositories for academic research where you can get reliable scholarly sources – Publishers, Universities, and Scholarly Websites (such as JStor, Academia, Springer, and more). By using Google Scholar instead of searching indefinite indexed information on Google, you can find better answers for your academic research. So, if you are looking forward to effectively using Google Scholar for your academic endeavour, this blog can serve as your helping hand!    

How Is Google Scholar Better Than Google for Academic Research? 

Although you wouldn’t find any profound difference in the interfaces of Google and Google Scholar, which boons with the reduction in the learning curve for locating scholarly resources, there are certain advantages of Google Scholar over Google for finding academic information. Here they go! 

1. On Google Scholar, you can easily copy a formatted citation of a scholarly article in diverse styles, such as Chicago, Harvard, APA, MLA, and so forth. Such a feature is not available on Google Search. 

2. Google Scholar lets you export bibliographic data, like RIS or BibTex, which can be further used with reference management software. 

3. You can explore academic works related to the listed scholarly articles, chapters, or books and those cited within the listed works on Google Scholar. You can also see the counts of “cited by”, thereby identifying the article’s credibility in academia.  

4. Furthermore, Google Scholar allows you to directly navigate to the full-text version of the academic papers which is unlikely in Google Search. There are various other useful links to derive the different versions of a particular article and associated databases.   

How to Use Google Scholar to Research Academic Papers? 

To research academic papers on Google Scholar efficiently and with ease, here are the expert tips to follow! 

1. Use Keywords to Research 

Make sure you use keywords and keyphrases and not full sentences while searching for academic papers on Google Scholar. This shall enable the search engine to build and list the most searched keywords, subsequently providing you with a holistic list of related queries.  

2. Frame Quotes to Research

To fetch an exact match of your academic search query, apply quotation marks to your keyword or phrase. This is because, without the quotation mark, Google Scholar would treat each word separately, thereby curating a list of related articles and papers for each word.  

3. Use Boolean Operators to Narrow/ Broaden Your Search

Boolean operators are typically the words or symbols that help you control your search results better. For instance, using “NOT” in front of words or phrases can enable you to exclude results that include them. Likewise, using “AND” can help you extract results where both words or phrases exist simultaneously. Leverage them on Google Scholar! 

4. Avail The Sidebar Controls for Precise Results

With the sidebar controls on Google Scholar, you can sort your search results in terms of relevance, patents, date, year, and more. This allows you to restrict unnecessary academic information from popping up in your search results, thereby enhancing your research. 

5. Utilize The “My Library” Feature 

By clicking on the “save” button under each relevant search result, you get to utilize the “My Library” feature on Google Scholar Advanced and create your private research repository. You can add labels to the saved items in your library and even edit metadata related to the result titles, in case its citation data appears faulty. 

6. Set Your Google Scholar Alerts On 

To get constantly notified about a particular academic paper being cited or published for the first time, you must turn on your Google Scholar alerts. All you have to do is click on the envelope icon included in your profile menu. By doing so, you will start receiving periodic results directly on your email.   

Also Read: How to Check If A Text Is Written By AI? 

How Do You Do An Advanced Search on Google Scholar? 

By using the advanced search option on Google Scholar, you can have more refined control over your search results and customize your search preferences. 

For example, you can research in a specific language, get help from its bibliographic manager to export citations and bibliography, and add a Chrome extension of Google Scholar to access the search engine from any website or just by selecting a particular text. 

To avail of this feature, tap the “Hamburger” menu situated in the upper left corner of the screen and then select the “Advanced Search” option.  

In a nutshell, Google Scholar can be perceived as the “academic version of Google” that’s easy to use and effective for all kinds of academic research, whether for humanities, science, commerce, law, or otherwise. By using it following the hacks mentioned above, you can comprehensively research any academic topic and curate your scholarly paper backed by credible sources.