{"id":3482,"date":"2019-03-10T22:07:57","date_gmt":"2019-03-10T22:07:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essayguidance.com\/?p=3482"},"modified":"2023-09-05T22:38:56","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T22:38:56","slug":"google-scholar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/google-scholar\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Best Tips on How to use Google Scholar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Google Scholar<\/a> was my Number 1 Tool and absolute best friend as a university student. It should be yours, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google Scholar is a goldmine of a resource for boosting your grades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It makes studying easier, means you can find tons more articles than you thought you could, and often saves you a few trips into your library to find sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article I’ll show you exactly how to use Google Scholar like a Pro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t stress enough how important it is to master Google Scholar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever I found myself in a situation where I had an essay due on short notice<\/a>, Google Scholar saved my life. I\u2019ve been in situations in Northern England where my university was closed due to snowfall and the only way I could get the articles I needed to finish my essays was to use Google Scholar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It works. And it\u2019s saved my life a million times. I\u2019ve written over 25 academic articles<\/a>, and even as a professional, Google Scholar is my go-to source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to save time while writing your essay<\/a>, Google Scholar is the source for you. In fact, even if you don\u2019t want to save time, you really should be using Google Scholar for every single essay you write<\/a> at university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a look under the hood and find out what Google Scholar\u2019s all about, and how to use Google Scholar like a Pro!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Ditch Regular Google. Google Scholar Kicks its Butt.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Look, you\u2019ve probably been told this a million times, but from the perspective of a professor, let me tell you: it needs to be said again. Don\u2019t use regular Google to find information for your essay.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okay, let me reword that: Don\u2019t cite sources from regular Google.<\/em><\/strong> I know that you will probably Wikipedia key ideas, read easy-to-digest blog posts about your topics, and generally get to understand ideas through google searches. Okay, that\u2019s fine. But that\u2019s not what you\u2019re going to cite in your essays. In fact, that\u2019s what we might call Pre-Research. It\u2019s what we do before we get serious about writing our essay<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it\u2019s time to get serious, you\u2019ve got to only read and cite the quality articles<\/a> written by experts. Take a look at this infographic for some ideas of what you should and shouldn\u2019t cite:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Good<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Google Scholar is your go-to source when you want to find quality articles to cite in your essays. It filters out the nonsense for you and works hard to provide only the high-quality sources on the infographic above. It cuts out the junk to save you time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So next time you\u2019re wanting to cite a blog post or website, stop yourself. Go to Google Scholar, spend three minutes looking up some keywords, and cite a real scholarly source instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how to use Google Scholar in a nutshell:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.<\/strong> Go to the Google Scholar website. Pay special attention: Google Scholar is not normal Google.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.<\/strong> Type in the keywords for the topic you\u2019re researching:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

3.<\/strong> Read the descriptions under each search result<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.<\/strong> Select a source that seems relevant<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.<\/strong> Read the source<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6.<\/strong> Cite the source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Done! It\u2019s that simple. But wait \u2026 if you want to be a pro Google Scholar user, read on and I\u2019ll zoom in on some strategies to take your Google Scholar searching to the next level\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Use Google Scholar to find the most Relevant Articles (It is way better than your University Database)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Does your university search database suck? I\u2019m yet to find one that doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remember back in the 2008-2012 years when I was an undergrad using my university\u2019s database to search for sources. Let me tell you, I could never <\/em>find a source that was worth my time! I would even find it hard to find sources on mainstream, well researched topics! My university database would show up irrelevant, pointless sources \u2013 if it found any at all!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even nowadays, University online library search databases suck<\/em> at finding quality sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google Scholar, on the other hand, is one great intuitive piece of software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason? Most universities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a) Don\u2019t have access to a wide range of Journals.<\/strong> Each journal costs the university an annual fee of several thousand dollars. I get emails from my university regularly asking me whether it\u2019s really<\/em> worthwhile renewing a subscription to X, Y, or Z journal. I\u2019m also constantly told that I can\u2019t recommend articles to my students because the university doesn\u2019t have access to those articles. But you know who probably does? Google Scholar!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

b) They also don\u2019t have an intuitive search brain.<\/strong> The university databases often only search for keywords in the article title. By contrast, Google Scholar searches for keywords not only in the title but also the abstract. This dramatically increases your search net and finds you articles that are more relevant to you. Thanks, Google Scholar!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Use Google Scholar to bypass Paywalls<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most quality scholarly articles<\/a> are blocked behind paywalls. The way you get access to them is that your university pays a yearly fee to get access (see Point 2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google Scholar has intuitively crawled the web looking for ways to get around Journal paywalls. And, frankly, it does a really good job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These days scholars who publish articles behind paywalls also make copies available via their own university websites or on sites like ResearchGate.net and Academia.edu. Google finds those articles for you and gives you one-click access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how you can take advantage of that: pay special attention to the [PDF] and [HTML] links on the right-hand side of the search results. All sources that you can have direct access to will have this link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if you\u2019re in a hurry, don\u2019t pay attention to any others \u2013 just start looking for sources with those PDF and HTML links so you don\u2019t waste time looking for articles you don\u2019t have access to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, these days more than 50% of articles can be accessed without paywalls, all thanks to Google Scholar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Link Up Google Scholar with your University Database<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Okay, there\u2019s still a purpose for your University search database. Here it is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google Scholar doesn\u2019t technically<\/em> have paid access to any Journals. I\u2019ll explain to you how and why it gives you free access to so many articles in Point 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s true, sometimes Google Scholar just can\u2019t find you the full text of a source. Nonetheless, as I pointed out in Point 3, Google Scholar is still better at finding quality sources, even if it can\u2019t give you access to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, you should let Google Scholar know that you are attached to a University that might give you access. Then, Google Scholar will let you know if your university database can help you out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what to do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Go to \u2018Settings\u2019 and \u2018Library Links\u2019.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Enter your University\u2019s name.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Click Search.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Check the box that shows your university database.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Click Save.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    1. Then, go back and search for articles on Google Scholar (because it\u2019s the best search engine for Scholarly sources!).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Then, when you find articles that you think you want, see if Google Scholar can give you access (see Point 3 above)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. If it can\u2019t, you should now have access to your University Database to see if your University can give you access in just one click.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      5. Narrow your Search to Sources from the Past 10 Years<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Has your teacher ever told you to only cite sources from the past 10 years?<\/a> That\u2019s a pretty solid piece of advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Google Scholar makes this so easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Simply conduct your search, then on the left-hand sidebar, click \u2018Custom Range\u2019 and narrow the search range to the past 10 years:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Done! Couldn\u2019t be easier. Aren’t you glad you know how to use Google Scholar?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      6. Use the \u2018Cited By\u2019 Method to find Newer (and more Relevant) Articles<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Here\u2019s where Google Scholar really comes into its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Let\u2019s say you just couldn\u2019t find a relevant source from the past 10 years. Sometimes it\u2019s impossible!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      There\u2019s still a way around it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Simply find an older source that still looks awesome and press the \u2018Cited by\u2019 button:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      This will take you to all articles that have cited that original article. The upshot of this is that all these articles will have at least some relevance to the original article and <\/em>will (naturally) also all be newer! This method often helps me find hard-to-reach articles that I can\u2019t find any other way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Next, to zoom in even more, you can set the custom range to the past 10 years again to find all articles that cite the original text, but happen to be new enough for you to cite!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      But wait, there\u2019s more. Let\u2019s say you want to make sure the newer text you search for is still as relevant as possible. If you click \u2018search within citing articles\u2019, you can do a new search to find all articles that discuss the keyword you\u2019re interested in and <\/em>that cite the older text. For this example, I still wanted to look for newer articles like my original one (\u2018Inequality in Education\u2019) but I also wanted to narrow it down to \u201cgender\u201d inequality. See below where I checked \u2018Search within Citing Articles\u2019 before searching \u2018gender\u2019:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      7. Use Google Scholar to Generate Citations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Referencing<\/a> is necessary, but tough. People often try to use citation generators online, but I hate citation generators. They never get citations right. And, to be honest, nor does Google Scholar\u2019s. But, it is very convenient and helps me to get the basic skeleton of my citation that I can patch-up to make it right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Here\u2019s how to use Google Scholar to generate your citations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1.<\/strong> Find the source you want to cite on Google Scholar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      2.<\/strong> Click the quote symbol beneath the source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      3.<\/strong> Copy the text for the citation style you are using.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      4.<\/strong> Check it against a referencing style cheat sheet to make sure all the information is there and in the right spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      8. Follow Author Links to find a Scholar\u2019s Newest Articles<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Another way to find more up-to-date sources is to follow an author\u2019s list of works. When I was doing my PhD, I used an author called Neil Selwyn to examine a range of different ideas related to educational technologies<\/a>. I therefore needed to be very much up to date with his complete works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      So, I went to Google Scholar, found one of his texts, and then clicked his name:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      This took me to his complete list of works. I sorted them by \u2018YEAR\u2019, and hey presto! I found all of his newest ideas which I promptly read about and inserted into my thesis to improve my grade:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      9. Google Scholar and Google Books work Hand-In-Hand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Google Scholar isn\u2019t just for journal articles<\/a>. You can also use Google Scholar to find relevant textbooks. Again, thanks to Google, you can read those books right on your computer \u2013 for free!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Here\u2019s a book that I think might be relevant to my topic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Google Scholar tells me it\u2019s a [BOOK] and lets me click the link to go straight to the first page of the book. Sure, it\u2019s a preview, but usually you get a good chunk of the book to read online (and can even search for keywords within the book):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      If the link takes you elsewhere, you can always go to Google Books and search the full title of the book there to see if you can get access to a preview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      10. Bookmark Important Articles for Future Assignments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Sometimes one book comes in useful throughout your whole degree. My Education Studies students constantly cite a book by L. Pound that gives a really nice overview of a range of approaches to teaching. It\u2019s a worthwhile book that students can go to in order to get great information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      So, my students often save this book in their Google Scholar bookmarks library for quick access. Simply save any book or article you love by pressing the star button under the title:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      To access the books in your library, simply click \u2018My Library\u2019 in the top Menu. Here\u2019s the first three articles saved in my library:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      11. Create your own Google Scholar Profile<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Academics can create their own Google Scholar profiles to claim publications of their own. I do this to claim my publications, but you should do it too \u2013 even if you\u2019re not an author.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Because you can add \u2018areas of interest\u2019 to help Google Scholar find and recommend sources for you. You can also start to follow authors who are relevant to your studies \u2013 especially those authors whose work you use regularly (like L. Pound, who many of my students follow!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Simply click \u2018My Profile\u2019 and then fill in the required questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Once you\u2019ve made your profile, add \u2018Areas of Interest\u2019 and start following other authors. This will help Google Scholar recommend relevant articles for you in the future: Here\u2019s the \u2018Follow\u2019 and \u2018Areas of Interest\u2019 links you might find useful:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Summing Up<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Can you tell that I absolutely love Google Scholar? It saves time and <\/em>increases my marks. What\u2019s not to like? You need to know how to use Google Scholar!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      In this post I\u2019ve given you the advanced strategies that you need to use Google Scholar like a Pro. Use these strategies to navigate your way around, find top articles, save time, and grow your grades. Here\u2019s a summary of the top 11 ways to use Google Scholar to grow your grades:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      How to use Google Scholar Like a Pro<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1. Ditch Regular Google. Google Scholar Kicks its Butt.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Use Google Scholar to find the most Relevant Articles (It is way better than your University Database)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Use Google Scholar to bypass Paywalls<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. Link Up Google Scholar with your University Database<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      5. Use the \u2018Cited By\u2019 Method to find Newer (and more Relevant) Articles<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      6. Use Google Scholar to Generate Citations<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      7. Follow Author Links to find a Scholar\u2019s Newest Articles<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      8. Google Scholar and Google Books work Hand-In-Hand<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      9. Bookmark Important Articles for Future Assignments<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      10. Bookmark Important Articles for Future Assignments<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      11. Create your own Google Scholar Profile<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Google Scholar is my go to source for referencing. Here’s 11 times google scholar has saved my life and won me marks. With these 11 advanced tips you’ll be on your way to success at university!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[100],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-study-skills"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"Chris Drew (PhD)","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"authorship-box-avatar":false,"authorship-box-related":false,"authorship-post-flat":false,"authorship-post-cards":false,"authorship-post-thumbs":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Chris Drew (PhD)","author_link":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/author\/chris-drew-phd\/"},"uagb_comment_info":10,"uagb_excerpt":"Google Scholar is my go to source for referencing. Here's 11 times google scholar has saved my life and won me marks. With these 11 advanced tips you'll be on your way to success at university!","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3482"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3482\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33512,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3482\/revisions\/33512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}