Stand on Giants' Shoulders: Google Scholar Review

A common complaint in the academic world is that College Freshmen arrive on campus with very low informational literacy skills (Taylor, A. 2012; Varlejs, E. et al., 2014). Since Millennials are the epitome of the Google Generation, this fact seems strange.

In reality, just because someone is a digital native, they do not necessarily know how to use all the tools correctly. Children of a carpenter aren’t born learning how to use a hammer; they must be taught. The same tenet is true with Google. Students will not automatically know how to use Google to research; they must be taught.

Google Scholar

A good place to teach research skills Google Scholar, an academic search engine. Utilizing many of the same features as the Google search engine, it will look and feel comfortable to students and teachers alike. However, Google Scholar narrows the search results to a pool of academically viable sources, helping the researcher to find credible sources.

According to the Google Education Center (n.d.), the articles available in Scholar have been indexed and ranked based on the content, the author, the publication date and by who cites it and how often it has been cited.

Features:

With Google Scholar, students can 

• Filter by date to look for current information, or to focus on a particular era
• Save relevant articles to their own library with one click
• Find the appropriate bibliographic information, whether it is MLA, APA, or Chicago
• Gather information about the author; A Simple click on the author’s name will lead to a list of other sources connected to him / her.
• Identify how many other Academic sources have cited this particular source.
• Find related articles.
• Receive email notifications when new articles about their topic are available.

Pros

One of the major advantages of Google Scholar is its easy access. Even when students have access to online databases like EBSCO or JSTOR, they often forget important log-in information. Google Scholar is free to use for all and available to anyone with internet connection.

In addition, Google is a familiar brand to our students; it is easy to use, and when they learn the simple tricks, it helps them avoid the “hassle of searching in numerous places for academic literature” (Bereton). In some ways, it is a one-stop-shopping research experience.

The sources provided are peer reviewed. This helps to ensure the quality of information. Sales pitches, personal blogs and even news media sources are not included in this database.

Cons

Most peer reviewed sources are difficult to read. This makes many of these articles inaccessible to lower level students. Struggling readers often give up quickly when what they are reading is above their comprehension level; Google Scholar will frustrate them.

Some material listed is not freely available to students (or teachers). There is no filter to find only full text sources online. Researchers have to take the extra step to look at the sources to see if a full text HTML or PDF is available.

Recommendation

On the about page, Google Scholar says "Stand on the shoulder of giants" (Google Scholar). Attributed to Isaac Newton, this proverb suggests that we learn more and grow more by leaning on what others have done. Teaching students how to research using tools like Google Scholar enables them to learn more, grow more and do more than we can ever imagine.

This is an essential tool for college bound high school students to learn. Not only will it enable them to practice critical thinking skills necessary for research, it will also prepare them for success in college.

References

Brereton, E. (2018, December 08). Google Scholar Review for Teachers. Retrieved from https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/google-scholar

Taylor, A. (2012). “A study of the information search behaviour of the millennial generation” Information Research, 17(1) paper 508. [Available at http://InformationR.net/ir/17-1/paper508.html]

Use Google Scholar to Find Academic Papers. (n.d.) Google for Education. Retrieved 7/22/20 from skillshop.exceedlms.com.

Varlejs, Jana, Eileen Stec, and Hannah Kwon. 2014. “Factors Affecting Students’ Information Literacy as They Transition from High School to College.” American Association of School Librarians. <http://www.ala.org/aasl/slr/volume17/varlejs-stec-kwon>