You might benefit from using Google Scholar IF...
- You feel like you've exhausted all the library resources at your disposal
- Not true! Please consider contacting the Learning Commons for more guidance
- You lack access to our research databases
- Working from home? Access our databases off-campus by logging in with either your LSC email and password or your 14-digit library barcode number.
- You want to follow citations to find more relevant information
- Google Scholar has a feature that allows you to keep on top of the conversation regarding your search terms through the number of times it's been cited!
- You need an option to get the ball rolling
- Starting with just broad search terms can help you see how others are narrowing down a topic through other related keywords.
Avoid Google Scholar IF...
- Your professor doesn't want you to use it
- When is comes to class assignments, what your professors says goes...PERIOD.
- Your professor requires a variety of resource types
- Google Scholar largely returns academic resources and may not include content from reputable news or government sources.
- Your topic is very specific
- Google Scholar may not return satisfactory results for searches rooted in deeply specialized fields.
- You are not confident in determining the credibility of resources on your own
- Google Scholar offers no support tools, summaries, or reading guides...
RESEARCH DATABASES OFTEN DO THOUGH!
