October, 2014
This is the second post in a series of posts covering Google Scholar. The aim of this series is to help teachers and educators tap into the full educational potential of Google scholar through introducing them to the different services and search tips embedded within this academic search engine. In today's post we are going to talk about some useful tips on how to conduct better search on Google scholar.
1- How to find recent papers
By default, Google Scholar's search results are sorted by relevance not by date. However, to find recent articles on the topic you are searching, try out these search tips:
First type in your search query in Google Scholar and hit the search button. On the left sidebar of the search result page do the following:
Click "Since Year" to show only recently published papers, sorted by relevance;
Click "Sort by date" to show just the new additions, sorted by date
Click the envelope icon to have new results periodically delivered by email.
2- Locating the full text of an article
When you find an academic paper you are interested IN chances are you will only be able to access and read its abstract, full text article is usually reserved for subscribers. Here is a few things to try to help you locate the full text of an article:
Click a library link, e.g., "FindIt@Harvard", to the right of the search result; or click a link labeled [PDF] to the right of the search result;
Click "All versions" under the search result and check out the alternative sources;
Click "Related articles" or "Cited by" under the search result to explore similar articles.
For more Google scholar Tips, visit the help centre.
