| Google Scholar | Library databases | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| + | Easy to use. | – | Less easy to use. |
| – | Limited search functionality. Enormous number of results and unsatisfactory options to filter results. Hence not much control over your search. | + | Extensive search functionality. Compared to Google Scholar: a manageable number of results for a similar search. Many advanced filter options. Hence greater control over your search. |
| – | Compiled by a web crawler that searches only the Surface Web. | + | Compiled by humans; materials come from the Deep Web as well as the Surface Web (e.g. open access journals). |
| – | No helpful extra information (e.g. topical terms such as subjects/descriptors/keywords) is assigned to documents. | Extra information is assigned to documents (e.g. subjects/descriptors/keywords) by subject specialists. | |
| – | Google Scholar's crawlers can be fooled, resulting in unreliable information being indexed (e.g. articles from predatory journals). | + | Only credible documents are included. People can't be fooled! |
Google Scholar provides a simple way to search for scholarly sources from a wide range of academic fields. Searching Google Scholar can be very useful to begin getting information on your topic. But don't stop there!
For more precise searching, more search features, and more authoritative content, use the university library's databases. Not yet convinced? Watch this video (2.34 mins).
Source: Yavapai College Library.