Lilly Library at Wabash College: Research Help: Google Scholar

Google Scholar is a specialized Google search which allows you to narrow to scholarly literature, including articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions. Some of these sources are available freely on the internet, while others are available through library databases and interlibrary loan. There are benefits and drawbacks to using Google Scholar.

Benefits

Ease and effectiveness of searching
Looks and functions like a normal Google search
Broad index coverage of sources and full text accessibility
Features like citation analysis tools and researcher profiles

Drawbacks

Proprietary ranking system
No traditional tech support
Bibliographic/citation information is often incorrect
Lack of advanced search features
Weak in results for locally developed collections, grey literature, and systematic reviews
Strong English language bias

Anatomy of a Google Scholar Result

Lilly Library recommends always clicking the Full Text @ Wabash button when available.

Linking Google Scholar to Lilly Library resources

Linking the Wabash College Lilly Library to Google Scholar will allow you to see whether you have full-text article access through Wabash when searching in Google Scholar. This is done automatically when on campus, but if you regularly work off campus and have a Google account, you should enable this feature.

From Google Scholar, locate your settings (typically found within the hamburger menu), and click Library links. Search for "Wabash College," and select "Lilly Library - Wabash College - Full Text @ Wabash." Then click Save.

For articles that the Lilly Library subscribes to, you will now see a link that says "Full Text @ Wabash." This link will navigate you to the Lilly Library website, and show you which databases house this article.