For students and researchers, it may be very important to know what it is and how to search Google Scholar. The platform is a search system with specific tools to find academic literature, such as books, scientific articles, and more.

Therefore, check below for more information about what it is and how to use the Google platform, making sure that you are facing a space of intense exchange of information, with access to information on various topics and aspects of any research area.

What is Google Scholar?

Generally speaking, Google Scholar is a platform that works in a similar way to the conventional Google search engine. This means that it will present the results according to their relevance. For this, it takes into account items such as author, publication where the research was published, the frequency with which it is cited, and the full text of the article.

The platform has a vast collection, allowing you to find scientific articles, master's or doctoral theses, books, abstracts, pre-publication libraries, and material produced by professional and academic organizations, scientific journals; anyway, everything to ensure that the themes are always up to date.

Google Scholar, in addition to the search, offers you some extra features, such as creating your academic profile, as well as including publications in a section that works like a private library — in it, you can create a reading list, and bookmarks and even separate them by year.

Life before Google Scholar

Before Google Academico existed… Even before the internet existed, it was quite common to come across the following scenario: Libraries full of students and college students, who pored for hours on books and encyclopedias to find content relevant to their research at school, college, or other degrees.

Gathering reference material for the preparation of theses, scientific articles, abstracts, and dissertations were laborious, time-consuming, and, therefore, required a lot of patience from academics. With the internet, such as the DSL internet, the lives of students and academics have become easier. After all, just typing a term into a Google search field brings up thousands of results.

But, given the great flow of information that the internet makes available to us, we must also understand that not all information we find online is reliable. We need to know how to find the right and relevant sources for our research. So sites like Wikipedia do not guarantee the quality and origin of the information and, therefore, should be avoided in education.

Google Scholar, on the other hand, can be an excellent source of research for your academic works, if you know how to use it in the best way, of course! Of course, you won't get lost in the information. It is still necessary to be careful with the verification of research sources and, above all, to avoid practices such as plagiarism. But there is no doubt that the search with Google Scholar is much more refined.

How to use Google Scholar

Google Scholar works in a very similar way to “normal” Google (that is, the one we are already used to and use in our daily lives). So, you probably already know how to search Google Scholar. In the default configuration, after the user enters the subject or keyword of interest in the search field, the results are shown based on a criterion of relevance.

Thus, aspects such as the number of citations that the work received, the author, the text itself, the place where it was published, and the reputation of the research are taken into account. That's why it's so important that your publication has the DOI code. In addition to helping to locate your work, it also counts the mentions made to the search. Check now how to search and use Google Scholar resources.

How to search on Google Scholar

To search on Google Scholar you need 5 steps:

Through a browser, access the Google Scholar page;
Normally search for an article or other content using a keyword;
Next to the search, it is possible to see if the link will lead to an HTML page, PDF, Citation, or other types;
You’ll also be able to filter the search results, something that can help increase the tool’s accuracy; Do this using the panel in the left corner of the screen, selecting the period, classification, relevance or date, or language;
In addition, you can use Google Scholar’s advanced search method. Fill in the more specific fields to delimit the publication period, location, and country, for example.

How to use the “My Profile” tab

To use My Profile on Google Scholar you need 3 steps:

By entering the “My Profile” tab in the upper corner, you can create your academic profile on Google, filling in your name, affiliation, areas of interest, and other academic information;
Use this same section to manage the articles you’ve published;
On the next tab, select if you want Google Scholar to automatically find your articles and change existing ones.

How to use the “My Library” tab

To use My Library on Google Scholar you need 2 steps:

Another cool feature is "My Library", where you can save an article. It is a practical way for you to gather material for your scientific research;
Use this same tab to create a "Reading List", organize your readings by bullet points or even separate them by year of publication.

Google Scholar is only for the web, but it will help you a lot

In case you're interested in knowing, there isn't a dedicated Google Scholar app for you to do your research. Unfortunately, the entire procedure listed above must be done through a web browser, anyway.

From now on, with everything in place, you already know what it is and how to use Google Scholar to find the items you need for your research, include your publications, and even create a reading list of articles, studies, and more.

Maybe you still don't know this amazing tool, but, after understanding how it works and benefits the academic community, I guarantee that it can be a great ally in your scientific production, or even in the search for truthful information about the most diverse areas of knowledge. It is also important to have good phone and internet bundles so that the opening of articles is faster.