Using Google Scholar

Alongside UNB WorldCat and the library-subscribed research databases provided by UNB Libraries, Google Scholar is another tool worth considering when you need to conduct a broad search for scholarly information online.

Google Scholar notes that it searches online “peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, pre-print repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations.”

While Google Scholar is often seen as a time-saver, business students should know that not all types of information will be included in their searches. That’s why it’s important to use library-subscribed business databases for your academic research.

Like to learn more about using Google Scholar? Spend a few minutes watching this YouTube video created by UNB Libraries that goes over what you need to know. 

View a PDF transcript of this video here

As noted in the video, there are a couple of ways to access UNB Libraries’ resources using the Google Scholar search engine.  From the UNB Libraries’ website (lib.unb.ca), click the Databases tab and select Google Scholar from the drop-down menu.

Accessing Google Scholar this way will link students to our UNB Libraries’ holdings (if available).

If you plan to use the Google Scholar search engine, you’ll need to change your settings to activate our Check for fulltext @ UNB links to enable the database to link to our UNB-subscribed articles as you see below:

1. Using Google Scholar, click the Menu in the top left corner of the screen.  Select Settings then Library Links

2. In the search box on the Library Links page search for the University of New Brunswick (shown below)

3. Click the checkbox for the option University of New Brunswick – Check for fulltext @ UNB.  Be sure to SAVE your selections!

Once you’ve saved your settings, you should now begin to see Check for fulltext @UNB links as shown below when using Google Scholar:

UNB WorldCat Vs. Google Scholar

How do results from UNB WorldCat compare to Google Scholar?

UNB WorldCat and Google Scholar are both search engines that allow students to search through millions of publications at the same time. While you will find some overlap, you will also discover that each product searches for scholarly content quite differently.

Some content that is available when searching UNB WorldCat is not available in Google Scholar. Google Scholar is particularly useful when searching for unpublished academic articles and open access resources on academic web servers. UNB WorldCat offers an easy and effective method for discovering/accessing over 1.5 million books as well as full-text articles available through UNB Libraries.

When using Google Scholar, it’s important to understand that the ranking of its results is different from UNB WorldCat.  Google Scholar only searches a subset of the Web which Google classifies as “scholarly literature.” There are a few additional caveats to keep in mind:

• When searching, you must depend on Google Scholar’s automated rating of publications by unknown criteria
• Google Scholar does not publish a list of chosen sites/sources, nor does it state how often these sites/sources are checked
• Several entries for the same title may appear in your Google Scholar search results

As such, students should not rely on Google Scholar alone for comprehensive business research.

Like to learn more about how Google Scholar searches? Click the Search Tips page below to discover further information, or check out this blog post on 18 Google Scholar tips all students should know.