- Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Google Scholar provides a simple way to search for scholarly literature using the familiar Google interface. If you are off campus, use these instructions to set it up for full access to library resources.
What will I find using Google Scholar?
Scholarly journal articles; books/book chapters; theses; dissertations; reports/white papers; case law; patents.
Important to Know
If Google finds free full text of a source, a link will appear to the right of the result. If you're on campus, you'll also see links to any articles available through the library. If you're off campus, you'll need to connect Google Scholar to MCLA's library holdings.
Useful Features
- Cite: generate a citation in MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, or Vancouver style. NOTE: It's on you to proofread the citation and make sure it conforms to the guidelines of the style you are using!
- Cited By: Shows how many publications (that Google Scholar knows about) have cited the item in question. Click the number to view a list of citing sources, and use the checkbox at the top of that page to search only those sources.
- Related articles: Find articles that Google's proprietary algorithm has identified as related.
- >> [more]: Click the two rightward-facing arrows to expand and show more options, most importantly "Check for Full Text," which will allow you to easily request the item via interlibrary loan if MCLA doesn't have access to it.
Great For
- Finding full text of known items, or requesting them via interlibrary loan
- Finding articles that cite a particular source / Gauging the relative influence of works based on times cited
- Exploratory searching (especially for STEM/social sciences) if precision is not a priority
Not So Good For
- Precise/controlled searching