Skip to Main Content

NURS MSN School of Nursing Library Instruction Session Fall 2024

Library resources to support the M.S.N. Online degree program at SLU's Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing.

A Bit About Google Scholar

Google Scholar might seem like the best collection of information to search, but it still has limitations.  Be aware:

  • While some library databases are interdisciplinary, many are discipline specific and deep--whereas Google Scholar tends to be broad and shallow.
     
  • Library databases provide multiple means of sorting results, Google Scholar does not.
     
  • Library databases provide multiple means of refining searches.  Google Scholar does not.
     
  • Library databases are indexed by professionals and/or AI; Google Scholar 's metadata depends upon the source.

  • Predatory Journals are likely to be found within Google Scholar, but rarely in PubMed and CINAHL.  

  • “Predatory journals and publishers are entities that prioritize self-interest at the expense of scholarship and are characterized by false or misleading information, deviation from best editorial and publication practices, a lack of transparency, and/or the use of aggressive and indiscriminate solicitation practices.”
     
  • Active, peer-reviewed scholarly journals have been increasing by about 2% a year and the number of articles published has been increasing over 5% each year--and academic publishing is a formidable industry estimated to be worth over $28 billion. (International Association of Scientific, Technical, and Medical Publishers. (2022) STM Global Brief 2021 – Economics & Market Size.)
     
  • Anyone can purchase a domain and build a website--you, too, can be your very own predatory publisher--Yikes!

Quotation and Illustration (illus.by David Parkins) from https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03759-y

Dr. Thanavaro listed w/o permission as editor of predatory journal

At least link to SLU Libraries...