Google Scholar might seem like the best collection of information to search, but it still has limitations. Be aware:
- Google Scholar searches are not reproducible!
- Google Scholar searches a subset of the indexed collection of Google and returns results based upon keyword order, author and publication ranking, and ancestry/references.
- 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, CINAHL, and other library databases.
- “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.”
Quotation and Illustration (illus.by David Parkins) from https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03759-y
