Google Scholar: Advantages/Limitations of Google Scholar

Advantages of using Google Scholar:

1. Google Scholar is familiar and relatively simple to use, much like Google.
2. Google Scholar allows users to search for a find a wide variety of materials including articles, books, "grey literature" like conference proceedings on a vast number of topics.
3. Google Scholar allows for you to see articles related to the one that might interest you, how many times an article has been cited and by whom, and provides citations for articles in a number of styles.
4. Google Scholar can display links to articles and books held through ECU Libraries. For more information, see Using Google Scholar from Home tab.
5. Google Scholar allows you to save both citations and articles to read later.

Disadvantages of using Google Scholar:

1. Google Scholar's coverage is is wide-ranging but not comprehensive. It can be a research source, but should not be the only source you use.
2. Google Scholar does not provide the criteria for what makes its results "scholarly". Results are often vary in quality and it is up to the researcher to determine which of the results are suitable for their purposes.
3. Google Scholar does not allow users to limit results to either peer reviewed or full text materials or by discipline.
4. Google Scholar does not provide notice of when its materials are updated.
5. Google Scholar's citation tracker can be difficult to use and inaccurate.