Google Scholar and Google
I can just Google, right?!
Searching for information on Google can be quick and effective but will not always find everything you need. The information may be outdated, unreliable or even behind a paywall restricting your access.
Deakin library subscribes to many databases that contain quality information sources that you will not find via Google. By searching in an architecture database you will retrieve more specific and reliable search results.
So, when is it okay to use Google?
- To find publicly available information, e.g. government reports, planning schemes or state heritage registers.
- Google Scholar can be good for finding academic articles, conference papers and reports
Be aware and beware...
Click on the flip cards below to view some reasons to be cautious when using Google and Google Scholar to search for relevant, credible, academic resources:
Is your information credible and reliable?
When accessing information from websites, government websites (.gov) and the websites of universities (.edu) are more credible and reliable than commercial websites (.com).
Personal blogs, online forums and Wikipedia are not authoritative sources, though they may give you a basic overview and understanding of a topic, and provide links to more authoritative sources.
Tip
For information on effective web searching, and how to evaluate what you find, have a look at the Library's Skills for Study guide.
Tips for searching the web
You will usually find help pages, FAQs, or guides to searching on individual search engine homepages. Click on the plus icons below to explore some some common tips for searching the web.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar provides a search of scholarly literature across many disciplines and sources, including articles, books and theses.
It is often possible to follow FIND IT@DEAKIN links in Google Scholar that will lead you to the full text of an article available through one of the databases Deakin subscribes to.
If you are accessing Google Scholar on campus, this usually happens automatically. If you are accessing Google Scholar from another location, you will need to adjust the library links settings so Google Scholar recognises that you are from Deakin University.
See the Library's instructions to set up library links in Google Scholar.