Google and Google Scholar
Searching for information on Google or Google Scholar can be quick and effective. The problem is the information may be outdated, unreliable or even behind a paywall restricting your access.
Values, bias and assumptions underpin algorithms
Research has made it evident that our digital systems and platforms are far from bias free. Your own experiences of search engine results will reflect that. From filter bubbles to autocomplete predictions, the underlying algorithms shaping what you find is itself shaped by the values and opinions of people who are creating, collecting, selecting, viewing or using the data.
Caution
Here are some reasons to be cautious when using Google and Google Scholar to search for relevant, credible, academic resources:
- Search results aren't ranked according to your search criteria alone. Google search results are impacted by previous search activity.
- Search results can be influenced by wider interests including business, marketing, and political activity.
- Google Scholar results include non-academic and non-peer reviewed material.
So, when is it okay to use Google?
Deakin Library subscribes to many quality forensic science related databases that you won't find via Google. Searching in library databases retrieves more specific and reliable search results.
Google is good to gain initial understanding around concepts, terminology and other context setting information. It's also helpful to use Google to find publicly available information, e.g. government information, policy documents, or environmental data.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar provides a search of scholarly literature across many disciplines and sources, including articles, books, abstracts, theses and court opinions. Keep an eye out for FIND IT@DEAKIN links, these will lead you to the full text available through one of the databases Deakin subscribes to.
Alert
When accessing Google Scholar, make sure your library links settings are connected to Deakin University.
Tips for searching Google
Here are some common tips:
- Try to keep your search queries simple
- Carefully choose your keywords, and remember to think about alternate terms that could be used
- If you need to search on a single term, make the term as specific as possible
- Enclose "exact phrases" in quotation marks
- Leave out common words, such as the, and, in and at
- Search tools usually look for word variations, including single and plural terms e.g. Australia will match to Australian, Australia's, Australians etc.
- Use domains to limit your search to material on specific websites, e.g. .gov.au for Australian government sites
- 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. They may give you a basic overview and understanding of a topic, and provide links to more authoritative sources.
Note
Check out this Conversation article written by a Deakin Software Engineering Academic, Muneera Bano: There is, in fact, a ‘wrong’ way to use Google. Here are 5 tips to set you on the right path