The Drexel University Libraries connect with Google Scholar to facilitate direct access to licensed electronic journals and other e-content, linking through the FindIt service.

• What is Google Scholar?  
• How does Find It@Drexel Work?  
• How does Google Scholar know I'm associated with Drexel?
• How do I set my Scholar Preferences?  
• How do I find Google Scholar?  
• Do I have to search from the Libraries' page to use Find It@Drexel?
  
• What should I do if I don't see a Find It@Drexel Link?
• Does Google Scholar work with any of the bibliographic management software?
• Can Google Scholar meet all my research needs?
• How can I learn more about searching Google Scholar?
• What can I do if I need more help?

• Set Google Scholar Preferences  
• Scholar Help at Google  

 

What is Google Scholar?

Google Scholar uses the popular Google search engine to enable searches for scholarly materials such as peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from broad areas of research. It includes a variety of academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories and universities, as well as scholarly articles available across the web. Some Google Scholar search results include links to full-text; some offer only citations.

 

How does Find It@Drexel work?

The Library has sent Google information about our electronic holdings, our linking utility (Find It), and IP ranges for our campus networks. It uses a "Preferences" setting to display a Find It@Drexel link if the libraries offer access to an electronic version of an article. Click on the Find It@Drexel link to display a menu showing full-text access options.

 

How does Google Scholar know I'm associated with Drexel?

If you're using a computer connected to the University City or Center City (Hahnemann) campuses, Google Scholar recognizes your IP address, and sets Drexel University as your default library preference. If you're off-campus, or on the College of Medicine campus, you can set Drexel as your library preference yourself. If you allow cookies on your computer, the setting will stay in place across search sessions.

 

How do I do that?

From here, or from the Scholar Preferences link on the Google Scholar search page, open the Preference page. In the Library Links search box type drexel; click on Find Library. Check the box next to Drexel University, then click on the Save Preferences button. Note: you can set up to two additional library preferences.

 

How do I find Google Scholar?

On the Libraries' "Search the Web" page, or directly at http://scholar.google.com.

 

Do I have to search from the Libraries' page to use Find It@Drexel?

No; as long as Drexel is set as your library preference (either by default if you're on the network, or if you have selected it yourself) all your Google Scholar searches will show Find It@Drexel links when we have access to an appropriate resource.

 

What should I do if I don’t see a Find It@Drexel link?

• Check our catalog – we have some resources that cannot yet be linked through Find It system.
• Click on the title of the citation – it may lead to an open access resource.
• Use the libraries’ Interlibrary Loan service to request the article or book – PLEASE DO NOT PAY TO DOWNLOAD AN ITEM THAT THE LIBRARIES CAN OBTAIN FOR YOU!

 

Does Google Scholar work with any of the bibliographic management software?

Yes. Google Scholar works with the following bibliographic management software programs:

• EndNote
• RefWorks
• Zotero

In order to import into EndNote and Refworks you will need to access the Scholar Preferences  link located on Google Scholar's homepage. On the ensuing page scroll down to the Bibliography Manger section, select "Show links to import citation into" and choose from the drop down menu. You will only need to do this once. Zotero works without any changes to preferences. 

 

Can Google Scholar meet all my research needs?

Probably not – the libraries offer more than 500 academic databases, both broad spectrum, and highly discipline-specific for deeper, more thorough searching. 

Use Google Scholar for:

• Initial search for scholarly literature
• When "just a few articles" are needed
• Unstructured "keyword" searching, especially for unique terms
• Brainstorming across many disciplines
• Leads on authors and the references they cite
• Use to identify appropriate databases -- follow the links from relevant citations to databases that cover your subject area.

Use Library Databases and other resources for:

• Comprehensive searches across many years of scholarly literature when you need to cover all the bases
• Deep searching in a narrow subject literature
• Structured searching using subject headings (especially for non-specific social science terms)
• Exhaustive author searches for all works and references
• Concise encyclopedia, dictionary, handbook or physical properties definitions
• Detailed business information

 

How can I learn more about searching Google Scholar?

Google Scholar offers many advanced searching features, including field-specific searching.  See Scholar Help for specifics.

 

What can I do if I need more help?

Call or email the Libraries!  Stop in at one of our service desks, email us, chat using the Library Chat widget, or contact your liaison librarian.