Precision Searching
Google Scholar is a tool for finding books and journal articles that you might normally get from a library. Where possible, it provides links to online versions and library copies to help you locate an item.
When to Use It
Use Google Scholar to find scholarly articles and books, verify citations, and explore related resources. When books are available through Google Books, some of their content may be available online.
How to Use It
Video: Using Google Scholar
Watch this tutorial on the basics of using Google Scholar .
WWU Libraries: Teching & Learning. (2019). Using Google Scholar. [Video]. https://youtu.be/lZs1CDU4gvc?si=5CGf-c-r8NTAr_fE
Note: Setting your school in Scholar Preferences will help you make direct connections to online sources provided by your library. If you want to locate sources in many different libraries, add WorldCat in addition to your library. Remember to save your preferences. In your search results, you can connect to an online version if there is a linked option following the item’s title. This usually works when you are on the campus of your university/college or if there is a “free” version available.
Extra Note: If you look closely at the results of your searches you may find that you are prompted to pay for an article. Instead, you may go to your college or university library’s website to see if your library has the journal you are looking for or you may make a request for the article through Inter Library Loan (ILL).
Additional Tips
- The Any Time link in the left column of results allows you to limit your search results by date.
- Find Advanced Scholar Search by clicking on the three horizontal lines icon (upper left corner of the page). The advanced scholar search provides additional search fields such as author, publication, and date, as well as phrase matching and word exclusion.