Thursday 13 June 2013

How to Use Google Scholar to Its Full Potential

Last week, I wrote a post introducing the three search engines that I like to use the most for my research. The one that I like the most is Google Scholar because it has a large amount of papers in its database. Furthermore, it can show you how many times a paper has been cited. If you think this is all it has, then you are wrong and read on! I will introduce how one should best utilize Google Scholar.

To start, let us consider a search example. In this example, I will be search for materials related to the history of mathematics. The results returned by Google Scholar is shown below.


The Box A shows the author and the year the paper/book was published. Box B tells you how many times a paper have been cited. Typically, any papers above 200 citations are considered to be good papers. But, this is heavily dependent on the field you work. I heard from a friend that it is relatively common to get over hundreds of references in computer science. For books, I consider anything with over 1000 citations to be good research-based books. One can click on the URL of Box B to get the full list of what papers cited this paper/book (in our case, this would return us the papers and books that cited 'History of Mathematics'). This is an extremely useful function. You can search for results that extend on the paper of interest easily. For example, it returns the following list.


Next, Box C contains another useful function for research purposes. Clicking on Box C will return other articles/books that similar to the paper/book of interest. This will help you to explore materials of your interest quickly. In our example, it returns the following when we click on Box C.


Finally, you can sometimes download the specific article/paper using Box D. If you are connected to your university network and your university supports searching article on Google Scholar, this is also where you can download your materials directly from your university library.

Overall, Google Scholar is a very powerful tool to search for papers and books. I highly recommend it to everyone to give it a try. It does have some shortcomings though.

3 comments:

  1. VIRUS REMOVAL

    Is Your Computer Sluggish or Plagued With a Virus? – If So you Need Online Tech Repairs
    As a leader in online computer repair, Online Tech Repairs Inc has the experience to deliver professional system optimization and virus removal.Headquartered in Great Neck, New York our certified technicians have been providing online computer repair and virus removal for customers around the world since 2004.
    Our three step system is easy to use; and provides you a safe, unobtrusive, and cost effective alternative to your computer service needs. By using state-of-the-art technology our computer experts can diagnose, and repair your computer system through the internet, no matter where you are.
    Our technician will guide you through the installation of Online Tech Repair Inc secure software. This software allows your dedicated computer expert to see and operate your computer just as if he was in the room with you. That means you don't have to unplug everything and bring it to our shop, or have a stranger tramping through your home.
    From our remote location the Online Tech Repairs.com expert can handle any computer issue you want addressed, like:
    • - System Optimization
    • - How it works Software Installations or Upgrades
    • - How it works Virus Removal
    • - How it works Home Network Set-ups
    Just to name a few.
    If you are unsure of what the problem may be, that is okay. We can run a complete diagnostic on your system and fix the problems we encounter. When we are done our software is removed; leaving you with a safe, secure and properly functioning system. The whole process usually takes less than an hour. You probably couldn't even get your computer to your local repair shop that fast!
    Call us now for a FREE COMPUTER DIAGONISTIC using DISCOUNT CODE (otr214428@gmail.com) on +1-914-613-3786 or chat with us on www.onlinetechrepairs.com.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1 Problem: HP Printer not connecting to my laptop.

    I had an issue while connecting my 2 year old HP printer to my brother's laptop that I had borrowed for starting my own business. I used a quick google search to fix the problem but that did not help me.
    I then decided to get professional help to solve my problem. After having received many quotations from various companies, i decided to go ahead with Online Tech Repair (www.onlinetechrepairs.com).
    Reasons I chose them over the others:
    1) They were extremely friendly and patient with me during my initial discussions and responded promptly to my request.
    2) Their prices were extremely reasonable.
    3) They were ready and willing to walk me through the entire process step by step and were on call with me till i got it fixed.
    How did they do it
    1) They first asked me to state my problem clearly and asked me a few questions. This was done to detect any physical connectivity issues with the printer.
    2) After having answered this, they confirmed that the printer and the laptop were functioning correctly.
    3) They then, asked me if they could access my laptop remotely to troubleshoot the problem and fix it. I agreed.
    4) One of the tech support executives accessed my laptop and started troubleshooting.
    5) I sat back and watched as the tech support executive was navigating my laptop to spot the issue. The issue was fixed.
    6) I was told that it was due to an older version of the driver that had been installed.

    My Experience
    I loved the entire friendly conversation that took place with them. They understood my needs clearly and acted upon the solution immediately. Being a technical noob, i sometimes find it difficult to communicate with tech support teams. It was a very different experience with the guys at Online Tech Repairs. You can check out their website www.onlinetechrepairs.com or call them on 1-914-613-3786.
    Would definitely recommend this service to anyone who needs help fixing their computers.
    Thanks a ton guys. Great Job....!!

    ReplyDelete

www.hypersmash.com Blog Ping Site Google+