Google Scholar is the largest and third most important database in the world after Scopus and Web of Science. More and more researchers are choosing this service because of its accessibility and wide functionality. In today's review, we will tell you how to use the tools of this service to the maximum.
Rules of search query design that you may not have known about
Google Scholar is one of the largest aggregators of scientific information of international importance. In order to effectively use all search possibilities, we suggest you to familiarize yourself with the rules of querying in Google Scholar:
- intitle: searches match the search term entered in the title of the article.
Construct: [intitle:search phrase]
- intext: search results include the specified term in the text of a scientific article.
Structure: [intext:search term].
- File format: the service will only suggest files of a specific format.
Construction: [filetype:pdf].
- Author: only articles written by a specific author are displayed in search results.
Construct:[author: "firstname lastname"]
- source: results include articles published in a specific journal.
Construct:[source: "journal title"]
- ininventor: search results displays patent documents, including the name of the patent's inventor.
Construction: [ininventor: "firstname lastname"]
- term: results that explain a specific term will be displayed.
Construction: [define: "term"]
- search for material by matching the word combination and the required document type (article, monograph, book, preprint, abstract, etc.).
Structure: "word combination" - type of scientific publication
- search for scientific materials related to the reference specified in the query.
Construction: [related:article url].
- Search for scientific content on a specific site.
Structure: [site:site url]
- search by phrase - if you enter a query in this format, the search engine will display a list of all scientific publications by exact match with the specified phrase. In order for the search to occur correctly, you should put the phrase in quotation marks.
Construction: ["collocation"]
Tip: do not add a space after colons and quotation marks.
Using boolean operators to effectively search in Google Scholar
To effectively use the Google Scholar search engine, there are four basic operators that are designed to narrow or broaden your search. We have listed the specifics of each search operator in the table below.
|
Boolean & Proximity Operators in Google Scholar |
Syntax |
Example |
|
AND allows you to find two given terms included in the search query, which narrows down the search results |
[term AND term] |
medical AND abrasion |
|
OR operator finds one or both terms included in the search query, which expands the search results |
[phrase OR term] |
medical OR acute |
|
NOT finds the first term included in the search query and excludes the second, so it narrows down the search results |
[term - term] |
medical - contusion |
|
AROUND allows you to search for phrases close in meaning to the specified word combination |
[term AROUND term] |
abrasion AROUND acute |
7 tips to get the best out of Google Academy
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