I do use Google Scholar and encourage my students to do so also for the simple reason that it will find many sources that you would otherwise need to access through inter-library loan. It should not be used in place of PsycINFO but as a complement to it. PsycINFO may be best at locating the breadth of scholarly research done on a topic but it is usually (at least at my institution) quite limited in finding research available electronically full-text. Google Scholar complements PsycINFO by allowing you to find articles, for example, posted on faculty websites that have been published in peer-reviewed journals but that may not be available through your library's electronic databases. Of course, I do encourage students to use PsycINFO to locate quality research and to use interlibrary loan to access those articles that are not directly available electronically either through a web search or through PsycINFO. However, if an electronic version is available on the web, I don't want to miss it just because I limited myself to PsycINFO.
I don't want to give students the impression that a source is good or bad just based on the database it was found in. There are no shortcuts past simply reading the article and discerning the methodological issues involved. Google Scholar is different than a regular Google Search (which might also be worthwhile as long as the terminology being searched for is not commonly used in lay discussions). Many peer-reviewed articles can be accessed in a Google Scholar search that will be missed if you limit yourself to PsycINFO (and especially to the articles available directly in full-text through your online library). I think the bottom line is that both PsycINFO and Google Scholar are tools for locating previous research on various topics. It is up to the reader to make the determination about the methodological adequacy of the research that is found. Rick Dr. Rick Froman, Chair Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Professor of Psychology Box 3055 John Brown University 2000 W. University Siloam Springs, AR 72761 [email protected] (479)524-7295 http://tinyurl.com/DrFroman From: Sally Walters [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2010 1:54 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] PsycINFO versus Google Scholar I never use Google Scholar but my students often do, even after I advise them to use PsycINFO. Can anyone point me towards any analyses of the differences between them for students? My sense is that GS is not as good but I'd love to show them something concrete. I will create something myself if nothing exists already but am hoping not to have to. thanks, Sally Walters Capilano U --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=2870 or send a blank email to leave-2870-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
