In the continual process to reshape the landscape of research and information access, the Google enterprise has extended into the academic world with Google Scholar, an innovation that is rapidly gaining play on Duke's campus.
Google Scholar provides an all-purpose search engine for scholarly publications to help researchers of all levels "stand on the shoulders of giants," as its homepage touts.
Over the years, Google has gained a reputation as the general stop-and-go site for anyone needing to find basic information on countless topics. Google Scholar launched last year to give students and scholars alike a more straightforward way to do academic research.
Duke library officials, optimistic about the development, named Google Scholar in its online listing of popular databases, alongside LexisNexis Academic and Encyclopaedia Brittanica Online.
Emily Werrell, Perkins Library coordinator for instruction and outreach, said students should keep in mind that they can still use InterLibrary Loan to obtain documents electronically, but she noted that Google Scholar can be easier for less-experienced researchers to use.
"It allows for a user-friendly interface and doesn't necessarily require students to know how to use databases," she said.
Linda Martinez, librarian at the Vesic Library for Engineering, Mathematics and Physics, said some FOCUS classes have received instruction on how to use Google Scholar for their first research experiences on campus.
Like the original Google search engine, Google Scholar offers students the most useful references at the top of the page, but it also considers an article's author, the publication in which the article appeared and the number of previous citations in scholarly literature.
Despite recognizable benefits, some Duke librarians cast doubt on the organizational strength of Google Scholar.
"With our proprietary databases, I can tell you exactly which journals are available, but with [Google Scholar] you have no indication of what scholarly resources are being covered," Martinez said.
Werrell explained that Google does not disclose its criteria for choosing searchable journals.
There is no systemized approach for publishers to renew their information on Google Scholar, librarians said. In addition, major publications such as Elsevier and the Journal of the American Chemical Society-two prominent science and technology journals-are not available through the search engine.
Taking into account that Duke is paying millions of dollars to maintain student access to over 300 databases of about 38,000 current journal titles, Google Scholar represents a thin slice of the digitized research realm.
"Faculty are concerned that students are using only Google," Martinez cautioned. "Fast food's good, but we've got steak."
Library officials acknowledged, however, that Google Scholar is still growing and is in no way complete or exhaustive. If its limitations are understood, however, it can serve as a valuable tool in the beginning stages of scholastic inquiry.
"It's hard to make [all] students aware of an innovation like this, but librarians do a very good job of passing on information," said Jean O'Barr, professor of the practice in women's studies.
The search engine has been well-received by students at the University.
"I like Google Scholar better than LexisNexis and most of the Duke databases because it includes government documents," senior Mimi Zhang said. "I feel it's a better search engine because the more relevant results appear first."
Freshman James Tager noted that the renewed sense of remote research is ushering in a new class of "Google scholars."
"Google has been pulling ahead of the pack because of its effectiveness," he said. "If Google Scholar makes research more efficacious, that can't be bad for students."
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