Google Scholar vs. Library Database, both provide us students with a variety of options to find answers to our research questions. Which is better? I look at this question from two perspectives. Google Scholar provides students with tons of information online that is easy to access and we receive it anywhere. I have now done research for two different subjects, Psychology and English.
From a psychology student perspective, Library Databases are crucial because they lead us to psychology databases such as PsychInfo and WebScience. These two databases are very important for psychology students because they provide us with a great deal of information and psychological studies. When writing my final assignment for my research studies class last year, I strictly used sources I found on PsychInfo and other library databases. I did not use Google Scholar at all to find any sources. This may have been out of a fear that some sources may not be credible and I knew what I was getting with library databases. From an English student perspective, I think that both Google Scholar and Library Databases can be useful tools. Looking online for information for this assignment has shown me that databases such as Google Scholar can be a helpful tool in finding useful information.
I prefer using Library Databases. Library Databases provide students with online links, books, ebooks, clips, films and a great deal more. I enjoy being able to hold a book in my hand and read (even if it is for research). I know exactly what I am getting when I use a Library Database and I know the information I use (for the most part) is credible and reliable information. The two can be used in combination because you may want to use all the options you have at your disposal. You can find a book on a Library Database and find other works that may have cited that particular book and if it helps your research you can look it up on Google Scholar. Some key differences between the two, I feel, is just that the Library Database provides us with more options (some that are tangible as well). When using Google Scholar, the key words you use have to be very specific because you can get a great deal of information that is not useful to what you are looking for. Google Scholar is very much online based information that can be credible or not. I find it helps to look for written works that have been peer reviewed or published in a journal (or something along those lines). In the future I will still rely mostly on Library Databases and to give myself more options, I will use Google Scholar. It is always good to try to find as much information on a topic as possible.
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