Google Scholar vs. Library Databases

To be perfectly honest I do not have a preference between Google Scholar and the Library Databases, I believe they both have their place.  I like Google Scholar because it gives a broad base of various scholarly works to peruse and decide upon.  However the Library Databases allows an individual to dig deeper into a specific topic. 

Here is an example of how I used these two tools in combination with each other.  I first went to Google Scholar and the topic that I was researching was “flash mops.”  I began to search in Google Scholar and I saw a broad section of sources that appealed to me.  I saved the titled that I found relevant to my topic. Then when I felt that I had a cross-section of sources related to my search keyword(s), I then went to the Library Databases and began to search the specific titles that I had gathered from Google Scholar.   By this point I was reviewing the abstracts for each title source in much more details.  If something seems to be bang on based on what I was trying to find with my research then I downloaded it or made arrangement to pick it up at the library.  I would also take the time to make notes from the abstract of any terms, ideas or concepts that I was not familiar with to do further research if necessary.

The key differences between these research methods from my experience are as follows.

Google Scholar covers a larger cross-section of information with any search word or term.  It did not matter what word or phrase I used, in more cases than not you I found results from my search.

On the other hand the Library Databases required very specific search word(s) or phrases or more often than not the result would either be no results at all or very unrelated results based on the topic.

As I have said in the beginning of this article I do not have a bias between one or the other.  What I would say is that it depends on what stage of your research you are currently in.  If you are at the early stages and you just want to test the waters to see the various scholarly works that might be available then go with Google Scholar to begin with.  However if you have a good grasp on your topic and you have a good knowledge of what you are looking for then go to the Library Databases first.