Do you have a paper or project for which you need scholarly material such as journal articles, books, conference papers, technical reports, or dissertations? There are many options for searching for this type of information. You could use resources provided for you by the UCLA Library, such as the Library Catalog and journal article databases.
Or you could use a search engine that searches the World Wide Web. Google Scholar™ is an example of a search engine that searches specifically for scholarly literature. It is fast and easy to use and can lead you to hundreds of relevant articles.
But before you use Google Scholar™, consider the following questions:
The links to the left will help you explore answers to these questions. Google Scholar and... contains links directly to selected scholarly search engines, provides more information about each one, and offers exercises to help you decide if Google Scholar™ is right for your project.
You may find that Google Scholar™ gives you a quick overview of a topic and can quickly point you toward relevant material but that your results may not be as current or as comprehensive as you need. In that case, journal article databases can provide more focused subject area coverage and advanced search features that allow you to specifically concentrate on the aspects of the topic you really need.
Here are two short movies that may help you decide which search engines to use:
You can also talk to a Library staff member online, by email, in person, or by phone.
| I have done my search. Now how do I get the material? | ||
| Google Scholar or PsycINFO? | ||
| Google Scholar and... | ||
| UCLA Library Article Databases | ||
| Return to Introduction |