Further resources
Google and Google Scholar
Many people begin their research with Google, and sometimes Google Scholar. Google can be useful to get an overview, background information, or to define terms. We all Google – but are you doing it effectively?
Using Advanced Google or Google Scholar improves your chance of obtaining relevant information. Researchers are expected to use scholarly information and Google alone is insufficient.
Google Advanced lets you choose combinations of words – e.g. all these words, exact phrase or word etc., and narrow results by language, region, last update, site or domain, file type, etc.
The following table provides a comparison of the difference in features between Google and Google Scholar.
Features |
|
Google Scholar |
|---|---|---|
| Easy-to-search interface | Yes | Yes |
| Coverage | Many sources, good definitions, background information, government/company reports, but uncontrolled content. | Indexes scholarly sources, but with uneven discipline content. |
| Format | Varied, news, company reports, trade and government publications, grey literature. | Scholarly material, articles, conference papers, book chapters, patents. |
| Search results with basic filtering | Yes, with Advanced Google. | Limited |
| Search alerts | No | Yes |
| Search metrics | No | Yes |
| Author profiles | No | Yes |
| Full-text access | Yes, depending on sources. | Yes, but payment may be required. |
| Export citations to reference managers | No | Yes |
Best practice tip
Sign in to Google Scholar via the Library webpage to access full text that RMIT holds in linked databases.
See the image below for where to find Google Scholar on the RMIT Library homepage.
Image: Screenshot of Find books, articles and more showing Google Scholar tab. RMIT University Library homepage. 16 December 2024. Copyright © 2024 RMIT University.
Activity
Search Google Scholar using some of your search query keywords.
As you search make note of the following:
- The different types of resources in your results list
- Can you follow a link to the full text of the article or resource?
- Look for where to refine your search by date or relevance, and also where you can include (or exclude) patents and citations
There are also further tools in Google Scholar to find related material. These are located under each of the titles listed in your search results.
Can you find the Cite, Cited by, Related articles, and Save links?
See if you can also find where to save an alert for your search. Saving an alert will provide an email feed for any new papers on your topic, as they are added to Google Scholar.
Test your knowledge
Grey literature
Grey literature encompasses a range of materials that are generally not published via traditional channels, like journal articles, and may not be indexed in library databases. Using grey literature will broaden your search to include more local knowledge, fill research gaps and various perspectives of individuals and organisations.
Examples of grey literature include:
- conference papers and proceedings
- datasets
- government and NGOs’ documents, reports and working papers
- fact sheets, bulletins
- policy statements
- research data
- standards
- statistics
- theses
You can use Google Advanced Search features including fields (for example title or author), site or domain (for example site:gov.au) or document type (for example pdf).
Other sources for grey literature include conference sites, repositories, news and newspaper sites, and policy and data sites, like the Australian Policy Observatory or the Australian Bureau of Statistics. RMIT’s Library’s Library guide on Grey Literature is a great place to find more information and other sources for grey literature. Always ensure the quality, credibility, and reliability of these sources.
Research Repository/Theses
The RMIT Research Repository is an open-access institutional repository providing free, searchable access to research publications authored by RMIT University staff and students.
Most theses submitted at RMIT University can be found in the RMIT Research Repository.
Theses can be invaluable sources for in-depth and significant research related to your field of study. The RMIT Theses research guide is a great starting point for resources that will allow you to access Australian and international theses.
Activity
- Search the RMIT Research Repository.
- Enter your search term, for example, climate change.
- Limit your search results to ‘Dissertations & Theses’.
- The ‘Refine your results’ enables further selection of:
- Resource type
- Research unit
- Author.
- Identify a relevant thesis to your topic.
