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ENGL 197: Steal From the Rich: Robin Hood in Literature and Film (Blurton, Fall 2023): Google Scholar

Robin Hood in Literature and Film

What is Google Scholar?

Google Scholar is a subset of the Google search engine that searches the web for what it considers to be "scholarly publications." Its focus is on providing access to journal articles that are available online through the publisher, although it will also retrieve non-scholarly material such as news announcements, academic websites (.edu), slide decks, and the like.

Google Scholar is good for:

  • Locating obscure references that are difficult to find in conventional databases, either because you have an incomplete citation or an article is not included in other indexing services
  • Tracking down the full text of a known article
  • Finding gray literature such as conference proceedings, pre-prints, policy papers, and government reports

Google Scholar drawbacks::

  • It cannot access content within proprietary databases such as MLA or Literature Online
  • It is not an index and is not organized by discipline or subject.
  • It cannot limit, organize, filter, or sort your searches.
  • Google Scholar is NOT a full-text database.  Most records in Google Scholar are citations, not articles in their entirety

Keep in mind:

  • You may get a long list of results but you will only have access to the full text of articles that UCSB Library has paid subscriptions for (if you have set up Library Links), or that are open access
  • Searches are not nearly as precise as they are in the library's subscription databases

To access UCSB Library's licensed copies of articles that you find in Google Scholar, you must first set up Library Links. 

1. Go to Settings 

2. Choose Library links

3. Find University of California, Santa Barbara in the "library access links" search bar. I recommend choosing  both WorldCat and UCSB. See screenshot below.

Update your Google Scholar settings! UC eLinks is now Get it at UC

Google Scholar search bar with "Did you know that you can use Google Scholar to access full text resources through UCSB Library? superimposed over it

New and existing Google Scholar users will need to add Get it at UC as a Library Link to their Google Scholar settings for full-text access to materials and to easily request items through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) using their UCSB NetID and Password.

First time connecting Google Scholar to UC Library Search? Use this brief video to see how to connect to UCSB Library full-text resources.

Google Scholar

Google Scholar Search

Connecting Google Scholar to UCSB Library Full-Text Resources

Learn how you can connect UCSB Library to Google Scholar to easily access the full text of an article through UC Library Search.

Connecting Google Scholar to UCSB Library Full-Text Resources from UCSB Library on Vimeo.

Transcript:

Title: Connecting Google Scholar to UCSB Library Full-Text Resources: Teaching & Learning Series

Body: Starting on the Google Scholar homepage, login to Google using your UCSB NetID and password. Once you are logged in, find the menu in the top left corner of the screen and select the “settings” option, then the “library links” option. In the search box, enter “University of California, Santa Barbara” and search. Find the “Get it At UC” option and make sure the box is checked, then save your changes. Now, you can search for full-text articles in UCSB Library from Google Scholar! On the Google Scholar homepage, enter your search terms and search. Look for the “Get it at UC” links to access the full-text resource through the Library website. You’ve done it! Having trouble? Ask for help. Need help with your research? Visit us online: library.ucsb.edu/ask