Navigating the vast array of information sources available today can be challenging.
This page focuses on three essential research tools: Google, Google Scholar, and library research databases.
Each tool serves a unique purpose, with varying levels of quality control and types of sources.
Understanding their differences enhances your research effectiveness, ensuring you find reliable and relevant information.
| Google Scholar | Library Research Databases | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| What is searched | Everything published on the open and indexed web | Searches academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other websites | Searches free and licensed (paid for by Camosun) academic/scholarly, professional/trade, and industry information sources |
| Quality of Results | No quality control | Minimal quality control | Lots of quality control |
| Search Control | Type of consumer-oriented content, such as news, shopping, and images.Advanced search limiters language, region, date, and site | Limiting done by search algorithm comprehensive overview of a particular subject area Advanced search limiters such as date |
Robust tools allow you to narrow by dozens of categories including but not limited to (date, type of resource, language, etc.) |
| Type of sources | Web pages, news, blogs, videos, images, music, Grey Literature | Articles, books, book chapters, conference papers, court opinions, theses/dissertations, etc. Patents, Case Law | Scholarly articles, trade journals, newspapers, books, book chapters, essays, conference papers, stats/data, streaming video/music, and more, depending on the database. |
| Peer Reviewed Filter | No | No | Yes |
| Full Texts | Usually Other times required to pay for access (DO NOT DO THIS) |
Sometimes Other times required to pay for access (DO NOT DO THIS) |
Yes |
| Authors | Anyone | Journalists, scholars, professionals | Journalists, scholars, professionals |
| Evaluating content | No guarantee or review for quality/validity before publishing | More trustworthy; still must verify source (e.g., publisher website vs. university website vs. individual website) Not all sources “scholarly” |
Reviewed by editors or other scholars before being presented or published Still must verify the types of sources (scholarly, journal article, book etc.) |
| Information Strengths | Grey literature (reports, white papers, government papers), company information, data and statistics, news Finding quick answers to specific, factual questions Getting an overview of a topic that is new to you |
Citation tracking tool | Free access to full text articles, books and streaming videos Highly organized information Numerous filters Peer reviewed and scholarly sources |
| Drawbacks | Does not have the ability to sort or focus search results Search results tailored to reflect your interests commercial information and advertising Anyone can publish online about any topic no quality control of information |
Does not have the ability to sort or focus search results Paywalls No guarantee search results are peer reviewed |
Each research database is a little different and takes some time to learn to use |
| Example Searches | Example search | Example search | Example search |
Return to the home page for research tools and take a look at another section, or move on to building the search.
https://libweb.library.wwu.edu/elearning/spot/2_find_evaluate/#/lessons/KCtC3AHTOpiIZCjUcNn2aSNkJqfBMDb5
