Google Scholar Search Engine
by Michael
(London, UK)
I use the Google Scholar search engine quite a lot. Google Scholar provides a very efficient way of searching the Internet for scholarly literature. For me the kind of document that I search for is a research study report on various aspects of wildcats and domestic cats. Often they are medical type studies. I use the information to create a web page in layman’s language.
Note to the regular visitors: I know that this is a departure from cat information. It is intended to assist the website. Although there are many useful works that can be found using Google Scholar that would, I feel, apply to some regular visitors.
I know that most people using Google Scholar will be scholars – who else. But there is a wealth of information in a research study conducted by scientists, which you know is of the highest quality because the methods are set out. There is not fudging or copying. OK, the results may not be definitive but that is a good thing as it reflects the true state of play. Nothing is black and white. There are few clean and simple answers.
Above screenshot: Google Scholar can be accessed from the Google home page using the drop down menu.
What is typical of Google is that their scholar search engine lists a wide range of documents including as mentioned research studies, theses, books, professional societies etc.
The search listing is ranked based on how researchers normally choose information including how many times the document has been cited in other works.
The documents I search for are invariable PDF files that you have to pay for – usually about $30 (USD) at December 2010.
You are initially presented with an abstract, which gives a “feel” for the published work. On the basis of reading the abstract you then decide to buy or not. I am yet to be disappointed by the way. Sometimes, rarely, the work is freely available. The information for this section of one page on cat genetics comes from a very useful “free” research study document.
Here are a couple of examples of the pages that I have built on the basis of information from Google Scholar listed research papers.
Prevalence of feline infectious peritonitis in specific cat breeds – to find this using Google.com all you have to do is search for “feline peritonitis”. This is indicative of the success of the page and of the methods employed. A recommendation to webmasters who might stumble upon this page.
This page is popular because it gives an insight into the health of the cat breeds and most people rate a cat’s health as an important criterion when deciding to adopt a purebred cat. I actually got the idea for the post from surfing using the Google Scholar search engine. You can get good ideas for a new webpage that way.
Hip Dysplasia in Cats – this is another page that ranks high in Google search results. Why? Because it is, once again, of interest to cat owners. There are a number of popular breeds (e.g. Maine Coon – see Maine Coon Cat Health Problems) that have a higher than normal incidence of hip dysplasia. This is vital information for cat lovers and breeders.
The information for these pages came exclusively from the studies that were listed using the Google Scholar search engine. I even quoted the research paper and authors to validate what I was saying.
{Please note that sometimes vidoes are removed from YouTube, causing the screen to go black. I don’t have notice of this}
I would recommend using the Google Scholar search engine for:
- Finding ideas for new pages that you would never have thought of. It helps to create original material and Google will always like that.
- Obtaining sharp, to the point, raw, first hand information about important subjects as opposed to second hand, diluted material from other websites – what is better – what does Google prefer?
Of course, I am looking at all this from the perspective of a “layperson user”. I am not a scholar in the conventional sense.
And don’t be put off by the scholarly language of research papers. If you can learn how to use Sony Vegas video making software you can understand the scientists. After a while it is pretty easy.
