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Google Scholar

Search Filters

Time (Publication Date)

Use the Time filter to limit your results to those published since a certain date.

Remember that "current" literature is typically considered sources published within the last five years.

Sort

Use the Sort limiter to change the order the results are displayed in the result list.

Relevance

Relevance is determined by Google's algorithm based on on your search terms.

Date

The newest articles, those published in the last year, will be displayed.

This list of results also allows you to view sources by:

  • Abstracts (Default view, narrows down results significantly)
  • Everything (Shows all results sorted by date)

Type

You may also sort your Google Scholar results by Type.

Any Type (default setting)

  • "Any Type" offers a comprehensive range of academic documents.
  • Use "Any Type" when you want a broad overview of available scholarly content on a topic, encompassing all kinds of publications.

Review Articles

  • "Review Articles" provide in-depth reviews and critical analysis of existing research.
  • Use "Review Articles" when you need detailed summaries and analyses of the current state of research on a particular subject.

Include Citations

"Include citations" means that the search results will also display items that cite the specified search terms, even if the original search terms are not present in the title or abstract of those items. To narrow down your search results, you can uncheck this box.

Include Patents

A patent is a legal document granted by a government authority that gives an inventor exclusive rights to make, use, and sell an invention for a specified period. It is best to leave this box unchecked unless you are specifically searching for patents.

Advanced Search Features

Google Scholar Advanced Feature from menuTo access Google Scholar Advanced Search features:

  1. Click on the Menu icon in the upper left corner of the Google Scholar search screen.
  2. Click on Advanced search at the bottom of the menu list
  3. Once you have filled in the desired fields, be sure to click on the blue magnifying glass button to run your search.

 The four main advanced search features are:

  • ALL of the words (equivalent to searching with AND in between each word)
  • EXACT PHRASE (equivalent to using quotation marks to search as a phrase)
  • AT LEAST ONE of the words (equivalent to searching using OR)
  • WITHOUT the words (equivalent to searching using NOT)

You can also tell Google Scholar to search for your terms anywhere in the article or in just the article's title.

You can also search by:

  • Author name
  • Publication title (such as a journal title), and
  • Publication date range

 

Google Scholar Advanced Search Options