What is Google Scholar?

Google Scholar is a free search engine that indexes scholarly literature, including journal articles, books, theses, and conference papers, from academic publishers, universities, and professional organizations. It’s a useful starting point for finding academic sources across many disciplines.

Purpose of this Guide

This guide will help you understand how to use Google Scholar effectively, from running keyword searches and viewing cited works to connecting your account with the Bakersfield College Library for full-text access. By learning these features, you’ll be able to find and evaluate reliable scholarly materials for your research.

Accessing Google Scholar

You can access Google Scholar directly at scholar.google.com. To connect it with the Bakersfield College Library, click the menu icon (☰) in the top left corner, choose Settings then Library links, search for Bakersfield College, and check the box next to Bakersfield College - FullText@BC, then click Save.

Using Google Scholar

Google Scholar allows you to search for scholarly articles, books, and other academic materials across a wide range of subjects. You can enter keywords or exact phrases (using quotation marks) in the search bar, view how many times a work has been cited, and use the “Find It @ BC Library” links to access full-text resources available through the Bakersfield College Library.

Learn how to perform these actions and more in the video demonstration below:

00:00 Introduction
00:12 What Google Scholar Is
00:31 Accessing Google Scholar
00:40 Connecting Google Scholar to the Bakersfield College Library
01:33 Basic Search
02:22 Reviewing Search Results
03:30 Cited by and Related Articles
04:30 Saving and Citing Sources
05:21 Advanced Features
06:47 Wrap-Up