Google Scholar as a tool for research assessment

Abstract

Google Scholar is a search engine that specializes in scientific information and in the identification of the citations that academic papers receive, making it a strong competitor for other citations indexes. For this reason, several studies have attempted to evaluate its capacity as a bibliometric tool. Due to this interest, we present an introduction to its use and the advantages and disadvantages versus Scopus and Web of Science. First, its way of collecting information and features of its interface are analyzed. The following section describes the results that Google Scholar generates. Thirdly, we analyze the coverage of information sources and the different document types to be found, showing how this coverage universe offers different citations versus other products. Finally, we specify the standardization problems of Google Scholar and offer a number of precautions that must be taken into account when using Google Scholar as an evaluation tool.