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Political Science Research Methods: Using Google Scholar

Searching Google Scholar

Search the more academic side of Google! Google Scholar can find journal articles, books, government reports, technical papers, etc. Make sure to read the record carefully so that you know what type of source you have found.

 
 

Expanding Your Search in Google Scholar

Follow "Cited By" Links

"Cited By" usually refers to finding more recent research that cited another article. It is an excellent way to find more updated and revelant research on your topic. For example, if you found a journal article published in 1999, you may be able to find out what other research has cited that particular article since it was published in 1999.  Not every search tool has this feature, but when it's there, it's worth using!  "Cited by" also gives you a rough idea of the importance of the article to other researchers: more important articles will have more "cited by" results. (Be careful: sometimes, a controversial article will get cited a lot because everyone disagrees with it, not because they think it is good!)

cited by link in google scholar

Library Links

If you are off campus, follow these steps in Google Scholar to access any content the library owns:

  1. On the opening screen of Google Scholar select the link for Scholar Preferences (top right corner).
  2. Find  Library Links and type in University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
  3. Click on Find Library.
  4. Click on Save preferences.

Don't Pay for Articles

If we don't have full text access to an article, request it on ILLiad (our interlibrary loan solution). It is a free service.

interlibrary loan box