Google Scholar: features and principles of work

Google Scholar or Google Academy is one of the most global scientometric platforms. For almost 20 years of work, it has become so significant for the research community that it is difficult to overestimate its role. But, nevertheless, not all scientists understand the principles of the Google Academy. Today we propose to consider how to get started with Google Scholar, what are the main blocks of an author profile, and how to use Google Scholar Author Search.

Google Scholar: what is it?

Google Scholar is a scientometric platform that indexes all research materials posted on the Internet. Google Scholar launch date: November 2004, due to the active growth and increasing popularity of scientometric databases.

It is worth noting that Google Scholar is sometimes mistakenly called a scientometric database, equating its status with Scopus and Web of Science, but in fact it is not.

Why Google Scholar cannot be equated with scientometric databases?

Firstly, Google Scholar has different work algorithms. Databases are more closed structures that index materials from the sources that are included in them. Google Scholar indexes a wider range of research materials. It can even be blogs, notes or social media content. Therefore, there is a risk of indexing "non-scientific materials".

Secondly, databases are characterized by a clear list of requirements for content. Appropriate experts work on inclusion in the database and the peer review process, while Google Scholar relies on more automated algorithms.

Therefore, Google Scholar is more of a service or platform than a scientometric database. This is literally Google Chrome, but in the context of scientific materials.

In order to use the full range of Google Academy features, you need to sign in the platform.

Google Scholar Enrollment: Getting Started

To use Google Academy, you must use Gmail. This is where the platform begins. Then:

◎ Follow the link https://scholar.google.com and log in.

◎ Open the "My profile" tab and start the three-step process of filling out the author's profile.

In the Google Scholar service, registration begins with filling in contact information. The user is asked to provide:

1. Full name.
2. All spellings of first name/surname.
3. The name of the scientific institution or university.
4. Email for notifications.
5. Subjects of scientific works.
6. Link to the website of a scientific institution or university (optional).

◎ After that, the next stage of Google Scholar registration begins, where the scientist needs to select all the scientific works of his own authorship. At this stage, it is necessary to carefully read the submitted list, because it is possible to add works not of one's own authorship, which is a kind of violation of ethical principles.

◎ At the final stage of Google Scholar registration, it is necessary to work out the technical nuances:

1. Update of scientometric indicators in the Google Scholar author profile.
2. Setting the visibility of your Google Scholar account.
3. Email alerts.

After that, Google Scholar registration can be considered complete.

Google Scholar Author: Profile Settings

After registration, the author of Google Scholar can see his full profile. In most cases, it will include all of the information provided above and appear as:

At this stage, the Google Scholar author can continue to customize the profile or individual information that is posted there. There is a possibility:

1. Add a photo of the Google Scholar author.
2. Edit full name and spelling options.
3. Set up email alerts (Google Scholar Alerts).
4. Add materials that are not yet displayed in the profile.
5. Edit information about the work in the profile.
6. Add co-authors, their Google Scholar author profiles.

Google Scholar Author Search: Finding Colleague Profiles

If a Google Scholar author needs to see the profiles of their colleagues or scholars of interest within the Google Academy, you should use the Google Scholar Author Search capabilities. Let's look at the three most common ways:

1. Enter the author's name in the Google Scholar search field. So the system will display search queries of a wide range. That is, according to both the author and the title of the work and its text. This method is considered the least efficient. 
2. Use advanced search: Google Scholar Advanced Search. It's in the sidebar on the left. Limit results to a specific author's name. So the system will search for the materials of a particular author. 
3. Enter the search query in the Google Scholar search box in the format "author:First Name Last Name". So the system will display materials only according to the names of the researchers. 
4. If you need to search for an author in Google Scholar from your university or academic institution, click on the hyperlink in your profile. This will display all author profiles from your organization. 

5. Also, using the previous method, the user will automatically go to the profile search window. Here you can also enter the name of the author you are interested in and go to his Google Scholar profile directly (rather than through the list of materials, as in the previous methods). 

Google Scholar metrics: citation, h-index, i10-index

It is also worth noting that within the framework of the Google Scholar author profile, there are several most significant indicators of the author:

1. Google Scholar citation: the number of citations of the researcher's work.
2. h-index indicator that correlates the number of papers and citations of Google Scholar.
3. i10-index: index of the most highly cited papers.

All these indicators are calculated depending on citations in Google Scholar. All of them are calculated separately both for the entire publication period and for the last 5 years. In addition, a graphical display of the number of citations by year is provided.

How to increase citation rate in Google Scholar?

The Google Scholar citation level is the most comprehensive indicator of the author's scientific activity. Therefore, every scientist needs to follow this metric. Let's see what tips will help with this:

• Cooperate with your colleagues.
• Publish content with co-authorship.
• Check the technical settings and the correctness of the filled data.
• Post content in English.
• Pay attention to Open Access editions.
• Work on article metadata.

Also, you can seek advice from the specialists of the company "Scientific Publications". Use our Google Scholar Citation service  and we will provide a full audit of your profile, eliminate all technical inaccuracies, and provide an organic increase in scientometric indicators. We are always glad to cooperate!

We would remind you that the material came out recently «Компания «Научные Публикации» поздравляет с наступающим Новым Годом!»