Google Scholar

Collated and edited by Ross Woods, 2026

The purpose is to find research articles using Google Scholar that are relevant for writing a literature review.

Preparation

1. Before beginning this process, you should already have selected the topic you want to investigate.
2. Make a list of “search keywords” that you can use in Google Scholar. These will enable Google to find journal articles for you. Try the following suggestions to develop ideas for search keywords:
1. Keywords are specific words or short phrases that represent your topic.
2. Keywords can also represent different aspects of your topic.
3. Although five keywords may be enough, it is better to choose ten or more.

Procedure

First, open Google Scholar.

Second, notice the empty search box in the middle of the screen.

Third, type several keywords into the search box.

Fourth, press Enter or click the search button.

Fifth, a list of article titles that may be relevant to your topic will appear.

Is it “relevant”?

Once you have a list of article titles, you need to decide whether they are relevant. The sources you review should be related to your research topic. However, their topics will not be exactly the same as yours because your topic should be new and unique.

Relevant does not mean the same. A source is relevant if it helps you understand your research problem, even if it studies a different population, setting, profession, organisation, or closely related phenomenon. Examples of relevant research include:

• Previous research that your proposed study will extend or challenge.
• Research on a similar topic but with a different population.
• Research on a similar topic but using a different methodology.
• Research on a similar topic with similar assumptions.
• Research on a similar topic but using different definitions of terms.
• Research on a similar topic but with different assumptions.
• Research on the same or a similar problem that discusses successful and unsuccessful solutions.

Here’s a simple search progression:

1. your exact topic
2. the same issue in other settings
3. related concepts
4. possible explanations

How to Select Articles

1. Is the article relevant?
• If the title indicates that the article is not relevant, do not read it any further. Move on to the next title.
• If it appears relevant, continue with the steps below.
2. Is it a suitable academic source?
• Check whether it is a scholarly journal article, whether the research method is credible, whether the source is sufficiently current for the purpose, and whether the article actually provides evidence for the point you want to make.
3. If the title indicates that the article is relevant, open the article and read the abstract.
• If the abstract indicates that the article is not relevant, do not read it any further. Move on to the next title.
4. If the title indicates relevance, read the findings, which are usually located near the end of the article.
• If the findings indicate that the article is not relevant, do not read it any further. Move on to the next title.
5. If the findings indicate relevance, read the entire article carefully and save a copy.
6. Check the year of publication. Give priority to recent research when investigating current conditions, but do not automatically reject older sources. Older studies may contain important theories, definitions, foundational research, or findings that are still relevant.

Tip: If at any stage it becomes clear that an article is not relevant, stop reading it so that you do not waste time.

When You Find a Highly Relevant Article

1. Download the article and save it in a folder on your computer.
2. Record the reference and bibliographic details for each article. (You can record them manually or use Mendeley, Endnotes or Zotero.

Warning: If you do not save the article, it may be very difficult to find it again later.

How to Get a Different List of Articles

Repeat the procedure above using:

• the same keywords in a different order
• different keywords from the list you made at the beginning of the process.
• different combinations of keywords
• synonyms
• broader terms
• narrower terms, and
• related concepts.

For example, if the first search was student participation online classes, students might try student engagement, online learning participation, classroom interaction, learner engagement, etc.

Find related documents

When you find an excellent article, Google Scholar becomes much more useful. It helps you find the first good article, and good articles then help you find the rest of the literature. It is more efficient to follow the literature than continually starting new keyword searches:

• examine the article's reference list to find earlier relevant research;
• click Cited by in Google Scholar to find later research that cited it;
• look at Related articles.

Taking Notes

1. Write a summary of the parts of the article that are relevant to your topic.
2. Write your own comments, such as its strengths, insights or unique information, weaknesses, relevance, and implications.
3. Clearly distinguish the author's ideas from your own comments.
4. Include highly relevant direct quotations, with page numbers. (Sometimes it is too difficult to improve on the original author's wording.)
5. Make sure that your notes:
• accurately represent what the article's author wrote;
• will be understandable by you when you have forgotten what you meant.
• will be understandable to a reader who has not read the article.