Researching for Biology Labs: Before we begin ...

Nothing comes easy and what, at first blush, looks like it will be quick likely isn't.

When you conduct a literature search (or otherwise seek information to answer some question, personal, class-related, or work-related), it is up to you to evaluate that information to ensure it is not only relevant to your need but also credible.

When you are doing a literature search (and when it is not required the search be comprehensive -- which is something else again!), what you are striving for is to retrieve approximately 25-30 really relevant papers related to your topic from which you will then choose the requisite number to be used for your purpose (e.g., class assignment, paper, etc.).

There is no magic bullet.  Results may be returned on the basis of the database's algorithm (computer program) for relevancy based on your search, but it is still up to you to sift through those results and examine them for relevancy to YOUR purpose and to determine their credibility.

Thus, if your search is non-specific, too many results may be returned, you will either have to think about how to refine your search OR you will have to painstakingly review those results to find the key sources you want to use.

Alternatively, if your search is too specific, you may miss relevant sources.

So, it is your responsibility to take the time:

• to choose the correct search tool,
• to conduct a good search and
• to evaluate the results.

First off, this is about Google, not Google Scholar; Google Scholar comes later!

Google has become the most popular search engine, so much so that the word "Google" is now considered a verb by the Oxford English Dictionary.

Google is great--when used with caution.  One caution is to avoid "group think."  According to Google, Inc., their philosophy regarding the results you get is as follows [emphasis added]:

Democracy on the web works.

Google search works because it relies on the millions of individuals posting links on websites to help determine which other sites offer content of value. We assess the importance of every web page using more than 200 signals and a variety of techniques, including our patented PageRank™ algorithm, which analyzes which sites have been “voted” to be the best sources of information by other pages across the web. As the web gets bigger, this approach actually improves, as each new site is another point of information and another vote to be counted. In the same vein, we are active in open source software development, where innovation takes place through the collective effort of many programmers. 

Source: Google Inc. (n.d.). "What we believe."  Retrieved from https://www.google.ca/intl/en/about/company/philosophy/.

That said, if you are simply trying to get the "lay of the land" as you approach a new topic, Google is great for catching one up on the latest language and getting a sense of the topic.  However, anyone can publish anything to the Web so whatever you find by doing a Google search should be evaluated carefully before you decide to include it as a source.  For a checklist of things to look for when evaluating websites, see the Library's guide on Evaluating Websites.

SEARCH | Summon is a "discovery system" and is the Library world's latest response to Google.

Summon is designed provide a quick introduction to ALL types of resources relating to a particular search regardless of format: recommended databases, books, journal articles, videos, etc.  Once a resource is discovered in Summon, the user has the option to move to the resource itself (if the resource is in electronic form) or to the database of the resource's record (e.g., Web of Science, the Library Catalogue, etc. ... if you need more information about it as in the case of print or video resources).

Like Google, Summon is designed to provide you with something.  The difference is that the results at least point you to resources that the Library has collected or subscribed to.  The results that are returned may be exactly what you want, more than you want, or not at all what you want but something will be returned to you.

FIND ARTICLES | QUICK SEARCH (box for Summon)

The QUICK SEARCH (box) under the FIND ARTICLES tab is another version of Summon that focuses on journal articles specifically.  Other than that it works the same as a regular search in Summon. 

Searching in Summon

Summon uses keyword searching and a fairly robust relevancy ranking system to find academic resources of all types relating to a given search. 

The relevancy ranking is based up on a "dynamic ranking" scheme that analyzes term frequency, influenced by the fields the terms occur in (i.e., title, author, abstract being weighted more heavily), term proximity, and term stemming. 

Search results are presented on the basis of content type (e.g., a book versus reviews of the books), publication date, peer-review (in the case of articles), local collections, and citation counts.

Facets, located on the left menu of the search results page, allow refinement of the search in terms of format (e.g., books, journals, etc.), discipline, publication date, subject terms, and language.

Treat Summon for what it is:  a discovery system; a first stop in your literature search, not be the only stop or necessarily the final stop -- only the first stop -- because nothing can beat the power of the native database interface, specifically designed for a given subject, to really search for information.  By third year and definitely if you are doing graduate work, you should be using the power and richness of the native database interfaces.

Remember, when using Summon:

1) all you are using is a keyword search.  Even if you choose "Advanced Search", that still only gets you to a field search (i.e., a keyword within a specific field in the record, either title, author, or subject).

2) you are expected to use the facets (or limiters) on the left menu to help you sort through the references to information sources returned by your search.

3) you are searching across all databases, everything ... whether they are relevant to your subject area or not.

ONE LAST THING:  Summon searches across MOST of our databases but PubMed is among the databases NOT represented.

Tutorial: Summon Searching.