What is Google Scholar?
Google Scholar is a freely available search-engine that provides access to scholarly literature. It allows you to search for publications such as journal articles, abstracts, book chapters and cases from different websites and databases. While Google Scholar has its benefits, it also has its limitations that you should be aware of, just as you would with all internet-based resources.
It is important to be critical in your review of the information you find.
View our infographic below for the benefits and challenges of using Google Scholar as a resource.
What is Google Scholar?
Google Scholar is a freely available search-engine that provides access to scholarly literature. It allows you to search for publications such as journal articles, abstracts, book chapters and cases from different websites and databases. While Google Scholar has its benefits, it also has its limitations that you should be aware of, just as you would with all internet-based resources.
It is important to be critical in your review of the information you find.
View our infographic below for the benefits and challenges of using Google Scholar as a resource.
Common Domains
The following is a list of common website domains and their purpose. Keep and eye out for these while searching for online resources.
.Com : Used for commercial purposes
.Org : Used by organisations
.Net : Used by networking technologies
.Edu : Used by educational institutions
.Gov : Used by governmental entities
Internet-Based Resources
Internet-based resources can complement your academic or scholarly research, and provide another source of information for use in assignments. As these resources are freely available, they may not have been checked for accuracy or bias. Therefore, you need to learn how to access, use and evaluate these resources critically.
This page provides guidance on what internet-based resources are, how to search for them, use the information you find effectively, and combine them with academic sources of information for high-quality academic assignments.
Challenges of Internet Resources
See our tutorial on the challenges of using internet-based resources and how to overcome them 
Integration in Assignments
See our tutorial on how to integrate internet-based resources into your assignment.
Don't forget to look at our guide on Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism for more information
Steps to Searching for Internet-based Resources
Firstly, think about what kind of material or information you are looking for?
Where is it likely to be found?
Check what resources the Library has first.
Consider other reliable & reputable sources of information (governmental/educational).
How is your topic likely to be described? Consider the keywords/synonyms for searching.
Remember, some information on the internet cannot be fully accessed due to paywalls, therefore it is worth checking to see if it is available in the Library.
Use the ESCAPE method to evaluate the information you find.
Be sure to reference the source correctly using the appropriate referencing style.
Contact us at library.learning@mu.ie if you have further queries on internet-based resources or related issues.
How to Evaluate Information Online: ESCAPE
Referencing Online Material
The MU Department of Chemistry provide examples in the course handbook
Consult Handbook for Referencing Style
Disclaimer: Your first port of call for Referencing guidance should be your Department's handbook.
But you can check out our Referencing guide for help laying out your references.
MURAL
MURAL (Maynooth University Research Archive Library) is a repository of publications and theses written by students and staff members of Maynooth University and St Patricks College.
Browse the collection by year, author, or academic unit and find publications such as articles, theses, and conference items.
For more information, see our MURAL Institutional Repository Guide.
