Searching biomedical literature is a daunting task. Each database has its own tactics and idiosyncrasies. My colleagues at the Sladen Library methodically use each database to insure that nothing is overlooked. The usual course is to first check premium subscription databases, both PubMed and Ovid Medline then move on to Embase, WorldCat or Cinahl. We also conduct a search through Google Scholar, a free web search engine for scholarly literature. The article results are then compiled, limits are applied, and duplicates are removed.
Interestingly, searches with Google Scholar reveal relevant articles that are not found in the premier databases. It’s true that care must be taken to weed out any predatory journal articles, but nevertheless, Google Scholar uses its algorithm, semantics, and artificial intelligence to hone in on the words or phrases in our search strategy.
Google Scholar’s usefulness is undeniable in searching scientific literature but, two new scholarly search engines are proving to be just as useful. Microsoft Academic 2.0 and SemanticScholar use semantics and artificial intelligence techniques to improve retrieval results. Microsoft Academic 2.0 was released in July 2017. The user has the ability to set-up a personal account and to identify their own publications thereby improving search accuracy. News results and relevant updates are more personalized.
SemanticScholar is a free version of a scholarly web crawler by The Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence. According to The Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence the advantage of using Semantic Scholar instead of Google Scholar, PubMed or other academic searches is, “Semantic Scholar helps researchers find better academic publications faster. Our engine analyzes publications and extracts important features using machine learning techniques. The resulting influential citations, images and key phrases allow our engine to “cut through the clutter” and give you results that are more relevant and impactful to your work.”
You may want to take a look at these two new scholarly search engines and start incorporating them into your repertoire. I know I am.
0 Comments.