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Google vs. Google Scholar vs. PubMed in Medical Searching

This informational guide by Denise O'Shea compares the strengths, limitations, and special features of Google, Google Scholar, and PubMed as medical research tools. Learn about their coverage, functionality, and how to choose the best search engine for various information needs. Gain insights on key search features and recommendations based on your search requirements.

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Google vs. Google Scholar vs. PubMed in Medical Searching

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  1. GoogleTM or PubMed Which is Better for Medical Searching?

  2. Agenda • Introduction • Overview of Search Tools • Strengths • Coverage, Functionality, and Special Features • Limitations • Search Examples • Recommendations • Q&A Denise O'Shea

  3. The Author • Former Technology Programs Manager for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM), Middle Atlantic Region • Certified Instructor for web searching courses such as Super Searcher • Librarian, experienced in web searching using a myriad of tools including PubMed, Google, Google Scholar, ClinicalTrials.Gov and much more… • I use Google often, when appropriate Denise O'Shea

  4. Objectives • Participants will be able to: • Communicate the differences between the Google, Google Scholar and PubMed and justify the choice of search engine for a given information need; • Evaluate medical research tools; • Demonstrate familiarity with resources covered in the course; Denise O'Shea

  5. Introduction • Compare these search tools and list what you think are the TWO most important search features in each: • GoogleTM • Google ScholarTM • PubMed Denise O'Shea

  6. Search Tools: Overview • It’s important to know: • How the different search tools work and how they are best utilized • The strengths and limitations of different search tools • Coverage and Currency: • How big is the database being used? • What does it contain? • How often is it updated or refreshed? Denise O'Shea

  7. PubMed vs. Google vs. Google Scholar • Google: searches over 8 billion web pages for general information • Google Scholar: searches the web for scholarly materials from broad areas of research • PubMed: a searchable collection of over 15 million bio-medical journal citations Denise O'Shea

  8. GoogleTM: Strengths • Simplicity, speed and coverage • Searches web pages, images, PDFs, Word documents and much more • Easy-to-use search interface Denise O'Shea

  9. Google ScholarTM Beta: Strengths • Easy means to access health literature and interdisciplinary topics • Useful for citation verification • Allows users to search inside the text of an article • Provides linking to free materials on the Web • Include reports and conferences proceedings from professional societies and associations • Access to Grey Literature • Backup for when local subscription links are not working Denise O'Shea

  10. PubMed: Strengths • Updated daily* • Sophisticated search tools • Related Articles / Abstract Plus • Good documentation • Links to local holdings • Ad free Denise O'Shea

  11. Google: Special Features • It uses a Boolean (and/or) search engine to find words in web-pages • It ranks pages according to the links on the page and the popularity of the pages that link to other pages • Automatic spellchecker Denise O'Shea

  12. Google Scholar: Special Features • Links to local holdings and to OCLC WorldCat with “one click” service • Locates chapters within multi-authored books and conference proceedings • Cited-by feature Denise O'Shea

  13. PubMed: Special Features • Uses MeSH headings to match synonyms • Manual indexing by subject experts can include words not contained in the abstract • Clipboard, RSS Feeds, e-mailed search results • You can customize your results page • Growing free content (PubMed Central) • Search history • Easily link to a vast array of other biomedical databases through global search Denise O'Shea

  14. Google: Limitations • Page ranking based on popular opinion • Timeliness • Does not suggest alternative search terms or synonyms • Limited field searching (can’t search based on age or gender, or search for a research method or publication type) • Limited Boolean logic, no truncation • No resorting by most current Denise O'Shea

  15. Google Scholar: Limitations • Software is in Beta • Coverage – no definition of ‘scholarly’ • Search results may not be as comprehensive or as current as you need • Bias towards older literature (due to ranking based on number of citations) • Fee-for-service document delivery • Sorting features (or lack there-of) • Does not always suggest alternative spellings Denise O'Shea

  16. PubMed: Limitations • Complex interface requires training to use effectively • Need to understand the structure & functionality of the database • Some features require the use of cookies • Some features require a login and password (MyNCBI) Denise O'Shea

  17. Search Examples • Demo Denise O'Shea

  18. To Google…or Not to Google? • Google: • Simple searches, quick reference tool • Not designed for comprehensive research or clinical questions • Google Scholar • Known item searching, to learn background info on a topic • Not designed for comprehensive research or clinical questions • PubMed: • Complex searches • Current information • Literature reviews (i.e., for grants, clinical trials or evidence based medicine), PICO • Ability to save searches, view search history, schedule e-alerts • Don’t use to search for general information on the Web Denise O'Shea

  19. A Selected List of Other Medical Search Tools • Scirus – a search engine for scientific, technical and medical data (http://www.scirus.com). Competitor to Google Scholar. • Relamed – searches PubMed and assigns relevance to results (http://www.relemed.com) • Hubmed – an alternative interface to PubMed (http://www.hubmed.org/) • Science Research Portal – a free, publicly available Internet web portal allowing access to numerous scientific journals and public science databases (http://www.scienceresearch.com/search/) • XplorMed – a word relationship search engine for PubMed (http://www.ogic.ca/projects/xplormed//). It searches for articles based on word semantics and relationships. • Plus bibliographic databases and full-text ejournals subscribed to by your library Denise O'Shea

  20. The Future • Google Co-op • Customized Search Engines • http://www.healthfind.com/ • Subscribed Links • http://google.com/coop/subscribedlinks/directory/Health • Topics • http://www.google.com/coop/topics/Health • PubMed RSS feeds • New/Noteworthy • NLM Tech Bulletin Denise O'Shea

  21. Q&A Denise O'Shea

  22. Reading & Further Resources • Giustini, D., & Barsky, E. (2005). A look at Google Scholar, PubMed...a comparison. JCHLA/JABSC, 26. • Giustini, D., & Barsky, E. (2005). Using Google Scholar in Health Research: A Comparison with PubMed. Paper presented at the CHLA/ABSC. from http://chla-absc.ca/2005/Presentations/0601/GiustiniBarsky_CHLA2005.pdf. • Henderson, J. (2005). Google Scholar: a source for clinicians? CMAJ, 172(12). • New Search Engine for Finding Articles in PubMed. (2007). from http://www.researchbuzz.org/wp/2007/03/05/new-search-engine-for-finding-articles-in-pubmed • UCLA. (2007). Google Scholar™, Search Engines, Databases, and the Research Process. from http://www2.library.ucla.edu/googlescholar/index.cfm • Vine, R. (2006). Google Scholar: A Source for Technicians. J Med Library Assoc., 94(1), 97-99. Denise O'Shea

  23. Contact Info Denise O’Shea Systems Librarian Fairleigh Dickinson University Teaneck and Madison, NJ oshea@fdu.edu Denise O'Shea

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