TY - JOUR
T1 - Will Web Search Engines Replace Bibliographic Databases in the Systematic Identification of Research?
AU - Bates, Jessica
AU - Best, Paul
AU - McQuilkin, Janice
AU - Taylor, Brian
PY - 2016/12/27
Y1 - 2016/12/27
N2 - The availability of web search engines offers opportunities in addition to those provided by bibliographic databases for identifying academic literature, but their usefulness for retrieving research is uncertain. A rigorous literature search was undertaken to investigate whether web search engines might replace bibliographic databases, using empirical research in health and social care as a case study. Eight databases and five web search engines were searched between 20 July and 6 August 2015. Sixteen unique studies which compared at least one database with at least one web search engine were examined, as well as drawing lessons from the authors’ own search process. Web search engines were limited in that the searcher cannot be certain that the principles of Boolean logic apply and they were more limited than bibliographic databases in their functions, such as exporting abstracts. Recommendations a! re made for improving the rigour and quality of reporting studies of academic literature searching.
AB - The availability of web search engines offers opportunities in addition to those provided by bibliographic databases for identifying academic literature, but their usefulness for retrieving research is uncertain. A rigorous literature search was undertaken to investigate whether web search engines might replace bibliographic databases, using empirical research in health and social care as a case study. Eight databases and five web search engines were searched between 20 July and 6 August 2015. Sixteen unique studies which compared at least one database with at least one web search engine were examined, as well as drawing lessons from the authors’ own search process. Web search engines were limited in that the searcher cannot be certain that the principles of Boolean logic apply and they were more limited than bibliographic databases in their functions, such as exporting abstracts. Recommendations a! re made for improving the rigour and quality of reporting studies of academic literature searching.
U2 - 10.1016/j.acalib.2016.11.003
DO - 10.1016/j.acalib.2016.11.003
M3 - Article
JO - Journal of Academic Librarianship
JF - Journal of Academic Librarianship
SN - 0099-1333
ER -