From: Ken Masters <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2012 14:13:00 +0400

Hi All

When conducting literature reviews, especially systematic literature
reviews, academic researchers usually consult a number of data bases
(Medline, EBSCO, etc.).  Given that Google Scholar indexes so much, is
there any reason to use these other data bases at all, rather than to
simply go to Google Scholar?

I am aware that some of these data bases allow for a more detailed
type of search (e.g. terms found in abstract only, etc), but if I were
doing a search for all articles that have, for example, "mobile
learning" in the their text, would it not make more sense to simply
perform that initial search in Google Scholar, and ignore the other
academic databases?  What reference could they offer me that Google
Scholar doesn't?

(And yes, I'm aware, that Google Scholar will pull up far more grey
literature, but that is part of the manual sifting process that I
would have to perform anyway.).

Does anyone know of a comparison study that has been performed?

Thanks.

Regards

Ken

Dr. Ken Masters
Asst. Professor: Medical Informatics
Medical Education Unit
College of Medicine & Health Sciences
Sultan Qaboos University
Sultanate of Oman
E-i-C: The Internet Journal of Medical Education