From: Sandy Thatcher <[log in to unmask]> Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2012 10:31:26 -0500 I suspect a lot depends on how much the searcher already knows. E.g., because I know philosophy well, I do not generally start with a plain Google search or even use Wikipedia but go straight to the authoritative and highly respected free online resource in the field, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, where I am going to get a much more sophisticated answer to my query than I likely would get from more generic sources. Any study of usage, to be really enlightening, should take this kind of level of knowledge of the user into account. Sandy Thatcher > From: Sally Morris <[log in to unmask]> > Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2012 15:27:46 +0100 > > I have a related question - what do people actually use? Academic > databases, Google Scholar, or plain old Google? > > This may be an instance when identifying what's best is fruitless in the > face of what users actually do. > > I'd be interested to know of any recent studies on what search tools are > more commonly used by graduate students, researchers, and for that matter > faculty. > > Sally > > Sally Morris > South House, The Street, Clapham, Worthing, West Sussex, UK BN13 3UU > Email: [log in to unmask]