ENG 112: College Composition II (Pool-Loudoun)

Google Scholar searches for scholarly sources such as journal articles, dissertations, and conference proceedings, and provides links to those resources. How is it able to do that? Don't many of these resources require a subscription or payment?

Yes, many of these articles do involve costs. Do not pay for access! You will find that you have access to many of them for free:

• Some are freely available ("open access").
• As a NOVA student, you have access to certain journal articles through databases that the library subscribes to.
  • On campus, you can view these resources directly.
  • Off campus, you will need to set up "Library Links" in Google Scholar; once configured, you will be prompted to enter your MyNova username and password to access the articles.

Google Scholar is particularly useful for:

• finding articles on unique or very focused topics
• getting familiar with titles of journals in your area of research
• finding a list of other articles that have cited an article you've found.  In the example below, the article, "Polar bears in a warming climate," has been cited by 269 other (newer) articles.