Impressionable Referencing: Search engines for researchers, writers, and enthusiasts
Premises are promises. If a researcher can centralize their work towards a claim that could easily be sized up by what references were used, then what follows — methodologies, findings and analyses, discussions — will easily be celebrated by the academic community.
While there are over two million articles being published in scientific journals every year (Altbach and de Wit, 2018), it was pointed out by Tetzner (2019) that, “the ideal number of papers per year is the number that can be published without compromising research quality.” Agreeably, student researchers still struggle to write a paper with a foundation solid enough to back their assertions.
This lack of confidence in one’s writing may be stemmed through weak references, and could be corrected by having “attention to detail” when it comes to what you cite, as well as where those references may come from (Santini, 2018). Identifying which sources can strengthen your paper is necessary to have a head start in providing complete-based claims.
Listed below are some of the most reliable platforms one can utilize to find their suitable references:
Research Gate (researchgate.net)
With an Alexa rating (www.alexa.com/siteinfo/researchgate.net) of 165 in overall global internet engagement and approximately 2:33 minutes spent daily on-site by users, Research Gate is a free social networking platform that creates an intimate and collaborative community among researchers through its dynamic interface.
The site’s features include the following:
· Search results vary from publishers, complete published work, chapters, etc.
· Account registration simplifies access to the platform
· Profile customization showcases users’ skills and interest in academics
· Allows users to customize their feed and content
Academia (www.academia.edu)
Like Research Gate, Academia is also a social networking platform that allows users to create an academic space to collaborate and contribute alongside other academicians. It is free and accessible with its easy-to-navigate interface. Its Alexa rating is at 316 overall in global internet engagement and 2:31 minutes are spent daily on-site (www.alexa.com/siteinfo/academia.edu).
The site’s features include the following:
· It allows users to search for related literature by searching for topics/fields of study
· Search results presents full, readable literature and written work
· Account registration simplifies access to the platform
· Profile customization showcases users’ skills and interest in academics
· News feed instantly adjusts to users’ academic preferences
Elsevier (elsevier.com)
Elsevier is a collaborative platform and search engine for researchers to track developing updates in their respective fields. The three main features of Elsevier involve its search engine, publishing, and rating academic work. Its Alexa rating can be found at 633 overall in global internet engagement with 2:30 minutes spent daily by users on site (www.alexa.com/siteinfo/elsevier.com).
The site’s features include the following:
· Search feature allows users to explore by keyword, title, and subject area
· Search results showcase a variety of webpages, books, and journals
· Account registration is not required
· Content is geared towards the medical field and scientific research through ScienceDirect (https://www.sciencedirect.com/)
JSTOR (jstor.org)
With an Alexa rating (www.alexa.com/siteinfo/jstor.org) of 1,199 overall in global internet engagement and approximately 2:18 minutes spent daily by users onsite, JSTOR is a digital library that allows users to browse through its collections varying from a wide range of journals, articles, books and more concerning various fields of study.
The site’s features include the following:
· Provides a specific search option for the author, title, and publication name
· Free abstract viewing of published work
· Text analyzer feature allows users use personal documents for article and book exploration
· Account registration is free, availability range from independent researchers, student researchers, and more
· If institution is unavailable in free student registration, one can register with an individual account
Oxford University Press (OUP) Journals (academic.oup.com/journals)
Oxford University Press Journals is a platform where users can explore an extensive collection of journals and articles under the Oxford University Press. Users are also given the option to purchase access among selected work. Although an Alexa rating is not available for the site, its main server can still be found at 1,282 overall in global internet engagement with 2:02 minutes spent on site (www.alexa.com/siteinfo/oup.com).
The site’s features include the following:
· Majority of search results are inclined towards communication theories and framework
· Site allows users to view full-text abstracts, journals, and articles
· Account registration allows users to collaborate with various scholars and published researchers
· Provides fellow academics’ contact information to request access of their work
CORE (core.ac.uk)
With an Alexa rating (www.alexa.com/siteinfo/core.ac.uk) of 1,695 overall in global internet engagement and 1:48 minutes spent by users on site, CORE is an academic search engine and online collaborative platform that encourages user to contribute to their data pool of information through research work.
The site’s features include the following:
· Users can refine their search experience by customizing year published; language; journal; repositories and permalinks
· Allows users to download PDFs instantly
· Account registration is not required
· Users can sign up as a means of contributing to the site’s data pool
Google Scholar (scholar.google.com)
Google Scholar is an academic search engine powered by Google which presents an extensive layout of citations in various scholarly material and available literature online. Although the platform does not have an Alexa rating, its main server can still be found at 1 in global internet engagement with 15:33 minutes spent on site (www.alexa.com/siteinfo/google.com).
The site’s features include the following:
· Search results are free and easy to access
· Convenient viewing of abstract, chapters, etc.
· Export feature provides users with options for full-text viewing
· Save article feature allows users to bookmark search results for later
· Does not require account registration
Google Books (books.google.com)
Similarly powered by Google, Google Books has a simple interface that functions as a search engine for published books online. Some of the available e-books can be purchased through Google Play.
The site’s features include the following:
· Search results are free and easy to access e-books
· Provides information about the author, bibliographic information, and books’ respective blurbs
· Allows users to create a digital library by saving e-books for later
· Users can leave ratings and reviews
Microsoft Academic (academic.microsoft.com)
Microsoft Academic’s simple and convenient interface allows users to create a collaborative space among fellow academicians. Account set up allows users to track citations of their work, as well as browsing of similar topics through publications. Although an Alexa rating is not available, its main server ranks 21 in global internet engagement with 4:39 minutes spent on site (www.alexa.com/siteinfo/microsoft.com)
The site’s features include the following:
· Helps users view similar work through related links and topics feature
· Citations mentioned in written work are causally linked for easier navigation
· Account registration can be done through Gmail, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.
· Requires applicants to have an ORCID iD: free application through https://orcid.org/register
Iskomunidad (iskwiki.upd.edu.ph)
Iskomunidad is an online collaborative platform for scholars attending the University of the Philippines. The platform is easy and open to access for the public. Although an Alexa rating is not available for the website, its main server is still ranked at 49,713 with about 8:13 minutes spent by users on site (www.alexa.com/siteinfo/upd.edu.ph).
The site’s features include the following:
· Main page showcases featured theses written by UPD attendees
· Navigation tab allows users to have seamless viewership experience
· Creates an intimate academic community for UP webmail users
· Non-UP webmail users can explore the site and its content anonymously for free
UP Diliman Journals (journals.upd.edu.ph)
Also, under the University of the Philippines, UP Diliman Journals is a portal that shares published journals that are already available at the institution. Anyone who chooses to register will be able to browse through the institution’s wide array of academic work.
The site’s features include the following:
· Showcases various journals from various departments (e.g. Diliman Gender Review, Alipato: A Journal of Basic Education) in the University of the Philippines (Diliman)
· Account setup allows users to fully utilize the platform and its features
· Requires applicants to have an ORCID iD: free application through https://orcid.org/register
Directory of Open Access Journals (doaj.org)
With an Alexa rating (www.alexa.com/siteinfo/doaj.org) of 30,962 in global internet engagement and 3:13 minutes spent daily on site by users, the Directory of Open Access Journals is an online portal that allows users to explore a wide selection of journals and articles seamlessly through its clean and simple interface.
The site’s features include the following:
· Search engine can be customized to look for journals and/or articles
· Search results preview a list of journal information, authors, editorial information and abstract
· Account registration is not required
· Updates and information about the site can be tracked through https://blog.doaj.org/tag/redesign/
ERIC — Education Resources Information Center (eric.ed.gov)
Through its simple and convenient interface, ERIC is a free academic search engine that users can use to customize their search results depending on their needs. The website is under the Institute of Education Sciences for the US Department of Education. Its Alexa rating can be found at 982 globally in internet engagement with 4:39 minutes spent by users on site (www.alexa.com/siteinfo/ed.gov).
The site’s features include the following:
· Users have the option to limit their search from collection to thesaurus
· For collection search, users may customize from peer-reviewed and/or full text available on ERIC
· For thesaurus search, users may include synonyms and/or dead terms in results
· There is no option for account registration
RefSeek (refseek.com)
Through its clean and sophisticated interface, RefSeek is a free search engine that anyone can use for their academic needs. Its Alexa ranking is found at 171,217 in global internet engagement with over 1:30 minutes spent daily by users on site (www.alexa.com/siteinfo/refseek.com).
The site’s features include the following:
· Site directory feature allows users to look up search results in an organized manner
· Search results can be customized from the web to online documents
· Allows users to download PDFs instantly
· There is no option for account registration
References used:
Altbach, P., & de Wit, H. (2018). Too much academic research is being published [Feature]. Retrieved from https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20180905095203579#:~:text=No%20one%20knows%20how%20many,million%20articles%20published%20each%20year.
Santini, A. (2018). The importance of referencing. The Journal of Critical Care Medicine, Volume 4, 3–4. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5953266/
Tetzner, R. (2019). Number of research papers published per year: How to get published [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.journal-publishing.com/blog/number-research-papers-published/
