Thinking Inside the Box: Comparing Federated Search Results from Google Scholar, Live Search Academic, and Central Search

Abstract

SUMMARY In a comparison of Google Scholar, Windows Live Search Academic, and Serials Solutions' Central Search, relevant retrieval increases in direct relation to the complexity of the search interface. Central Search, as customized for Florida Gulf Coast University Library, permits far more complex searching than Google Scholar or Windows Academic and performs better than its simpler competitors. However, a close review of sample searches in these three databases reveals that the simpler, more streamlined interfaces may be equally useful, depending on the user's preference, and the information need.