Google Scholar Vs Research Gate Vs Academia – Which Is Best?
Introduction
In your research career, you have to provide evidence for every claim. Also, the information you provide is supposed to be valid and from credible sources only. You have to follow all of the standards of research work. You may be unaware of these things at the start of your career. So, you need to see how you can cover up the lack of information. In this era of technology, you can access anything virtually. Same as many platforms assist you virtually. You do not have to worry about data or guidance.
1. Is Google Scholar A Good Source?
Google scholar is a platform that works very well to find any journal or an academic article. You must have a clear idea about the difference between Google and Google Scholar. On Google, you can find data related to each and everything. Here you are not bound to one niche, but you can find data for technical and non-technical topics. On the other hand, if we talk about Google Scholar, it is bound to have academic content only. Here you can find journals, research papers and academic articles only. Other than these discussion areas, you cannot find anything on Google Scholar. It has open access for everyone. Another best thing is that it is free of cost. You do not have to pay for reading any journal over there. Many more platforms provide such services, but no one can replace Google Scholar.
Here you can set a limit for your search. For example, if you only want to have journals for the last five years, you can set a limit in a custom bar. So you do not have to spend a long time finding the journals of your choice. If we talk about referencing, Google Scholar assists you in different referencing formats. You can copy references in any style of your choice. If you have Endnote on your computer, you can directly add references to your document. The ranking algorithm is considered a strength factor of Google Scholar. With the help of a ranking algorithm, it has become easy to learn about many new areas of academics.
If you are working on some research, even by hiring a dissertation writing service, you should try Google Scholar to find literature and other data.
2. Is Research Gate a Good Source?
Research Gate is a well-known platform for communication. In the field of research, you may have to consult with senior researchers. Especially at the start of your career, you have to learn so many techniques for research work. In such a situation, Research Gate is no less than a blessing for you. You do not have to pay for having valuable advice and guidance. You can use Research Gate for free of cost. Here it does not matter from which field you belong. You can find researchers in every field over there. Even from comments and chat, you can learn much about anything.
Suppose you are from the engineering field, but you want to learn about another field. You can select one topic. By reading the queries of others, you can learn much about that. In the same way, you can communicate with the senior researcher of that particular field. Here, you cannot follow one niche, but you can go for any side. It is somehow different from Google Scholar. On Google Scholar, you do not have to make an account, but in the case of Research Gate, you have to make a login account. Do not worry, and you do not have to pay for it. It is free. Here you can see that millions of people have an account on it.
This platform helps you in sharping up your exploring and educational skills. You experience who is ask people about something. It works very well to get the idea of theoretical and real life. You get a chance to interact with people from all over the world. In this way, you can identify how research practices change from one institute and region to another.
3. Is Academia A Reliable Source?
Academia is a website that is in use by so many people. On this website, you can find many posts and other academic documents. If you want to upload your work to this website, you must follow a simple procedure. You have to make a profile on this website for uploading your content. One important thing related to Academia is using it in two different versions. The first version is free. You can find so many people using a free version of Academia. On the other hand, there is a premium version of Academia. Senior researchers mostly use the premium version.
At Academia, you are not bound to share journals only. You can upload a blog or any other documents. Just like other social media platforms, you can have followers at Academia. So, when you upload any document over there, your followers can see this. You can follow your advisors, peer and other colleagues. Also, you can follow senior researchers in your field. In this way, you get to know when they post about anything. You can download the content of your choice. Like Research Gate, you get the chance to interact with other people. Your post and publication keep you highlighted in your circle on this website.
Final Thoughts
Google Scholar, Research Gate and Academia all three platforms perform well in their particular area. If you are just concerned about collecting relevant material, Google Scholar is best from these three platforms. On the other hand, if you aim to communicate or interact with other researchers, then Research Gate is a better option.