Google scholar effectiveness - (Aug/06/2013 )

Hi all,

I don't know where this type of post could be published, so please don't be mad if it is misplaced.

A have noticed that some time ago google scholar stop to provide as many links to sites with articles than previously. One year ago when I put request for paper in google , google schollar mostly provide more than 3 "all versions" link, where sometimes full versions of requested article could be found. Now in very few cases more than 3 (and when I click on link appears only 2 ) sites where I can find "my" article, and usually one is citation in ncbi.

Is it only my impression, or maybe i mess with some options in google search options, or maybe You have the same impression that google limit searching results to only some sites (only publisher site)?

Best regards,

Allies

Maybe it just depends on the articles you look for? You still remember some articles that gave 3 links? You could try them again.
 
I havent really noticed something, but than again, I dont use google scholar that much.

unfortunatelly i don't remember any article for sure. I have just an impresion that some of articles that I recently look for thru google scholar were not accesible, and I know that I have look for them in the past, and I think (but not sure) that they were easily downloadable then. I use(d) scholar quite often   so that is why i start to wonder if some of You may have similiar impression.

I'm aware that it could be only my impression and it may be caused by what You pito wrote. I have also noticed that American Naturalist and some journals from Elsevier changed their link destination websites to jstore and SciVerse sites. That makes me to wonder it is a coincidence or not.

I found with google scholar some papers that cannot be found by any other quick online way (sciverse, scopus, journals webs, and so on).

All best,

Allies

other ideas are:

Google might have changed the algorithms and indices which is uses for the search and presenting the hit list which is ordered after this.

That you don't have access to several texts anymore might be bec you search from a different computer (different university or home vs working place, university offers modified access now bec of subscription issues, or journals moved the back issues to jstor or other archives which might have changed your access).

You changed scholar settings when you have an account there.

Computer is the same for 6 years. I do research only when conected directly to university's network. In the meanwhile (~2 years ago) i do create a google account (but just main google, not specifically scholar) so maybe it is because of that.

But now i started to think that this may be my impression caused by improved acces to orginal journal sites provided by university. We do have acces to new database levels and that may caused my impression. 

All best,

Allies