Using Google Scholar to Estimate the Impact of Journal Articles in Education

Abstract

This article discusses the potential of Google Scholar as an alternative or complement to the Web of Science and Scopus for measuring the impact of journal articles in education. Three handbooks on research in science education, language education, and educational technology were used to identify a sample of 112 accomplished scholars. Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus citations for 401 journal articles published by these authors during the 5-year period from 2003 to 2007 were then analyzed. The findings illustrate the promise and pitfalls of using Google Scholar for characterizing the influence of research output, particularly in terms of differences between the three subfields in publication practices. A calibration of the growth of Google Scholar citations is also provided.