Google for Citation Searches

[Gerry Mckiernan]

                       _Google for Citation Searches_

   This morning, I had a patron who had a three page photocopy with two in-text references [no bibliography and no cover page]. These references noted the author(s) and year (e.g., Loague and Green, 1991) as well as a context.

     While one typically would use the citation indexes in an effort to identify the possible full citation, the availability of indexed PDF files (as well as HTML documents) in Google, now allows one to (possibly) quickly identify the full citation for incomplete citations.

    For example, search Google using 'Loague and Green,
1991' and you will find an entry that includes the citation in a PDF file
[It's the fifth one down] 

"... in the literature but not yet selected (e.g., Parrish and Smith, 1990; Loague and Green, 1991). Direct comparison of model predicted and ground, surface, and edge"

In  retrieving the document, and performing a search within the file using the Acrobat search function, one finds that the full citation in the publication's bibliography.

   Neat Ain't It! 

   I wish to thank to my collleague Dan Coffey.for enlightening me about this feature!

/Gerry McKiernan
Neat Librarian 
Iowa State University
Ames IA 50011

gerrymck at iastate.edu