This video will show you some of the search options available in Google Scholar. 

As a sample search, we'll look for information about using DNA fingerprinting in forensic science. So let's start by using “DNA fingerprinting forensics” as our search term. We are now viewing the overall results of that search. 

To modify the date range of your search, use your mouse to click on one of the date range options in the left-hand corner of your screen. This will allow you to change your search results so that they display only articles published after a certain date. 

You can also customize your results so that only articles published between specific periods of time are displayed. This can be done by clicking on the custom range link near the middle of the page on the left of your screen. You can then manually enter the beginning and end dates of the results you would like to view. After you click on the search button, which is located directly below the custom date range, your modified results will be displayed. 

You also have the option of performing a more advanced search. 

Clicking on the black triangle button located to the right of the search bar will display the advanced Scholar search box. Here you have several options you can use to narrow your search to produce more specific results. 

One way to narrow your results is to restrict your search to articles that contain your search keywords in the title. Another useful option is to limit your search to a specific author who has written about the topic you are searching for. You can also choose to search only for results published in a particular journal. 

Limiting your search using the advanced search box is especially useful if your first search produced too many results for you to manage. 

Now that we've seen some ways to modify the overall results list, let's take a look at how to work with individual articles. 

If you've already configured your Scholar settings, or if you're on campus, you'll see that to the right of some items in the results list there is a button that says "Find text @ NCSU." The "Find Text @ NCSU" link allows you to look for a version of the item that's available through the NCSU libraries. 

For other items, you may see a link that says "pdf" or "html." Those links can take you to an academic or government website where the item is usually freely available. 

Another option you'll see is a "related articles" link. If you've found one item that's useful, this can be a good way to use it to find other useful results. 

Perhaps the most useful link says "cited by" and a number. This option can help you find other sources that have cited that specific publication. This is another great way to find related items. This feature is highlighted in our Google Scholar Cited Reference Searching video. 

Now you're ready to start searching with Google Scholar.