Consumer search engines 'are not LIMS'

Search engines like Google do not operate in the same way as laboratory information management systems (LIMS) or academic libraries, it has been asserted.

An article in the International Journal of Cultural Studies authored by Jose van Dijck of the University of Amsterdam explains that, on the surface, search engines on the internet are subject to the same public values which scaffold libraries.

However, closer investigation finds a lack of transparency and openness - including in the specifically academic search program Google Scholar.

This applies the same rules as the main Google search engine when determining result ranks - including keyword prevalence, inbound link volumes, frequency of updates and URL structure.

Academic libraries, however, understand that some niche research may be of equivalent importance to major studies without receiving the same level of exposure.

By taking this into account, those libraries or specialist subject-specific LIMS may be a better route to finding the most relevant paper than the use of consumer-facing alternatives.