How to Find Free Articles on Google Scholar - 1
  • How to Find Free Articles on Google Scholar
  • How to Access Full-text Articles from Google Scholar
  • How to Download Articles for Free from Google Scholar
  • Are all Articles on Google Scholar Free?

How to Find Free Articles on Google Scholar

Regardless of whether you are an academic, or researcher, the Google search engine has become the go-to for everything from general queries to research papers. Nevertheless, to make scholarly literature including articles, theses, and abstracts more accessible, Google Scholar was introduced. The following steps would enable you to access free articles on it.

  1. Launch the Google Scholar website.

  2. In the search bar, enter a keyword or phrase related to the topic you want articles on.

Enter a keyword or phrase in Google Scholar search bar - 2
  1. Select Articles from the left pane to filter the search results. We will look for those free articles on Google Scholar.
Select Articles from the menu to filter - 3
  1. Check for PDF or HTML icons on the right-hand side of the search results.
Check for PDF or HTML icons on the right-hand side - 4
  1. Click on the PDF or HTML icon to access the complete article.

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How to Access Full-text Articles from Google Scholar

You can follow the steps outlined above to access full-text articles from Google Scholar. Most of the sites providing PDF versions offer full-text articles only.

How to Download Articles for Free from Google Scholar

For downloading free articles, after you find the PDF version of the article, these are the steps you need to follow:

  1. Press Ctrl + P at the same time.

  2. Select Microsoft Print to PDF from the choices available under Destination .

Select Microsoft print to pdf from choices available in destination - 5

Are all Articles on Google Scholar Free?

No , not all articles on Google Scholar are free. Google Scholar indexes scholarly literature from a variety of sources, including academic publishers, professional societies, universities , and other notable organizations. Some of these sources require a subscription or payment to access their content.

However, Google Scholar also indexes a significant amount of open-access literature, including articles published in open-access journals or posted on institutional repositories or personal websites. When searching on Google Scholar, you can use the All Versions or Versions links next to a search result to try to find a free, open-access version of the article.