By Dr. Cody Behles, University of Memphis — The Conversation US — 24 May 2021
Google’s search engine may seem to have all the answers, but where does that information come from? When Larry Page and Sergey Brin created Google’s search engine in 1996, they invented the PageRank algorithm — estimating the quality of a webpage by measuring the number and quality of other pages that link to it. But search results can be influenced by advertisers paying to have their websites appear higher, by your own previous browsing history, and by how recently a page was updated. Unlike scholars, Google’s search engine cannot automatically decide which sources are the most accurate or significant.
Scholars are experts who have worked and studied intensively to learn all they can about a topic. They answer questions by combining their knowledge with the scientific method. Their work is reviewed and discussed by other experts, leading to generally accepted principles over time. Scholarly citations — the reference lists in academic papers and books — show you the building blocks of an idea and, when many scholars build on each other’s work, it leads to a cycle of innovation. This process is not influenced by advertisers, even if it can be partially shaped by research funding. As Albert Einstein said: “Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience.” For the most reliable and comprehensive answers, the depth and rigour of scholarship remains indispensable.