Query: citing Google Scholar

[intertext]

I need the help of the wisdom of the flist! It's so long since I did any serious academic work (well, two and a half years, but a lot can change in that time...). I have an article that I found on Google Scholar, and GS links directly to a pdf file that you download, not to a website, so I assume that I cite it as I would any other online fulltext database, like EBSCO?? Is this a correct assumption?? Are people actually putting "accessed Google Scholar" and then whatever date?

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Depends on your style manual, but generally I would cite the original source (oops, I'm being unclear: by "original source" I mean the original journal) and then just put the access date and place you retrieved it from. But to people wanting to follow up on your references, more important will be the original journal, etc., than how you got hold of it (they may use a different database or may go for the actual print journal, who knows?)

[intertext.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I think the .pdf that links from Google is in fact from an online journal - I may see if it's still there and then I can provide the URL. Another similar example I have, however, does not exist except in a "cache" from Google scholar, so I guess then, that's what I'll need to cite. The style guide from the journal that sponsors the conference is MLA, which I'm familiar with but tends to be a bit on the side of over- rather than under - citing.