How to use Google Scholar to search for open access academic resources?

To locate open access (OA) academic resources via Google Scholar, utilize its search filters, specifically the "All" dropdown menu or post-search filtering options. This targets freely accessible full texts among its indexed scholarly outputs. Key principles involve leveraging Google Scholar’s comprehensive indexing of journal articles, conference papers, theses, and preprints. Activating the "Free Access" filter returns results linking directly to OA publishers' sites or institutional/major preprint repositories. Crucially, coverage is not exhaustive, as it depends on indexing compliance and publisher policies. Search results may include links to legitimate OA journals, author-hosted PDFs, or items in subject or institutional repositories like arXiv. Verification of the final linked site is essential for authenticity and permanence. Begin a standard search. Apply the "Free Access" filter using the options below the search bar. Assess results: click "[PDF]" links or publisher/article source links promising free access. For complex cases, cross-reference journal titles in directories like DOAJ. Locate an item's primary repository using persistent identifiers (e.g., DOI, handle) combined with "unpaywall" browser extensions. Validate accessibility by successfully opening the full text without paywalls. This enables efficient discovery of peer-reviewed OA literature supporting research, policy formulation, and knowledge dissemination.