The functionality is familiar to users, containing similar features to a Google web search.
It searches a vast array of information, including some that does not always appear in library subscriptions (i.e. preprints, technical reports).
It provides access to full-text when available.
It has the useful "Cited by" feature, which shows how many times this article was cited by other publications.
It has an available citation generator, which the general Google search does not have.
Cons:
It has fewer options for limiting or narrowing search results than library databases (for example, it has no limiting for just scholarly/peer reviewed articles)
Users still need to go through library resources to access full text.
Google is not transparent about the journals or time ranges it indexes, and publishers occasionally request that Google Scholar not index their publications.
It may contain non-scholarly and/or non-peer reviewed material, so it is best used in conjunction with other search tools.
It does not consistently identify articles that have been retracted by the publishers or authors.
