Google Scholar was initially criticized in academic circles for being inadequate compared to larger and more expensive online resources such as the Web of Knowledge and Scopus.

Dr. Reynolds, founder of AEGIS and early academic supporter of the GLD project, later wrote the following apologetic for his colleagues:

"... but we were blindest of all to the sensitivity and care it showed for the structure of information, the connections, the bonds holding it together. That this information was not deemed useful by the professionals of the day reveals only our obstinate disregard for the very foundations of intelligent thought."