What is considered the best way to play the Scotch Game as Black?

I'm having a lot of trouble with this opening OTB as Black. I know that the 3. ...exd4 line is the most popular (and probably the best), but I keep getting doubled c-pawns, and I don't know how to play around that weakness.

What is considered to be the best line, and what should Black's plan be in this opening/middlegame?

4...Nf6 lines (white can deviate in many ways in line given above) is so complicated that advicing it is in my opinion a bad idea...

I would rather invite u to develop "normally" your pieces with 4...Bc5 followed by Qf6.

About the double pawns, you can't avoid it, that's life...

U can't avoid it because 3...exd4 is the only sensible move, and same on move 4, developing is the only thing : 4...Nge7 is playable and the last chance but passive.

There is no "best" line on scotch : as usual, the best is the one u know better and feell comfortable with.

Well, theoretically speaking, it's possible  to avoid doubled pawns and to get something reasonable (at least, vs someone up to Elo 2000)  if U play, for example, like that:

Thanks Deirdre!  I did not know about the 5.... Qf6 line of the Exchange variation.   Very nice.

Personally, I prefer 4...Nf6. Yeah, poucin is obviously correct that it's complicated, but I think in general Black's plans are a bit easier to understand (attack the e5 pawn with ...g6, ...Bg7, ...0-0, ...Rae8 and ...f6), while White often has to do some slightly strange things to maintain his centre.

Thank you, @DeirdreSkye, for those breakdowns. I always used to go for this variation for the scotch, but play gets a bit too complex for my liking. Bc5 and Qf6 certainly look a lot more straightforward.

Thank you so much everyone! This is some really good quality information for me to study.

option 3

A bunch of possibilities:
Starting Out: Open Games by GM Glenn Flear (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626232452/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen134.pdf

First Steps 1 e4 e5

https://www.everymanchess.com/downloadable/download/sample/sample_id/149/

Bologan's Black Weapons in the Open Games (2014)
http://www.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Bologans-Black-Weapons-in-the-Open-Games-76p3873.htm
The Kaufman Repertoire for Black & White by Larry Kaufman (2012)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140626221508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen162.pdf

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/955.pdf
Opening Repertoire: The Open Games with Black by Martin Lokander (2015)

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7546.pdf
Playing 1.e4 e5 - A Classical Repertoire by Nikolaos Ntirlis (2016)

https://www.chess.com/blog/smurfo/book-review-playing-1e4-e5

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7572.pdf