The
ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) database is
the world’s largest source of education information.
It
contains more than 1 million abstracts of journal
articles and documents on education research and practice
and provides access to articles from over 1,000 professional
journals. The database also includes thousands of ERIC
documents.
Searching ERIC (via the Ovid
interface):
A few notes
about the database search features before you begin:
1.
This database allows you to search by Author,
Title, Journal or Keyword.
2.
Notice the check in the box that reads Map Term to
Subject Heading. ERIC has created a sophisticated and
useful thesaurus. By leaving it as the default setting
your searching will be more precise. For example, if you
type in the word teenagers, the Thesaurus will bring up the
word adolescents, because this is the subject heading for
the word teenagers in the ERIC database.
3.
Also, notice the two boxes CIJE <Journal Articles>
and RIE <ERIC Documents>. It is important to
understand the differences between Journal Articles and ERIC
Documents when searching ERIC. Continue reading for
details…
ERIC
Journal Articles (CIJE)
ERIC
provides abstracts to over 600,000 abstracts from more than
1,000 journals.
èTo identify
an ERIC journal article, look for the EJ after the AN in
the citation or in the Accession Number field in the full
citation/abstract record.
ERIC
Documents (RIE)
ERIC also
provides over 400,000 abstracts of research papers, books,
conference presentations, curriculum guides and much more.
èTo identify
an ERIC Document, look for the ED after the AN in the
citation or in the Accession Number field in the full
citation/abstract record.
Always
check to see if the record you want is an ERIC journal or
ERIC Document!
ERIC
Documents are not cataloged, and you won’t find them in the
UW Libraries Catalog, but they are available at the
Microforms and Newspapers Library at the UW Seattle campus.
(Keep reading for how to order ERIC Documents from them.)
èRemember:
While you need to evaluate everything you read, journal articles
usually go through a more vigorous editorial process. ERIC
Documents are not evaluated as intensely. ERIC documents
are great resources, but it will be up to you to decide their
merits. As always, read critically (see
www.uwb.edu/library/guides/reading.html) for tips.
A Sample ERIC Search (via the
Ovid interface):
1. In the
Keyword search box, type in the phrase “teenagers” and hit
On this
page notice the icon
on the far right under the “Scope” column.
This is the Scope Note. The Scope Note will give you a
brief definition or explanation for the term.
2. Click
on the .
In this example, the scope note for “teenagers” is: Approximately 13-17 years of age
3.Go back to
the previous page. Notice that the word Adolescents is
linked.
Clicking on this link will bring you to the Thesaurus
where you will see [Used For];[Broader Terms];
[Narrower Terms]; and [Related Terms].
èThese are
useful when you are looking for synonyms or other terms to use
in your search.
Helpful Thesaurus Hints:
§The
selected term (where the check box is marked) is the term to
which this thesaurus display applies.
§To add
terms to your search, select one or more by clicking in the
box next to the term. Then at the top of the page select
AND or OR to combine multiple terms from the dropdown menu
and click
§Select
the “Explode” box if you wish to retrieve citations using
the selected term and all of its more specific terms.
§Select
the “Focus” box if you wish to limit your search to those
documents in which your subject heading is considered the
major point of the article.
èThis search
for journal articles and documents with the Subject Heading
“Adolescents” returns over 28,000 records. Obviously, this is
too many to sift through.
èYou would
want to narrow this search by selecting some [Broader Terms],
[Narrower Terms], or [Related Terms] from the Thesaurus.
Reading Your Search Results in
ERIC (via the Ovid interface):
1. Notice
each citation:
It provides
you with author, article/document title, and
journal title, volume & issue, page and date
information if it’s an article.
èEach record
also has an EJ or ED number in the AN
(Accession Number) field. You do not need the EJ number to get
ERIC journal articles, but you will need the ED number to get
ERIC Documents unless they are in full text online!!
On the far
right, each citation also provides you links to the Abstract,
Complete Reference, Check Library Holdings, and
sometimes Ovid Full Text (for journal articles)or Eric Full Text (for ERIC documents).
Getting full text ERIC
Documents & Journal Articles online (via the Ovid interface):
Getting
full text journal articles online:
Some
journal articles in ERIC are available full text. To open those
ones, click on the “Ovid Full Text” link to the right of
the citation you’re interested in.
Getting
full text ERIC documents online:
The ERIC
database does have ERIC documents from 1996 on in full text. To
access them, simply click on the “Eric Full Text” link to
the right of the citation you’re interested in.
èFor
instructions on finding ERIC documents and articles that are
NOT available online in full text, see the next section.
PLEASE
contact me or call the Library (425-352-5340) if you have any
trouble figuring out how to get an article from the ERIC database!
Getting ERIC Documents &
Journal Articles not available online in full text (via
the Ovid interface):
Getting
journal articles:
Sometimes
one of our other database subscriptions might have the article
you want in full text online. To find out, follow these
directions:
1. Click
on the button
next to the citation of the article or document you want.
2.Then (hold
down the Ctrl key on your keyboard if you use pop-up blockers)
click on the “Check UW Holdings” link. A new window
should open that will search our other databases and will
display links and/or options for where you can get the full text
of your article.
For example,
the journal containing your article could be in the Campus
Library, at Suzzallo/Allen or available full-text through
another database.
3. If
this process does not connect you to the full text online,
follow the directions below (“Getting ERIC Documents”) to place
a document delivery request.
Getting
ERIC documents:
ERIC
documents are also held at the Microforms/Newspapers Library at
the UW Seattle campus. You can request the document or article
from Seattle by using our free online Document Delivery service
(requests take 3-5 business days to fulfill):
2. Create
and/or Login to your Document Delivery account
3. To
begin your request:
a. for a journal article:
i.Click on the
“Request a Photocopy” button
ii.Fill out the
form using your article citation from the ERIC database
iii.After
submitting your request you will be emailed when your article
has been electronically posted to your Document Delivery account
for retrieval
b. for an
ERIC document:
i.Click on the
“Request an ERIC Document” button
ii.Fill out the
form using your ERIC document citation
iii.After
submitting your request you will be emailed when your ERIC
document microfiche arrives at the Campus Library
iv.Pick up the
ERIC microfiche at the Campus Library Information Commons Desk
v.The
Campus Library has microfiche reader/printers, located on the
first floor. Library staff can assist you in using this
equipment to read and print your ERIC document
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Getting
help from your Librarian
If you have any questions at any stage of your research, please
do not hesitate to contact me for assistance. I can help over
email, phone or in person. I also am available to answer questions
via instant messaging: ventas on AIM or venta.silins on Google
Talk (gmail).
