Introduction to ERIC

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Introduction to ERIC
A Virtual Tour of the Educational Resources
Information Center
adapted from the Eric Slide Show by Connie Ury,
Vicki Wainscott, and Lori Mardis
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Whats in the ERIC Database?

• Journal Articles
• 600,000 abstracts of articles from more than 900
  journals (EJs)
• ERIC Documents
• 400,000 abstracts of research papers, books,
  conference presentations, curriculum guides, and
  much more (EDs)

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ERIC Digests

• The ERIC Clearinghouses have produced more than
  2,000 ERIC Digests. These two-page,
  research-synthesis papers provide brief overviews
  of current education issues. They are frequently
  in question-and-answer format and always include
  a list of additional resources.
• ERIC Digests can be found via http//www.ed.gov/da
  tabases/ERIC_Digests/index/

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Heres a sample journal article abstract from the
ERIC database

• ERIC NO EJ556860
• TITLE Small Schools A Reform That Works.
• AUTHOR Raywid, Mary Anne
• JOURNAL CITATION Educational Leadership v55 n4
  p34-39 Dec-Jan 97-98
• DESCRIPTORS Academic Achievement Change
  Strategies Educational Benefits Educational
  Improvement Elementary Secondary Education
  High Risk Students School Effectiveness Small
  Schools
• IDENTIFIERS Alaska New Jersey Philadelphia
  School District PA
• ABSTRACT Recent research shows that students at
  all grade levels, especially at-risk youngsters,
  learn more in small schools small schools are
  more violence-free and bonds created in small
  schools are likely
• (Note This is a partial abstract.)

Search the Owens Library Catalog for the title
Educational Leadership. Request articles not
available in Owens Library through Interlibrary
Loan.
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Heres a sample ERIC document abstract

• ERIC NO ED399990
• TITLE Opportunities and Challenges Bridging the
  Two-Year Four-Year College Gap.
• AUTHOR Susskind, Tamar Y.
• DESCRIPTORS Articulation (Education) College
  Transfer Students Community Colleges
  Educational Cooperation Transfer Policy
  Transfer Programs
• ABSTRACT Community colleges have been criticized
  with respect to both the low numbers of students
  who transfer to four-year institutions and the
  inadequate preparation of the students who do
  transfer
• PUBLICATION DATE 1996
• (Note This is a partial abstract.)

ERIC documents (on microfiche) are available in
Owens Library on second floor, filed in ERIC
document number order. The current three years
may be accessed on campus via the ERIC Document
Reproduction Service.
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Use the AND search command

• The AND command narrows your search because it
  finds both words or phrases anywhere in the
  record.
• Searching learning disabilities AND higher
  education finds
• Title Accommodating College Students with
  Learning Disabilities How Much Is Enough?

Click here to scan the ERIC record and locate
both search phrases. (learning disabilities AND
higher education)
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Use the OR search command

• The OR command broadens your search because it
  finds either word or phrase anywhere in the
  record.
• Searching learning disabilities OR higher
  education finds
• Title Word Boxes Help Children with Learning
  Disabilities Identify and Spell Words.

Click here to scan the ERIC record and locate one
of the search phrases. (learning disabilities OR
higher education)
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Heres an example of an effective use of the AND
command

• Search topic
• Prevention of adolescent suicide
• Search strategy
• prevention AND adolescents AND suicide

AND
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Heres an example of an effective use of the OR
command

• Search topic
• Ungraded classes
• Search strategy
• nongraded instructional grouping OR mixed age
  grouping OR multigraded classes

OR
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More Advanced Search Tips
There are several other ways to refine or expand
your search, including the following

• Expand your search
• Retrieve variant endings of words--for example
  educat retrieves educate, education, and
  educator.
• Refine your search
• Limiting by datefor example, material produced
  in the last 5 years.
• Limiting by publication typefor example, program
  descriptions, research, or teaching guides.

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ERIC also features

• Lesson planslinks to more than 6,000 online
  educational materials from 90 organizations
  http//www.thegateway.org
• Parent Brochuresmore than 35 brochures in
  question-and-answer format http//www.accesseric.
  org/resources/parent/parent.html
• Listservselectronic discussion groups on school
  library and media services, early childhood
  education, school administration, and many other
  topics http//www.accesseric.org/resources/listse
  rvs.html
• A Conference Calendara searchable database of
  more than 600 education-related conferences
  http//webprod.aspensys.com/education/ericconf/eri
  ccal/introduction.asp