BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

Plan your Steps in the Research Process and, if you are off-campus, follow the Directions for Off-Campus Access.
If you connect from off-campus, you will need to return to this guide.

View the following short Tegrity videos:
- Accessing Databases Off-Campus (1 minute)
- Owens Library Home Page Tour (4 minutes)

ERIC

 WHAT IS ERIC?

The Department of Education sponsors ERIC. According to the official ERIC Web site, "The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) is a national information system . . . [providing] access to . . . education-related literature." The information included covers 1966 to the present.

 What DOES ERIC INCLUDE?

More than 900 periodicals from the field of education are indexed, with links to some full text articles included.

ERIC documents (ED) are also indexed. The documents collection includes thousands of research studies, teaching guides, reports, and proceedings covering education, administration, and related disciplines.

• Owens Library owns fiche copies of most EDs published since 1966 and full text access from 1996 to the present.
• Distance Education Students may request EDs through the Online Learning Book/Microfilm Request Form (include ED# in the Title field).
  • Copies will arrive in fiche format (check local libraries for a fiche reader).
  • Cost per fiche is $1.00 + $4.00 shipping/handling charge (i.e., an ED that contains 5 sheets of fiche would cost $9.00).

ERIC Digests are also indexed. These are two-page research syntheses which typically provide an overview of a topic and a bibliography. There are currently more than 2,000 Digests.

 HOW DO I SEARCH ERIC?

Use the ERIC Guide to access and search the database.

View the following Tegrity videos about ERIC:
- Keyword Searching (3 minutes)
- Using Thesaurus and Subject Descriptors (3 minutes)
- Understanding Results and Citations (3 minutes)
- Limiting to Documents, Journal Articles, and Other Publication Types (3 minutes)
- Limiting by Date (3 minutes)

EDUCATION FULL TEXT

WHAT IS EDUCATION FULL TEXT?

Education Full Text indexes and abstracts over 500 international periodicals, books, and yearbooks, from as far back as 1983. It covers more than 80 periodicals not indexed in ERIC.

Over 240 full-text periodicals titles from as far back as 1996 are included.

HOW DO I SEARCH EDUCATION FULL TEXT?

Use the Education Full Text Guide to access and search the database.

View the following short Tegrity videos about Education Full Text:
- Keyword Searching (1 minute)
- Understanding Citations and Results (3 minutes)
- Searching by Subject (2 minutes)
- Limiting Searches by Date and Peer Review (3 minutes)

WHY DO I NEED TO USE BOTH ERIC AND EDUCATION FULL TEXT?

Read Comparing ERIC and Education Full Text to find out how these databases differ.

WHERE CAN I FIND MORE PERIODICAL ARTICLES?

Use the resources listed on Recommended Curriculum & Instruction/Educational Leadership Databases.

HOW DO I FIND OUT IF A PERIODICAL IS AVAILABLE IN OWENS LIBRARY OR REQUEST ARTICLES FROM ANOTHER LIBRARY?

ERIC citations for periodicals in Owens Library include the link: Available in Owens Library, which connects to the catalog record for that periodical.

In Education Full Text, click the "Get Call #s" link to search by periodical title for the location and call number of the periodical in Owens Library.

If a periodical is not available at Owens Library or you are a distance education student, you can borrow it via Interlibrary Loan.

HOW DO I FIND BOOKS, GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS, OR MASTER'S LEVEL RESEARCH PAPERS OR BORROW BOOKS FROM OTHER LIBRARIES?

Search the Owens Library Catalog by keyword, subject, title or author. For further help, consult the Owens Library Catalog FAQs.

To find and borrow sources from other Missouri academic libraries, click the MOBIUS or Search MOBIUS link in the Library Catalog. For further help, use the MOBIUS Tutorial.

View the following short Tegrity video about locating materials in Owens Library:
- Searching the Library Catalog

HOW DO I FIND SUGGESTED RESEARCH STRATEGIES, GUIDES, BIBLIOGRPAHIES, AND WEBLIOGRAPHIES?

Use the Education Portal. Sample resources linked from this guide are directions for using Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print; bibliographies and webliographies of sources on specific topics such as children's literature, learning disabilities, and multiculturalism; as well as methods to evaluate information sources.

WHAT IF I NEED MORE HELP?

Further help is available via Ask a Librarian.

OR contact: