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General

 

Using ERIC

 

Using My ERIC

 

General FAQs

  1. What is ERIC's purpose?
  2. From what other sources can I access the ERIC database?
  3. What does the term “grey literature” mean?
  4. Are materials indexed in ERIC available in electronic full text format? What full text format does ERIC provide?
  5. What types of materials are included in ERIC?
  6. How can I obtain copies of ERIC documents and journal articles that are not available online in ERIC?
  7. How current is the material in the ERIC database?
  8. How can I contribute material to ERIC?
  9. Who operates ERIC?
  10. How do I cite ERIC materials?

1. What is ERIC's purpose?
ERIC provides ready access to education literature to augment American education by increasing and facilitating the use of educational research and information to improve practice in learning, teaching, educational decision-making, and research.

 

2. From what other sources can I access the ERIC database?
You may access the ERIC database and link to available materials from participating sites and services, both commercial and publicly available:

  • Cambridge Scientific Abstracts
  • EBSCO
  • Google and Google Scholar
  • MSN
  • OCLC
  • Ovid
  • ProQuest
  • SilverPlatter
  • Thomson Dialog
  • Yahoo

Plus statewide networks, international service providers, and large university systems that load ERIC locally.

 

3. What does the term “grey literature” mean?
Grey literature encompasses education-related materials other than journal articles and books, including resources that may not be included in other major databases and may be difficult to find, such as

  • Research reports
  • Individual conference papers and full conference proceedings
  • Literature reviews and bibliographies from established research and policy organizations
  • Reports on federal/state standards, testing, and regulations
  • U.S. Department of Education and contractor reports (e.g., National Center for Education Statistics, What Works Clearinghouse)
  • Working papers from established research and policy organizations

 

Most grey-literature contributors give ERIC permission to provide their material in full-text format in the database. ERIC does not charge for access to full-text resources.

 

4. Are materials indexed in ERIC available in electronic full text format? What full text format does ERIC provide?
ERIC provides online full text access to indexed materials when permission is granted by the copyright owner. Full text formats are as follows:

  • Most full text is available in PDF image format.
  • All other full text is available in PDF text format.

You will need Adobe Reader version 6.0 or higher installed on your computer to view and/or print the PDF file. Click on the image below to get Adobe Reader.

Get Adobe Reader

 

5. What types of materials are included in ERIC?
ERIC provides access to education-related resources, including journal and non-journal bibliographic information. Types of non-journal materials indexed in ERIC include books; conference proceedings and selected presentations; literature reviews and bibliographies; Congressional hearings and reports; reports on federal/state standards, testing, and regulations; research reports; U.S. Department of Education and contractor reports; and working papers from established research and policy organizations. Materials indexed through July 2004 also included lesson plans.

 

6. How can I obtain copies of ERIC documents and journal articles that are not available online in ERIC?

Books and Journal Articles
ERIC, in partnership with OCLC, provides a WorldCat Find in a Library link in the search results if an ISBN or ISSN is included in the bibliographic record. WorldCat searches for the nearest library that lists the selected book or journal among its holdings based on your zip/postal code or IP address (if included in the WorldCat OpenURL registry). For off-campus users to successfully access their institution's holdings, it is usually necessary to log in to the library's proxy server or VPN. Check your institution's Web site for proxy or VPN instructions or ask your librarian for assistance.

ERIC Microfiche
There are several options for locating ERIC documents (EDs) that were issued on microfiche between 1966 and 2004 (ED001000 - ED483046):

  • Contact your local library to determine the availability of a copy through interlibrary loan. You might print the Record Details for the document, which the library staff could use in their search.
  • You can read ERIC documents issued on microfiche for free at many libraries, which may also have microfiche printers available for reprinting pages from the documents. If you are uncertain about where an ERIC microfiche collection is located in your area, check the state and country listings in ED400831, Directory of ERIC Resource Collections - 1996. Once you identify a possible source, check the institution's Web site for current contact information.

ERIC Journal Articles
In addition to the Find in a Library option, above, ERIC provides users with links to publishers for most journal articles (EJs) indexed in ERIC from 2004 to present. The links, if available, are located in the Search Results below the heading, "Full-Text Availability Options".

Copies of journal articles indexed in ERIC may also be purchased from article reprint companies or the journal publisher. Your local library may be able to help you locate an appropriate source.

 

7. How current is the material in the ERIC database?
ERIC includes materials within a month of their acquisition, updating the file twice weekly. Acquisition of published literature varies according to the release schedule of the publisher.

 

8. How can I contribute materials to ERIC?
ERIC accepts electronic submissions of journal and non-journal education literature from publishers and organizations with whom ERIC has established indexing agreements. Materials accepted for inclusion meet criteria set forth in the Download ERIC Selection Policy ERIC Selection Policy. ERIC welcomes suggestions for expanding the contents of the collection. ERIC has also developed an online submission system (beta) through which individuals can contribute materials, if the individual is the copyright owner.

ERIC accepts materials in a variety of file formats. ERIC does not accepts hard copy submissions.

 

9. Who operates ERIC?
ERIC is operated by the Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), under a contract with the US Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences. Oversight is provided by the National Library of Education (NLE) and the ERIC Program Manager. Two independent bodies advise and support the ERIC redevelopment effort: the Steering Committee and the Content Expert panel.

 

10. How do I cite ERIC materials?
Cite ERIC materials as you would any other document, book, or journal article using your preferred or required style guide. We recommend including the ERIC accession number in parentheses at the end of the citation (e.g., ERIC ED456789 or ERIC EJ567890). To include a persistent URL for an ERIC document in a bibliography, use the following: http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EDxxxxxx where EDxxxxxx represents the accession number of the PDF document, e.g., ED456789.

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