What types of material does ERIC catalog?
ERIC catalogs education research found in journal articles, books, and grey literature. Access the ERIC Selection Policy or our video to find out the specific types of materials that we will and will not catalog.
What is the selection policy?
The ERIC Selection Policy establishes the standard and criteria for acquiring materials for ERIC’s online bibliographic and full-text library of education research. The policy is revised periodically. Access the 
ERIC Selection Policy infographic for a summary of the policy and the recorded webinar below for details on the most recent policy update.
When was the selection policy last updated?
The latest update to the ERIC Selection Policy was May 2024. Substantive updates were made to support compliance with the ED Public Access Policy, re-review all sources periodically, re-prioritize of selection of international content, and implement changes to the type of materials eligible for online submission. No material or bibliographic record published in ERIC will be removed because of this or future updates to the ERIC Selection Policy. For more information on the policy update access the Selection Policy and our recorded webinar:
When did ERIC begin cataloging content?
ERIC’s core collection spans the years from ERIC’s inception in 1966 to the present. ERIC also includes some works published prior to 1966 and a digitized collection of historical materials held by the National Library of Education. The historical collection is comprised of reports and bulletins from the predecessor offices of the Department of Education. Historical textbooks and other materials are also included.
Who contributes content to ERIC?
ERIC regularly obtains content from journal and non-journal (grey literature) publishers and book sources under agreement with the U.S. Department of Education. ERIC also receives materials from federal awardees and individuals through ERIC’s online submission system. Access the infographic Who Contributes Content to ERIC, which shows metrics related to ERIC’s content providers. Twice a year ERIC conducts a review cycle to add new content providers and remove existing providers that are no longer publishing or that no longer publish education research. The numbers of publishers, grey literature sources, and journals are subject to change.
What journals and non-journal sources are cataloged in ERIC?
The currently cataloged journal and non-journal sources are available on the ERIC website as PDFs, listed alphabetically or by the ERIC education topic area that most closely aligns with the scope of the source. Use the links below to browse the source lists:
- Alphabetical Journals List: https://eric.ed.gov/?journals
- Alphabetical Non-Journals List: https://eric.ed.gov/?nonjournals
- By topic area Journal and Non-Journal Lists: https://eric.ed.gov/?journaltopics
ERIC retains the records created since ERIC was founded; however, the list is periodically updated, and a source name is removed from the list of currently cataloged sources if ERIC stops cataloging it. You may reach out to ERICRequests@ed.gov if you wish to confirm a specific source.
This infographic provides insights into content views and downloads by education topic area for the year 2021: How Do Searchers Use ERIC?
For a look at the ERIC sources classified by topic area as of January 2021, access this infographic ERIC Collection Snapshot.
What types of non-journal sources provide content to ERIC?
ERIC catalogs education research produced by IES and its offices; other federal agencies; state and district departments; university-affiliated programs; policy, research, and nonprofit organizations; professional associations; international or foreign organizations; and book publishers. Access the ERIC Selection Policy to find the complete list.
What is“grey literature"?
Grey literature is a subset of non-journal material. The ERIC Selection Policy includes the definition of grey literature from the 12th International Conference on Grey Literature at Prague, December 2010:
“Grey literature stands for manifold document types produced on all levels of government, academics, business and industry in print and electronic formats that are protected by intellectual property rights, of sufficient quality to be collected and preserved by library holdings or institutional repositories, but not controlled by commercial publishers i.e., where publishing is not the primary activity of the producing body.”
Does ERIC review international journals for inclusion in the collection?
Yes, ERIC values its international users but must balance internationally-focused content with ERIC's core mission to serve U.S. students, researchers, policymakers, and others. Therefore, as of the May 2024 update of the ERIC Selection Policy, we will give priority to international sources where the research participants are in the U.S. or in an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)-member country where English is the primary or most used language (i.e., Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom).
Additionally, ERIC will review sources from outside of the OECD countries if there is a high level of articles with direct relevance to the work of education in the U.S. and its related entities. If necessary to meet a collection need, ERIC may review sources that primarily include education research focused in other countries. The following video provides more information:
What topic areas are covered in ERIC?
ERIC catalogs a wide variety of sources that cover the full spectrum of research in the field of education. The sources are categorized by 16 topic areas that are based on the IES authorizing legislation. For a brief definition of each topic area, go to Appendix A of the ERIC Selection Policy or the Journal and Non-Journal Lists by topic area.
How can I get my journal or non-journal materials cataloged in ERIC
ERIC conducts formal reviews twice per year to consider sources of journal articles, reports, conference papers, and other materials for cataloging. ERIC reviews new potential sources against the ERIC Selection Policy. Before nominating a source, please review the policy to see if your material satisfies the requirements. If so, send an email to ERICRequests@ed.gov. Please include the journal title, publisher, and ISSN (if applicable), or your association or organization name, and a link to sample content, if possible. If the source is selected, ERIC will reach out to the publisher of a selected source to seek permission to regularly catalog the content.
When ERIC and a publisher have an agreement in place, the ERIC team acquires the content and creates a bibliographic record with an abstract for each document or journal article. Records for newly cataloged content are regularly added to the collection.
For more information on ERIC’s source selection policies and processes, access our video and recorded webinar and videos:
The infographic How Research Becomes an ERIC Recordand the recorded webinar below walk through the basic steps of how acquired content is cataloged in ERIC.
If my journal or non-journal materials are under agreement for regular cataloging in ERIC does that mean they will not undergo any other reviews?
Going forward from the 2024 ERIC Selection Policy update, we will begin a systematic re-review process of all sources under agreement to ensure that the standard and criteria under which a source was first selected are still being met. A re-review can also occur when changes such as the quantity or quality of a source’s content or publisher are noted.
To be fair, we will set up a system to re-review new sources after three years of the agreement being signed with re-reviews then being conducted every five years thereafter. We are not seeking any major changes in the collection and expect that most sources, once they are selected for cataloging in ERIC, will not hear from us as a result of a re-review. Access this video for more information:
How do I submit my paper, report, or article to be cataloged in ERIC?
Authors of non-journal material (i.e., conference papers, reports, white papers, article manuscripts, etc.) may use the ERIC online submission system found at https://eric.ed.gov/submit. The ERIC journal and non-journal source lists should be checked first to make sure the author’s work is not from a source regularly cataloged by ERIC. NOTE: As of the May 2024 updated ERIC Selection Policy, PDFs of publisher-branded journal articles will no longer be accepted through the online submission system unless they have been funded by a U.S. federal grant or contract.
Publishers or editors should not use the online submission system. If they are interested in having their source cataloged in ERIC, they should email ERICRequests@ed.gov.
Can publishers get metrics on the usage of their content in ERIC?
Yes. ERIC is currently developing a Metrics Reporting Portal that will offer an open-access dashboard to provide article-level metrics for material included in ERIC. The implementation date for the portal is expected to be Fall 2024. The reporting begins with data from May 2024 and forward. Once implemented, check the Multimedia area of the ERIC website to find resources on how to use the portal.
I found a document in ERIC that contains material I find offensive. Can you flag this and similar materials as a warning to users, or remove the PDF from ERIC?
As noted in ERIC’s content disclaimer and the Preservation Policy in the ERIC Selection Policy, the opinions and positions expressed in the content in ERIC are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions and positions of the Institute of Education Sciences or the U.S. Department of Education or an endorsement of the U.S. government. This is not grounds for the removal of an ERIC record or full text.
ERIC is a historical repository, and the collection includes materials that date back more than a century along with current research. The works in ERIC should be viewed within the context of the era in which they were written and used according to the specific needs of the researcher. ERIC does not flag, censure, or remove content from the collection for outdated language or the research contained therein.
