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ERIC: Educational Resource Information Center

Research Guide

Sections

Note: Off-campus access to some online sources is restricted to current UCF students, faculty, and staff via Proxy connection

ERIC is a national information system supported by the U.S. Department of Education, the National Library of Education, and the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. It was established to index, abstract, and disseminate research in education, including journal articles and reviews, books, dissertations, and unpublished material such as conference papers, curriculum guides, and research reports. Its coverage begins with documents published in 1966.

In January 2004, the Department of Education will begin to implement a reengineering plan for ERIC. The new ERIC mission continues the core function of providing a centralized bibliographic database of journal articles and other published and unpublished education materials. It enhances the database by adding free full text and electronic links to commercial sources and by making it easy to use and up to date.

ERIC clearinghouses, including AskERIC, will close at the end of December 2003. No new materials will be added to the ERIC database until late 2004.

Indexes and Databases

Originally, ERIC was comprised of two distinct printed indexes, which continue to be published:

Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE)
Index L 11 .C95 (1969+)
An index to education and related journals. Entries consist of a citation, a list of descriptors and identifiers used to create the subject index, and an abstract. Check the UCF Library Catalog for availability of articles. For those articles not owned by UCF, request them through Interlibrary Loan. There are three indexes in each issue of CIJE: subjects, authors, and journal contents.
Resources in Education (RIE)
Index L 11 .R412 (1966+)
An index to books, dissertations, theses, audiovisual materials, computer programs, and a variety of unpublished materials such as conference papers, research reports, and curriculum guides. Entries consist of an ERIC Document (ED) number, citation, an indication as to document type, subject descriptors and identifiers, and an abstract. Most (but not all) of the resources listed in RIE have been reproduced on microfiche and are accessed via ED number. The ERIC Microfiche Collection is housed on the third floor of the UCF Library.

ERIC is now available as a searchable online database, available both through proprietary databases and Internet search engines.

Proprietary Databases

Both proprietary versions as provided by UCF provide links to full-text articles and documents. Both versions allow for searching by various fields, such as author, title, descriptor, identifier, or ED number, and provide for various ways of limiting the scope of the search, such as by date and/or language. Both versions have an online thesaurus to identify ERIC descriptors and identifiers.

  • ERIC (via EBSCOhost)
  • ERIC (via Cambridge Scientific Abstracts)

Internet Search Engines

There also are several free Internet sites. None of these sites offers the full text of documents listed in the ERIC database; however, these sites do have links that allow you to order a document.

  • ERIC (via U.S. Department of Education)
    http://www.eric.ed.gov
  • SearchERIC.org (via Larry Rudner)
    http://searcheric.org

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Thesaurus

All entries in the ERIC databases and indexes are assigned up to 15 descriptors to describe their subject content. A descriptor is another word for subject heading. The Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors lists the terms and phrases that are used to index the articles and documents that comprise the ERIC database. Using the appropriate descriptor greatly increases search relevance by eliminating out-of-context references. Entries usually provide the date that the descriptor was introduced, a short definition, a list of obsolete descriptors, and an array of broader, narrower, and related descriptors. The Thesaurus is available in both print and online versions:

Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors
 Online version (via EBSCOhost)
 Online version (via Cambridge Scientific Abstracts)
 Online version (via U.S. Department of Education  <http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=Thesaurus&_nfls=false>)
Online version (via Larry Rudner/SearchERIC.org  <http://searcheric.org/scripts/ewiz/amain5.asp>)
Index L 11 .R43 (Thesauri stand on 2d Floor, near Reference Desk)

Here's a sample Thesaurus entry for the descriptor "Competency Based Education":

Descriptor→ Competency Based Education  
    MAR. 1980 ←Date term added to Thesaurus
Times term used in indexing→   Postings: 6,8655 GC: 330 ←Descriptor Group code
Scope Note defines term→ SN Educational system that emphasizes the specification, learning, and demonstration of those competencies (knowledge, skills, behaviors) that are of central importance to a given task, activity, or career  
Used for (don't use)→ UF Consequence Based Education  
    Criterion Referenced Education  
    Output Oriented Education  
    Performance Based Education (1974 1980) ←Former descriptor (dates used)
    Proficiency Based Education  
Narrower term→ NT Competency Based Teacher Education  
Broader term→ BT Education  
Related terms→ RT Academic Standards  
    Accountability  
    Back to Basics  
    Behavioral Objectives  
    Competence  
    Individualized Instruction  
    Minimum Competencies  
    Minimum Competency Testing  
    Outcome Based Education  
    Performance  
    Performance Based Assessment  
    Student Certification  

The chart below lists the standard ERIC document types with their corresponding document type codes. Use these codes in conjunction with a search in one of the ERIC proprietary databases to limit the results to particular document types:

CODE PUBLICATION/DOCUMENT TYPES
010 BOOKS
COLLECTED WORKS
020 --General
021 --Conference Proceedings
022 --Serials
030 CREATIVE WORKS (Literature, Drama, Fine Arts)
DISSERTATIONS/THESES
040 --Undetermined
041 --Doctoral Dissertations
042 --Masters Theses
043 --Practicum Papers
GUIDES
050 --General (use more specific code, if possible)
     Classroom Use
051      --Instructional Materials (for Learner)
052      --Teaching Guides (for Teacher)
055      --Non-Classroom Use (for Administrative and Support Staff,
       and for Teachers, Parents, Clergy, Researchers,
       Counselors, etc., in Non-Classroom Situations)
060 HISTORICAL MATERIALS
070 INFORMATION ANALYSES (State-of-the-Art Papers, Research
       Summaries, Literature Reviews)
071    ERIC Information Analysis Products
072    Book/Product Reviews
073    ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text
074    Non-ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text
080 JOURNAL ARTICLES
090 LEGAL/LEGISLATIVE/REGULATORY MATERIAL
100 AUDIOVISUAL/NON-PRINT MATERIALS
101 --Computer Programs
102 --Machine-Readable Data Files (MRDFs)
110 STATISTICAL DATA (Numerical, Quantitative, etc.)
120 VIEWPOINTS (opinion Papers, Position Papers, Essays, etc.)
REFERENCE MATERIALS
130 --General (use more specific code, if possible)
131 --Bibliographies/Annotated Bibliographies
132 --Directories/Catalogs
133 --Geographic Materials/Maps
134 --Vocabularies/Classifications/Maps
REPORTS
140 --General (use more specific code, if possible)
141 --Descriptive (i.e., Project Descriptions)
142 --Evaluative/Feasibility
143 --Research/Technical
150 SPEECHES, CONFERENCE PAPERS
160 TESTS, EVALUATION INSTRUMENTS
170 TRANSLATIONS
171 --Multilingual/Bilingual Materials

Each record included in ERIC since 1975 is assigned at least one descriptor, which refers to the educational level of the group discussed. Listed below are the current mandatory educational level descriptors. Use these Educational Level Descriptors in conjunction with a search in one of the ERIC proprietary databases to limit the results to a particular grade or instructional level:

MANDATORY "EDUCATIONAL LEVEL" DESCRIPTORS
(Procedure Implemented February 1975)
  • EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

    Scope Note: Activities and/or experiences that are intended to effect developmental changes in children, from birth through the primary units of elementary school (grades K-3).

    • PRESCHOOL EDUCATION

      Scope Note: Activities and/or experiences that are intended to effect developmental changes in children, from birth to entrance in kindergarten (or grade 1 when kindergarten is not attended).

    • PRIMARY EDUCATION

      Scope Note: Education provided in kindergarten through grade 3.

  • ELEMENTARY/SECONDARY EDUCATION

    Scope Note: Formal education provided in kindergarten or grade 1 through grade 12.

    • ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

      Scope Note: Formal education provided in kindergarten or grade 1 through grade 6, 7, or 8.

      • ADULT BASIC EDUCATION

        Scope Note: Education provided for adults at the elementary level (through grade 8), usually with emphasis on communicative, computational, and social skills.

      • PRIMARY EDUCATION

        Scope Note: (See above.)

      • INTERMEDIATE GRADES

        Scope Note: Includes the middle and/or upper elementary grades, but usually 4, 5, and 6.

    • MIDDLE SCHOOLS

      (Added July 1999 as "educational level" Descriptor--formerly indexed "Intermediate Grades" and/or "Junior High Schools," along with "Middle Schools.")
      Scope Note: Various combinations of grades 5 through 9--mainly 6-8, but also 5-7, 5-8, 7-8, or 7-9.

    • SECONDARY EDUCATION

      Scope Note: Education provided in grade 7, 8, or 9 through grade 12.

      • JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS

        Scope Note: Providing formal education in grades 7, 8, and 9--less commonly 7 and 8, or 8 and 9.

      • HIGH SCHOOLS

        (Changed from "Senior High Schools" in March 1980.)
        Scope Note: Providing formal education in grades 9 or 10 through 12.

      • HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY PROGRAMS

        Scope Note: Adult educational activities concerned with the preparation for and the taking of tests that lead to a high school equivalency certificate, e.g., General Educational Development programs.

  • POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

    Scope Note: All education beyond the secondary level--includes learning activities and experiences beyond the compulsory school attendance age, with the exception of adult basic education and high school equivalency programs. (Before April 1975, restricted to "education beyond grade 12 and less than the baccalaureate level.")

    • HIGHER EDUCATION

      Scope Note: All education beyond the secondary level leading to a formal degree.

    • TWO YEAR COLLEGES

      (Changed from "Junior Colleges" in March 1980.)
      Scope Note: Public or private postsecondary institutions providing at least 2, but less than 4, years of academic and/or occupational education.

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Microfiche Collection

The ERIC Microfiche Collection provides a full-text version of most of the documents (that is, those items with ED numbers) cited in the ERIC database. The ERIC microfiche are filed numerically by the six digit ED number assigned to each document and shelved in cabinets on the third floor. Microfiche readers/printers are available. Note that not all items in the ERIC system are included in the microfiche. For example, books cited in ERIC usually are not available in the microfiche collection. However, the UCF Libraries may have purchased the book and a copy may be available. Always check the UCF Library Catalog to determine availability.

Since 1996, many ERIC documents in the Microfiche Collection are now available full-text in one of the ERIC proprietary databases.

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Ask a Librarian

If you have questions or need additional assistance, Ask a Librarian, call the Reference Department at (407) 823-2562, or e-mail the Department at askalibrarian@mail.ucf.edu. The library liaison for Education is Terrie Sypolt, Associate Librarian, tsypolt@mail.ucf.edu.

Last Updated:March 03, 2008