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EDF 3280 - Prof. Collins: Finding Information Using ERIC

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Tips on Searching Databases

Boolean logic is the method of using And, Or, Not to connect or exclude keywords. Click on the link below to access an interactive guide on how to use Boolean operators (And, Or, Not) to improve your search results.

Step by Step Guides

TIP: Selecting Subject Databases

You will want to access the primary subject index of your disipline, in the case of education that will be ERIC.

Finding Research Studies and Theories in ERIC (EBSCO)

To locate empirical research in ERIC (EBCO):

  • Go to ERIC (EBSCO) in the BC Library list of databases.
  • Input your key concepts in the search boxes. Use All fields (no full text) - ALL for keywords or Subject headings.
  • Scroll down to Document Type and select 143 (Report: Research)
  • You will have to evaluate the results for appropriateness and to distinguish between primary and secondary research studies.

To locate theories in ERIC (EBSCO):

  • Go to ERIC (EBSCO) in the BC Library list of databases.
  • Input your key concepts in the search boxes. (Each row is used for a separate key concept. Synonyms and alternative terms go in the boxes provided in the same row.)
  • Use theor* to locate theory, theories, and theoretical in one of the rows.  The asterisk looks for the variations of theor* for the root or stem of the word.

Step 1: Identify Key Concepts and Synonyms on Topic

Before you can search for appropriate articles, you need to identify the key concepts in your research topic, and identify any synonyms or alternative terms.

For example: Problem solving skills of kindergarten children

  Alternative terms or      
synonyms		 OR  Alternative terms or      
synonyms		 OR  Alternative terms or      
synonyms
Concept 1 problem solving OR critical thinking OR brainstorming
AND
Concept 2 skills OR skill OR ability
AND
Concept 3 kindergarten OR early childhood OR preschool

NOTE: Use ERIC descriptors to narrow your search results.

* Adpated from Nova Southeastern University

Step 2: Identify any synonyms or alternative terms. You can look at the ERIC thesaurus for ideas.

You can have more focused results if you identify the ERIC descriptors. These are the subject headings or index terms used by ERIC to locate other resources on the same topic. You can use the ERIC Thesaurus to identify terms.

You can include more alternatives if you truncate words with various spellings. For example, you can use child* to find child, children, childhood, childless, childish, etc. In other words, you use the asterisk (For example,  child* ) to look for those letters as the root or stem in other word.

Problem solving skills of kindergarten children  -- ERIC Descriptors in Yellow

  Alternative terms or     
synonyms		 OR Alternative terms or     
synonyms		 OR Alternative terms or     
synonyms
Concept 1 problem solving OR critical thinking OR brainstorming
AND    
Concept 2 skill* OR abilit*
AND  
Concept 3 kindergarten OR early childhood OR preschool*

* Adpated from Nova Southeastern University

Step 3 Here is an example in ERIC

Screenshot of ERIC (empirical research)

Subject Headings Using ERIC

Identify your key concept and type it in the search box. If you have a precise phrase, you can enclose the words in quotes like “transformational leadership” for better results. The default field code in ERIC is All Fields (no full text) – ALL. This searches the title, abstract, and subject headings but not the actual full text of the article.
When using ERIC identify your key concept

Subject Headings- ERIC

 

Once you have some results, take a look at the suggested subject headings. For example, transformational leadership is a subject heading. You can also combine that subject heading with others such as principals or instructional leadership.

You can also view the top subject headings found in your search results by clicking on the Subject option on the right.

Screenshot of Eric subject headings