University Library > Guides > Using ERIC

How to Use ERIC through EBSCOhost®


Table of Contents:

About ERIC | Getting Started | Searching Techniques | Limiting a Search |
ERIC Thesaurus | Results List | Print/E-Mail/Save

About ERIC

ERIC, the world's largest index to journal articles and research reports in Education, covers from 1966 to the present. ERIC is funded through the U.S. Department of Education.

ERIC 1966-2003

During this time period, the database combined the indexing from two sources: Resources in Education (RIE) and Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE).

RIE abstracted and indexed significant education-related reports, conference papers, curriculum guides, etc. RIE documents were issued on microfiche. Andersen Library has nearly all of the microfiche in the Periodicals Microforms Room on the first floor of the library. The microfiche are filed by the ED (ERIC document) number that appears at the end of the citation on the Results List and also near the bottom of the full ERIC record. Selected ERIC documents are also available in full text in the ERIC database.

CIJE was an index to approximately 1000 education magazines and journals. The library subscribes to many, but not all, of these journals. Articles from journals not owned by Andersen Library may be acquired through interlibrary loan (ILL). Interlibrary loan requests may be made through the ILLiad form. The ILLiad form is located online through Andersen Library's homepage, under Service Forms.

ERIC 2004-present

In 2003, the backbone of the ERIC system changed from a distributed system to a centralized system. ERIC will continue to index both journal articles and other documents.

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Getting Started

  1. From the Andersen Library's homepage click on Find Articles, Statistics....
  2. Click on the letter E under Indexes & Databases in Alphabetical Order, then scroll to and click on ERIC (EBSCOhost).
  3. Or, Select EBSCOhost from the list of Indexes & Databases by Systems.
    1. The default database for EBSCOhost is Academic Search Elite; click in the box to remove the check mark.
    2. Click in the box beside ERIC and click on ERIC or on the CONTINUE button. If both ERIC and Academic Search Elite are selected they will be searched at the same time.

Searching Techniques

The following search techniques are specific to the ERIC database. For more techniques, see the How to Use EBSCOhost guide.

Limiting a Search

There are several ways of limiting a search. The following options can be used independently or simultaneously.

  1. Limit the search to a specific author, subject, journal title or article title.

    Click on the "Advanced Search" tab at the top of the page. Enter an author, subject, journal title, etc. into the "Find" box(es). Using the dropdown menu, select the corresponding option (author, descriptor (subject), journal title, etc.) to the information entered. Click on the"Search" button.

  2. Limit by Document (ED) or Journal (EJ) format.

    Scroll down to "Limit your results" to "Journal or Document"; select "Documents" or "Journal Articles." Enter search terms and click on the "Search" button.

  3. To see if a specific journal or magazine is indexed by ERIC:
    1. Choose the "Publications" button at the top of the page.
    2. Type a journal title in the "Browse for" box.
    3. Click on the "Browse" button.
    4. When the list of journals appears click in the box by the desired title.
    5. Click "Search" to get a list of all citations from the chosen journal.
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ERIC Thesaurus

The Thesaurus contains the official list of subject headings (descriptors) used in the ERIC database. These descriptors can be displayed by clicking on the "Thesaurus" button at the top of the page, typing in the term and clicking on "Browse". Warning: Be sure to type the term in the "Browse for" box, not the "Find" box.

Clicking on a descriptor leads to a scope note that defines exactly how the ERIC database interprets the term. The listings show narrower, broader and related terms. Select terms by clicking in the adjacent boxes, clicking the "Add" button and then clicking on the "Search" button.

Results List

Each entry in the "Results List" includes the title, author(s) and, in the case of a journal article, the complete citation. The "Results List" display also indicates whether an entry is a document (ED) or an article in a journal or magazine (EJ). Click on an article title to display the full record including the abstract and descriptors. Use the "Results List" link at the top of the screen to return to the article list after looking at an abstract.

Many, but not all, ERIC Documents are available in ERIC despite nearly all ERIC document entries displaying a link to "Full Text from ERIC". For documents available in full text, a PDF version of the document will open when "Full Text from ERIC" is clicked. For documents not available in full text, the "Full Text from ERIC" link displays a page that states the document is available in paper or microfiche. UW-W has nearly all of the ERIC documents (ED) on the first floor in the Periodicals Microforms Room.

Journal articles that are available in full text are indicated by the link "Link to Full Text." To find if a journal article is full text in another database click on the Find It button. See How to use SFX: Find It & Citation Linker guide for more infomration on using the Find It button.

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Print/E-Mail/Save

Results can be printed/e-mailed/saved individually or in groups.

Print/E-Mail/Save results individually

While looking at the full record of an article or document, select the print, e-mail or save option from the links at the top of the page. Then follow the directions as described below.

Print/E-Mail/Save results as a group

From the "Results List," click on the "Add" icon next to the item to put an item in the folder to print, email or save to a disk. Once entries have been added click on the "Folder has items" link above the "Results List" to display the selected results. Select the appropriate link for the desired function.

To E-mail:

Enter a complete e-mail address, e.g., bushgw04@uww.edu, add a subject (if desired) and click on the "Send" button.

To Print:

  1. Click on "Print".
  2. Click on "Print" again.

To Save to Disk (download):

  1. Click on "Save".
  2. Click on "Save" again.

For help while using ERIC, click on the Help link near the top right corner of the browser window.

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