Hollins University Library - Government Documents Department

WHAT IS ERIC?

ERIC – the Education Resource Information Center - is a database of education information. It contains over a million abstracts (short references to describe full-text material) from education-related documents and journal articles. In order to get information via ERIC, a researcher first searches the database for useful abstracts, then locates the full text in a print or electronic source.

SEARCHING THE DATABASE

You can search ERIC via EbscoHost, an electronic journal database linked from our library’s e-Resources page. Click on EbscoHost and sign in; on the first page select ERIC as your database, and click “continue.” A simple keyword search can use such connectors as AND, OR, NOT; phrases should be placed in quotation marks. Example:

Find: “attention deficit” AND inclusion

Advanced searching - The Thesaurus is a useful tool for finding correct subject terms, or related subjects.EbscoHost also gives you many options for limiting your search:

journal name
date published
full text
ERIC number
document type
educational level
intended audience
and more!

For help with advanced searching, ask a librarian or try the link for “help” (at top & right).

HOW TO GET ERIC DOCUMENTS AND JOURNAL ARTICLES

Each of the results from your search will have a unique ERIC alphanumeric designation: two letters and six digits. Example: (ED447944). ED means ERIC document, EJ means ERIC journal article. Write this number down – you will need it. You will also see one or more links:

to full text, if this text is available within the database
to search Hollins’ Journal Finder (for journal articles)

What you do next depends on whether you need a document, or a journal article:

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DOCUMENTS

1. ED Numbers up to 464126:
Check the microfiche collection.

The library’s government microfiche are located in steel cabinets on the east side of the first floor [near the visitor parking lot]. Make sure that you have the ERIC number for your document - fiche are filed in numerical order.

If your document is not in our microfiche collection , you can:

2. Place an inter-library loan request.
Inter-library loan requests can be placed via the library’s web pages. Please include the ED number when placing a request. Response time will vary; allow for one to three weeks to receive the document.

ARTICLES

1. Search in Hollins’ Journal Finder

A search in Journal Finder will tell you whether the library subscribes to a particular journal, and in what format: in print or via one of our other electronic databases.

The link from EbscoHost will do an automatic search for the journal’s ISSN number. You can also check Journal Finder by title, or by selecting a subject category.

If your result is print (“Hollins University Print Titles”), the link will take you to a record in our online catalog. Check the shelves to see whether we have the issue you need; print journals are shelved on the ground floor, in alphabetical order.

If your result is a database (“from 01/01/2000 in Factiva”) , you can access this database by clicking on the link and entering your name and HU ID card number. Make sure you have the title, author, date and journal title for the article you need, as most other databases cannot be searched by ERIC number.

Note: ERIC Documents can not be found using Journal Finder; only journal articles.

If we do not have the journal you need in the library, you can:

2. Place an inter-library loan request.
Inter-library loan requests can be placed via the library’s web pages. Please include the EJ number when placing a request. Response time will vary; allow for one to three weeks to receive the document.

If you would like help with your search, contact one of our reference librarians at 540/362-7465.

WHY IS THIS SO COMPLICATED?

As a Federal Depository Library, Wyndham Robertson Library has had free access to about 10% of total ERIC Documents. This is why we have some of the microfiche, but not all of them. The remaining documents were produced with non-government funds, and must therefore be obtained by inter-library loan or purchase.

Journals have similar restrictions: since journal articles are the property of the publisher, they cannot be automatically included in a free online database. We subscribe to many journals in print and/or electronically, but if you cannot find what you need using Journalfinder, try inter-library loan.

HELPFUL WEB SITES

ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center)
The official ERIC home page has the following features:

Search the ERIC database.
Save your searches using the personalized “My ERIC” interface.

Educator’s Reference Desk (formerly “AskERIC”)
Eduref was designed as a companion source to ERIC. It is a personalized online information source for teachers, librarians, counselors, students, parents and anyone else involved in education. Site features include:

Archive of frequently asked questions about ERIC topics
Education links organized by topic
Over 2000 free, full-text lesson plans

FORMER ERIC CLEARINGHOUSES - WEB SITES

Each of these institutions offers publications and expert advice in a particular area. Many are placing ERIC bulletins, digests, lesson plans and other documents on their web sites in full text.

CONTACTS

To get help with any of our education resources, ask the reference librarian on duty, or contact:

Reference Desk
540/362-7465
askref@hollins.edu

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This page last updated on: July 26, 2007
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