ERIC is considered to be the primary database for education literature. Available since 1966, it is accessible three ways: EBSCO, FIRST Search, and free online.
ERIC indexes two types of literature:
EJ - Journals
ERIC documents [“ED” numbers]
Non-journal publications such as conference papers, technical and policy reports, publications of scholarly / professional associations, research / policy organizations, federal, state and local agencies, and more. Lesson plans were discontinued after 2003. Peer-reviewed since 2004; not peer-reviewed 2003 and earlier.
Sources include 1,000+ journals and other materials. Please visit Journals Indexed in ERIC for the current title list.
To Find Journals: Use Find@KSU button to determine full text status or other availability.
You always have an option to search ERIC using EBSCO Discovery or SuperSearch
EBSCOhost has provided several resources about the new interface, including a Quick Start Guide and a variety of how-to videos split into key topics:
Searching
Dashboard
Saved items & Projects
Exporting results
Search alerts
ERIC (free version) and ERIC (EBSCO) allow you to limit your search by the document types. For example,
| Opinion Papers (120) | Opinion papers, points of view, position papers, recommendations, "blueprints" for proposed action. Debates, interviews, panel discussions, questions and answers, dialogs, transcripts. Essays, short expository/speculatory papers, "think" pieces, philosophical pieces, criticism, interpretation, editorials, pros and cons. |
| Reference Materials - Bibliographies (131) | Bibliographies, filmographies, discographies, annotated bibliographies, book catalogs, book lists, collections of abstracts, indexes (locators) to bibliographic materials, topical listings of various media materials. Includes bibliographic essays, literature searches (output of), guides to or descriptions of the literature in a field. |
| Reference Materials - General (130) | Materials for reference use, as contrasted to materials designed for cover-to-cover reading and study. "General" is used only when material does not fit a more specific sub-category. |
| Reports - Descriptive (i.e., Project Descriptions) (141) | Project descriptions, program descriptions, reports of organizational activities. Descriptions of systems, procedures, or practices in actual cases. Descriptions of significant events, personal narratives/experiences, journalistic accounts of actual activities and occurrences. Descriptive works of various types. Includes annual reports (of organizations), yearbooks. |
| Reports - Evaluative (142) | Studies evaluating research, alternative courses of action, or the merits of a particular process or program. Studies of feasibility of a given course of action. Evaluations of programs. Studies oriented toward decision-making and concerned with judgments rather than generalizations. |
| Reports - General (140) | "General" is used only when material does not fit a more specific sub-category. |
| Reports - Research (143) | Original research, technical research, reports, studies, empirical results, experimental statistical studies, surveys, case studies, theory testing, systematic scientific investigations, seeking facts and/or generalizable principles. Emphasis on materials utilizing a formal research design, but may include informal reports and verbal presentations of such efforts. Includes proposals for needed research. |
| Speeches/Meeting Papers (150) | Individual addresses, lectures, papers presented at conferences, meetings, colloquia, symposia, seminars, workshops, congresses, etc. |
| Tests/Questionnaires (160) | Questionnaires, tests, examinations, evaluation and measurement devices, test specifications, compilations of tests, opinion polls (instruments), assessment tools, reporting booklets, rating scales, test manuals, etc. |
Start with using ERIC Thesaurus to find search words, synonyms, and descriptors. Access to full text articles is limited via the free version of ERIC but many educators prefer ERIC search engine vs. ERIC EBSCO.
How do I create more specific searches?
Use the field:term syntax to limit one or more search terms to a specific ERIC field:
Add the field:term syntax to limit searches to What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviewed documents:
For WWC Reviewed documents:
