Library Research Module for Psychopharmacology - Station 2

Welcome to Station 2--Using ERIC


Station 1 -- Using PsycINFO
Station 2 -- Using ERIC
Station 3 -- Comparing PsycINFO and ERIC
Station 4 -- Finding Empirical Research
Station 5 -- Finding Full Text Articles using the Journal Finder
Station 6 -- Finding Tests and Measurements
Station 7 -- Finding Medical Resources
yellow box Using the "Find It" Tool

If you have questions about the terminology in this exercise, consult this Glossary of Library and Internet Terms. 

Your Name: 
Your NSU e-mail address: 
Section/CRN number: 

STATION 2
Using ERIC

Produced by the U.S. Department of Education, the ERIC database is an electronic compilation of the paper indexes, CIJE (Current Index to Journals in Education) and RIE (Resources in Education). The database provides an index to published and unpublished sources on thousands of educational topics. It includes citations and abstracts for journal articles, books, theses, curriculi, conference papers, and standards and guidelines from 1966 to present. Although ERIC is the premier database in Education, it may also have relevant articles on psychology as related in the educational field

The results of an ERIC search may contain items on your topic from the

  • journal literature–abstracts of journal literature have EJ numbers
  • document literature–abstracts of document literature have ED numbers


The EJs or ERIC journals are abstracts of articles in educational periodicals to which the Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center may or may not subscribe.

The EDs or ERIC documents are abstracts of items that are not generally published in traditional sources such as journals or books. EDs can be anything from papers presented at conferences to government reports to even NSU practicums and applied dissertations.

ERIC includes very limited full text. In the CSA version of ERIC, some records also link to full text in other databases, for example, ScienceDirect, Ingenta, etc.

For in-depth information on how to search ERIC, see the ERIC Tutorial

Tips for Selecting a Topic

  • Select a topic of interest to you and enter the information below and in the ERIC Advanced Search
  • Be sure your topic is focused. (If you are finding hundreds and even thousands of records, your topic is still too broad.)You need to be able to locate published studies that are in your area of interest in order to identify strengths and limitations of previous studies, gaps in the literature, and major trends and patterns in the results. You may wish to also locate research about the strengths and weaknesses of methods the same or similar to those you plan to use to investigate your research question and data analysis techniques.

Tips for Constructing a Search

Activity 2

Topic Selection & Constructing a Search

  1. Access the Alvin Sherman Library at www.nova.edu/library/main/ and click on the the Electronic Resources link at the top of the page.
  2. Click on Databases.
  3. Select NSU Patrons, input your last name and University ID number (this is your N#), and click on the Submit button.
  4. Under Browse by Subject select Education.
  5. From the Education database page, select ERIC (CSA) - Cambridge Scientific Abstracts.
  6. Using one or all of your key search terms from Activity 1 perform a search.

Focusing a Search Using Descriptors

Descriptors allow you to do more focused searches on your specific subject. You can check the ERIC Thesaurus by clicking on the Thesaurus from the Search Tools menu. Enter your term and click on Go. Browse a term from the alphabetical index.

  1. Identify appropriate descriptors for your main concepts and enter below
ERIC Descriptor for first concept 
   OR
ERIC descriptor for second concept 
   OR
ERIC descriptor for third concept 
   OR
  • Use the suggested descriptors to revise your search.
  • Examine your search results.
Did the descriptors locate useful resources on your specific topic? Yes  No  Not sure
Number of records retrieved using descriptor(s)  
  1. Limit your search to:
    • The last 10 years. Type the years into the Year field. For example, 1995-2004
Number of records retrieved using the above limits:
  1. From the result list select the following:
    1. ERIC Journal EJ
 EJ #: 
  
Author(s): 
  
Article Title: 
  
Journal Title: 
  
Date of publication:
  
Volume, Issue #, and Page #s:
  
Record Type:
  
Is the article peer-reviewed/refereed?
   Yes  No  Not sure
What date did you retrieve the article?
 
    1. ERIC Document ED
 ED #: 
  
Author(s):   
Title of the Document:   
Date of Publication:   
Place of Publication:   
Record Type:   

 

 

Tips for Citing Journal Articles Retrieved from Online Databases

Journal articles that are retrieved full text online need to include a retrieval statement in the citation.

For example:

Booth, M., & Booth, G. (2003). What American schools can learn from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Phi Delta Kappan, 85(4), 310-315. Retrieved July 25, 2005, from Wilson Web Education Full Text database.

For additional examples of how to format journal articles obtained online from NSU databases and/or other NSU resources, take a look at How to Cite Sources: APA Style.

Tips for Citing ERIC ED documents

For information about how to cite ERIC ED Documents, take a look at ERIC ED Documents.

For additional tips on how to search ERIC, contact the Reference Desk at (800) 541-6682 ext. 4613 or locally in Broward County at (954) 262-4613. You can also Ask A Librarian by email.

Congratulations!
Now you may leave Station 2 of the Library Research Module for Psychopharmacology.
All aboard for Station 3!

IMPORTANT: Print this page or write down all the information because you will need them to complete the next activities.

To submit this portion of the Library Research Module, click on the "Send Information" button below.

To receive credit for the activity,
be sure to forward the confirmation email message to your instructor,
Mou Chakraborty at: mou@nova.edu

If you have any questions/comments about this research module,
please email Mou Chakrabory at mou@nova.edu

The ASLRITC is a joint-use facility between Nova Southeastern University and the Broward Cty. Board of County Commissioners

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