Locating and Obtaining Phi Delta Kappa Fastbacks

About Fastbacks | Finding Fastbacks in Print | Finding Fastbacks Online
Citing Fastbacks

About PDK Fastbacks

Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) is a professional association in education. Its membership includes educators, administrators, students and others interested in the field of education. PDK and its education foundation produce numerous publications.

Between 1972 and 2005, the Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation published 533 titles in the Fastback series. These are concise, informative booklets on topics and issues in education. The series was discontinued in April 2005.

Finding PDK Fastbacks in Print

Many titles up to the year 2002 are available in print at the Alvin Sherman Library. Most titles from numbers 114 to 497 (2002) are available with some gaps. An assortment of earlier titles are also available.

All Fastbacks are found in the 2nd floor Reference area, shelved together under the call number L11 .F37. They are arranged in boxes by Fastback number. For a complete list of Fastback numbers available in the library, see NovaCat entry for Fastbacks. Please note that NovaCat does NOT include individual titles. To identify Fastbacks by title, you will need to use one of the online databases.

Finding PDK Fastbacks Online

PDK Fastbacks are indexed in Education Full Text, ProQuest Research Library Complete, Wilson OmniFile, and ERIC. Full-text for different titles in the series are available in each of the databases.

Because this series is not consistently indexed, sometimes treated as a series, as journal articles, or as individual documents, it can be difficult to locate in different databases. Following are some strategies you can use to help you locate these titles. REMEMBER: You will need to cite a Fastback according to the type of document the database identifies it as. See Citing PDK Fastbacks

One way to find PDK Fastbacks online is to use the Journal Finder and search for "Fastback". This will provide links to all titles in the series as indexed in Education Full Text, Wilson OmniFile, and ProQuest Research Library Complete. However, to search for a specific topic within the Fastback series, you will need to use one of the following databases.

PDK Fastbacks in Education Full Text and Wilson OmniFile

Full-text is available in Education Full Text and Wilson OmniFile for numbers 426 (1998) through 533 (2005). Full-text starts with number 426 (1998); PDF begins with number 482 (2001). In addition Wilson indexes the collection going back to number 185 (1983). Unless you are attempting to locate earlier Fastbacks, we recommend that you conduct your search in Education FT first.

If you access Fastbacks in Education FT via the Journal Finder, you will see a list of all Fastbacks in Education FT. To conduct an Advanced Search for Fastbacks in Education FT, do a SOURCE or JOURNAL NAME search on "Fastbacks", and add any other relevant criteria. Wilson also allows you to limit your search to items available in full text.

Fastbacks in Wilson are indexed individually with the Journal Name: Phi Delta Kappa Fastbacks. They are classified as a "feature article" for the document type. See sample record below.

Sample record in Education Full Text and Wilson OmniFile

PDK Fastbacks in ProQuest Research Library Complete

Full text is available in ProQuest Research Library Complete for numbers 516 (2004) to 533 (2005).

If you access Fastbacks in ProQuest via the Full Text Journal Title Search, you will see links to each Fastback number. Click on a particular number for access to the records and full text. To conduct an Advanced Search for Fastbacks in ProQuest, do a PUBLICATION TITLE search on "Fastbacks", and add any other relevant criteria. If you go to the Publications tab to conduct a search, you will need to search on "Phi Delta Kappa Fastbacks".

Fastbacks in ProQuest are indexed individually with the Publication Title: Phi Delta Kappa Fastbacks. They are classified as "feature" articles. See sample record below.

Sample record in ProQuest Research Library Complete

PDK Fastbacks in ERIC

ERIC indexes many, but not all Fastbacks. It includes full-text for only about 50 of them. Please note that ERIC is behind in indexing Fastbacks and indexing stops in 2003 around number 509. Proquest and Wilson do have the last two years indexed and available online.

To conduct an Advanced Search for Fastbacks in ERIC, include Fastback as a Keyword or Title word, and add any other relevant criteria. Because the name "Fastback" with or without the Fastback number is included at the end of the document title, the keyword or title search will find most Fastbacks.

ERIC treats Fastbacks as individual documents, therefore the publication types are not consistent. Some are listed as opinion papers, others are evaluative reports, etc. Because they are not considered journal articles, they will also have an ED number, and a few will have links to full-text.

Because of some problems with the full-text linking for Fastbacks in the FirstSearch and CSA versions of ERIC, we recommend that you use the public website for accessing ERIC: http://www.eric.ed.gov

Sample record in ERIC via www.eric.gov

Citing PDK Fastbacks

Citing the print version of a Fastback:
Although numbered as part of a series, because they are irregularly published and each document has its own title, a print version of a Fastback may be cited as a monograph when using APA style.

Citing an online version of a Fastback:
Because different databases consider Fastbacks to be different types of documents, if you use an online version of a Fastback, you will need to cite the source according to the database from which it is retrieved. I.e., in Wilson it is a journal article, in ERIC it is an ERIC Document. Because of the variations between databases, using the correct citation format and including the retrieval statement is crucial.

For further information on citing sources, see: Citations and Style Guides