Education Resource Materials Overview
Contact Person: Kate Corby, 432-6123 ext. 121
    corby@msu.edu

        MSU Libraries subscribe to two major electronic indexes in the field of education, ERIC and Education Abstracts. For research on education topics in other countries, especially outside the Americas, it is often necessary to search international studies databases. The Education Databases from Other Countries page can offer some assistance, please contact the Library for additional assistance.
          Statistics and testing instruments are also areas of frequent researcher interest. This page provides an overview of ERIC and Education Abstracts and a handful of specialized indexes. It also lists some of our most recent handbooks and encyclopedias. Like many disciplines, education has a growing presence on the Web. There are many sites, often with commercial interests, that provide education related content. Please see the listings on my main education page for guidance to some of the best of the Web.

ERIC

       The ERIC system is funded by the federal government to assure that current educational research is available to teachers in the field. Until December of 2003, a series of clearinghouses, each devoted to a specific specialized aspect of education, indexed journal articles and other materials for listing in the ERIC database. The clearinghouses also prepared ERIC digests (topical listings of current research) and generally attempted to serve teachers and researchers in their areas of expertise. In December of 2003 the contracts with these clearinghouses were allowed to expire. In 2004 the federal government awarded a contract for ERIC to a single contractor. Details fo the changes are available at ERIC Development News. The most important information for most users is that ERIC has not recovered from the lapse of coverage. Material from 2002 to the present is not fully covered by the ERIC database.

ERIC Index Database

        The ERIC database was formed by the merger of two printed indexes, Resources in Education (RIE) and Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE).

• The ED numbers in the ERIC database begin in 1966 and index research reports, pamphlet material, papers from professional meetings, and association/organization publications. There are also some listings for commercially published books. The majority of these (about 85%) published before the 2004 changover are available in the ERIC microfiche collection, which MSU has in its entirety (location 2 West). Most ERIC documents published since 1993 are also available full-text on the Web. Locate them using the "Full Text" links that display within citations in the database. ED records listed in ERIC but not part of the online text service are often commercial publications, many of which will be available in the MSU Libraries, check the Library Catalog.
• The EJ numbers in the ERIC database index journal articles. In 1969 ERIC began selectively covering over 1,000 journals, most of them in English. While this is a huge number of journals, the emphasis is on selective; very few journals were covered in their entirety. Since 2004 the number of titles has decreased significantly (now about 800) but the coverage for many is more complete. While very few of the journals are available full text through the ERIC system, some are available to the MSU community via links in the database or listings of our journal holdings within the Library catalog. Use the links that say "Find Text at MSU."

       Changes in the ERIC database have led less than full coverage for the period from 2002 to the present. Researchers hoping to identify the most recent information on an education topic should also consult Education Abstracts (see below).

THESAURUS

       The Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors can be very useful for identifying appropriate subject headings. It is in the Library Reference Area at LB 1028 .A1 R4 U5, in ERIC search engines or on the web at: the ERIC site. A series of cross references guide users to the best headings for their search. This hierarchical structure can make the electronic versions more difficult to use. ERIC carefully indexes each item in the database for subject content and academic level. The list of "Mandatory Educational Level Descriptors" on page xv of the printed Thesaurus is particularly useful. Unless totally inapproprate, every ERIC record will have at least one of these descriptors.

EDUCATION ABSTRACTS

       Although nominally covering fewer journals (about 700) Education Abstracts (or Education Index as the print product was called) covers journals more quickly and does not contain the coverage gaps that currently plague the ERIC product. The database offers citations to English language literature about all aspects of education at every level, starting in 1983. The Libraries also have the printed version of this index, which goes back to 1929. It is located in the Main Library Stacks, Basement East - Z 5813 .E23.

OTHER ELECTRONIC DATABASES

       Educational researchers will also want to be familiar with Proquest Dissertations and Theses (formerly called Dissertation Abstracts International,) which indexes the doctoral dissertations produced at more than 1000 institutions, most in North America. MSU Libraries do not collect the dissertations of other schools, but the extensive abstracts in this database will help users decide if they would like to request the dissertations through InterLibrary Loan. Dissertations prepared since 1997 by MSU students or students at other schools in our group (CIC or Big Ten) are available full-text online to MSU users.

       Web of Science is a specialized database that indexes the current journal literature through its footnotes. It can be used to locate current updates of an older relevant item or to assess the significance of a known item based on the number of times it has been cited. Coverage of education in this index is minimal. The search software is finicky, follow instructions exactly, or ask for assistance from the library. Education researchers hoping to find citations to a given work should also check for "Cited by" listings to the work in Google Scholar.

       Educational Administration Abstracts, Reference, 1 East - Z5814 .M26 E3. Also available as a journal covered by ECO. Covers English language journal literature and books from 1966 on, from the fields of public administration, business and education. Published by Sage with their typical one-word indexing, which is often frustrating.

STATISTICS SOURCES

       Federal and state governments put out reams of statistical information about the schools and their financing most of it is available on the web. For a detailed listing of education statistics sources see the web page at http://www.lib.msu.edu/corby/education/stat.htm. Lexis/Nexis Statistical in the best database for locating specific numbers. Both of these resources contain hotlinks to government Web sites.

TESTS AND MEASUREMENT

       The MSU Libraries have a long-standing policy of providing information about tests and measures, but not the actual instrument. While there are some exceptions, this is still the general rule. More extensive information about Testing Resources at MSU is available on the web at http://www.lib.msu.edu/corby/psychology/tests.htm

       Mental Measurements Yearbook (Buros or MMY), Reference, 1 East - BF431 .A1 M4 and it's companion index volumes Tests In Print, Reference, 1 East - BF431 .A1 M47 together provide descriptive information, references and critical reviews and purchase information for English language tests. Abbreviations and less than ideal layout and typography can make these resources difficult to use, especially MMY. Allow time to read the introduction.

       Many of the tests developed during research studies never become commercially available. The instrument may be reproduced in an appendix of the report or as part of a table. Of course, such tests also do not undergo the scrutiny for reliability, validity, and such that a published test receives. Many of the most useful of these tests from the fields of education and psychology are listed in Directory of Unpublished Experimental Measures, Reference, 1 East - BF431 .G624. This series of seven volumes indexes instruments that have appeared in journal articles. The Libraries also have Tests in Microfiche, Reference 1 East - LB3051 .T443 which is a collection of tests from the Educational Testing Service that are not commercially available and may be reproduced for research use.

OTHER SOURCES

       MSU Libraries purchase a continuing stream of handbooks and encyclopedias in the field of education. Among the more current are:

• African American Education : A Reference Handbook, Main Library - LC2741 .J33 2001
• Educational Leadership : A Reference Handbook, Main Library - LB2805 .W517 2002
• Encyclopedia of Education, Reference, 1 East - LB17 .E45 2003 The newest edition of a classic work.
• Encyclopedia of Mathematics Education, Reference, 1 East - QA11 .E665 2001
• Encyclopedia of School Psychology, Reference, 1 East - LB1027.55 .E523 2005
• Encyclopedia of Special Education : A Reference for the Education of the Handicapped and Other Exceptional Children and Adults, Reference, 1 East - LC4007 .E53 2000
• Handbook of Educational Psychology, 2nd edition, Main Library - LB 1051 .H2354 2006 An excellent resource, lengthy articles by recognized scholars and extensive citations after each.
• Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology, Reference, 1 East - LB1028.3 .H355 2004
• Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education, Reference, 1 East - LC1099.3 .H35 2004
• Handbook of Teacher Education : Globalization, Standards and Professionalism in Times of Change, Main Library - LB1707 .H36 2007
• Handbook on Quality and Standardization in E-Learning, Main Library - LB1044.87 .E45 2006
• Higher Education in the United States : An Encyclopedia, Reference, 1 East - LA225 .H54 2002
• Improving Schools Through Action Research : A Comprehensive Guide for Educators, Main Library - LB1028.24 .H46 2006
• The International Handbook of Educational Evaluation, Reference, 1 East - LB2822.75 .I563 2003
• International Handbook on Globalisation, Education and Policy Research, Main Library - LB43 .I58 2005

• Literacy and Learning : A Reference Handbook, Main Library - LC151 .B58 2002
• Measurement and Assessment in Education, Main Library - LB3051 .R45 2006
• Migrant Education : A Reference Handbook, Main Library - LC5151 .G68 2001
• Native American Education : A Reference Handbook, Main Library - E97 .H138 2002
• Praeger Handbook of Latino Education in the U.S. Reference, 1 East - LC2669 .P73 2007
• The Sage Handbook for Research in Education, Reference, 1 East - LB1028 .S14 2006
• The Sage Handbook of Research in International Education, Main Library - LC1090 .S29 2007
• The Special Education Almanac, Main Library - LC3981 .S577 2006
• Women in Higher Education : An Encyclopedia, Main Library - LC1569 .W66 2002