ERIC- Basic search strategy

Library databases general use 'boolean logic,' 'keyword,' and 'controlled vocabulary' (subject heading) searches rather than Google-type 'natural language searching'

When searching in ERIC or any other library-type database, you want to separate your topic into concepts and connect them with boolean logic (and parentheses, if necessary).

• When two concepts, and/or the keywords that express them, should BOTH appear in any relevant searches, you want to connect them with AND like this: digital storytelling AND instruction
  This narrows your search
• When EITHER of two alternative concepts, or synonyms/related keywords would make your result relevant, connect them with OR, like this: classroom OR instruction
  This widens your search
• As in math, different search boxes or parentheses allow you to group results:
  digital storytelling AND (instruction or classroom)

Other search tiips

• You can 'truncate' a term with an asterisk * to find that term and all its suffixes: teach* gets teach, teaches, teaching, teacher, teachers, teachable, etc.
• Phrases can be kept together in search by enclosing them with quotes: "adaptive learning"
• Use "Apply equivalent words" and "apply related subjects" to widen your search.
• Use limits (see next slide for details).

Limiting in ERIC

ERIC has snazzy ways to limit your results:

In the limits drop-downs, you can use Ctrl-click  or Shift-click select more than one term.

• Education level is the level of the students being taught/the education being provided. (note that Elementary Education and Primary Education are broadly similar, as are High Schools and Secondary Education: choose both, plus respective grade levels, for the best results)
• Intended audience is the audience of reader to which the text is directed. (Teachers and Practitioners should be selected at the same time.)
• You can also limit to Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) publications to get academic standard journal research
• If you limit to full text publications, you may miss some that are in Drew's other databases
• You can limit by date, language, publication type, etc.
• The What Works Clearinghouse rating is specific to research articles published after 2002.