EDUCATION DIAGRAM

What is the first thing you do when you begin to perform research?

The first inclination for many new students who are in the process of beginning a search strategy is to explore information on the World Wide Web (WWW). Although the web has the potential to be an important resource for research, it is better to wait until you have initially gathered essential background information on your topic. The data gleaned from certain resources contains broad information that can lay the groundwork for your search strategy and facilitate the search process.

(Instructions: You may click on any one of the boxes within the diagram to view education sources for that particular source of information.)

www.lib.ohio-state.edu/gateway/bib/education.html

The following diagram illustrates an efficient pathway to follow as part of your search strategy. Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and handbooks are excellent starting places to explore background information on a multitude of topics. If the topic is current in nature, one may best be served by examining periodicals, journals, newspaper articles, or their indexes. Almanacs, yearbooks, biographies, directories, and bibliographies are examples of other sources to consider after you have acquired some basic information. A library’s online catalog will locate many of these titles and may provide you with additional resources.

The Gateway to Information

Instructions:

Click on any box to view relevant titles with specific types of information.

Click on any title for location, call number, date, etc., or to search online resources.

Education

Useful Sources for Information in a Search Strategy Format

Search Strategy Map

The WWW can be used as a supplement to the material you have already gathered but with a word of caution. Websites need to be evaluated to ensure that the information they contain is accurate and provided by a reputable source. (Please refer to Study Guide #26 for an explanation of how to evaluate a website.)

Peer Reviewed/Scholarly Journals vs. Popular Journals

What does it mean when your professor asks you to obtain articles from peer reviewed or scholarly journals for your research? How do they differ from popular magazines? What exactly is a periodical? The common thread among all of these is that they are useful sources of contemporary information.

A periodical is a general term that refers to a magazine, journal, newspaper, or other publication that is published on a regular or periodic basis. A scholarly journal is a specific type of periodical that is written for scholars or people usually associated with a particular field of interest. For example, educators may have an interest in the Journal of Teacher Education or the American Biology Teacher.

Scholarly journals are often referred to as peer reviewed journals because they contain current articles that have been reviewed or evaluated by experts or intellectuals associated with that specialized subject area. The articles are most helpful when performing academic research or for reviewing bibliographies related to your topic.

Popular magazines are the contemporary periodicals you might see while standing in line at the market or at a newsstand. They feature general articles that deal with popular issues, opinions or current newsworthy items that are written for the non-specialist. Some examples are Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, Women’s Day, or

Good Housekeeping.

A newspaper is a good source for current information concerning national, international, or local events plus editorials, opinions, and film and book reviews.

Please click on the best answer to each of the following

questions to review your understanding of periodicals:

1) Time magazine would be a good example of a:

(a) peer reviewed journal

(b) popular magazine

(d) newspaper

2) Scholarly articles concerning environmental issues may best be found in:

(a) Journal of Environmental Science

(b) U. S. News & World Report

(d) Popular Mechanics

3) A periodical can be published:

(a) on a regular basis

(b) at different times over a period of time

(d) both a and b

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Your assignment requires that you locate primary sources for use in your research. Secondary sources are not to be used. How do you distinguish between the two?

A primary source is a person’s first-hand account or report of an event or occurrence, but also includes speeches or letters written by the original author. When someone else writes an interpretation or commentary on any of those, that work is then considered to be a secondary source. For example, Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech is considered a primary source. Another person’s commentary on that speech would be a secondary source.

Which of the following would be considered a primary source of information?

Please click on the most suitable choice to see the correct answer:

(a) a written book review

(b) an eyewitness’s version of a UFO sighting

(d) a work written about a particular author

THE DATABASE QUANDARY

Did you know that not all computer databases are created equal?

Realizing that some databases offer general information and are basically multidisciplinary, while others are subject specific, may assist you in streamlining the search process. Many databases, such as ERIC, PsychInfo, or InvisibleWeb cover a particular subject in great depth. Others, like AltaVista, Yahoo, or IxQuick include a very wide range of information that may be covered on a variety of levels. If you are unsure as to which database might be most appropriate for your research, simply ask a Reference Librarian! They are there to help you!

THE SCOPE OF THE SEARCH

Do you find that the information you have retrieved from an electronic database is either too broad or too narrow for your needs? A review of your search terms may be necessary in order to arrive at the amount of data your research requires.

To expand the depth of your search you may need to:

H use the Boolean Operator “or” to broaden the search

H make use of truncation(*) where appropriate in search terms

H decrease the number of terms being used

H utilize more general search terms

H consider subject headings as search terms

To narrow the depth of your search for more specific results:

H use the Boolean Operators “and” or “not” to narrow the search

H utilize more precise terms

H eliminate the use of truncation(*)

H consider subject headings as search terms

BOOLEAN LOGIC (AND, OR, NOT) and TRUNCATION ( * )

A method of altering the results of a database search is to utilize Boolean Logic. Boolean Logic simply means adding specific connecting “operators” (and, or, not) to the keyword you are using in your search. The addition of these operators will either expand or limit the number of “hits” you will receive on a particular topic.

If you require additional hits or results from your database search, merely type the operator “or” in conjunction with keywords or terms. The computer will search for articles that contain either term thus providing an increased array of information.

(Diagrams depicting each operator can be inserted into the screen.)

For example, if you are interested in both multicultural concepts and education, you can combine the terms to read “multicultural or education” and retrieve data on either topic.

If your wish is to concentrate fully on the idea of multicultural education, then the operator “and” would be used to connect both of the keywords. “Multicultural and education” would then be used to limit the search to articles that contain both terms. Another more infrequent method of limiting a search is with the use of the operator “not.” You may be interested in education, but not necessarily those involving multicultural aspects at this time. A search can be created to look only for articles that deal with education but are not multicultural based. The keywords would be entered as such: “education not multicultural.”

Truncation is a means by which to search for variations on a word that you want to use as a search term. By placing an asterisk (*) at the end of a root form of a word, the computer will search for all variations of that word. For example, the term educate truncated to educat*, will prompt the computer to search for articles that contain relative words such as educator(s), education, educate(s), educational, etc.

As a review of Boolean Operators and Truncation, please answer the following questions:

1) One would use the Boolean Operator “and” in combination with terms in a keyword search to:

(a) limit the number of hits a search would produce

(b) expand the number of hits

(d) exclude certain search terms

2) In order to limit the number of hits a search would produce, one would use which of the following Boolean Operators:

(a) not

(b) and

(d) both a and c

3) The use of truncation refers to placing an asterisk(*) at the end of a root form of a word to:

(a) minimize the number of hits the search will produce

(b) prompt the computer to search only for the root word

(d) mark a particular keyword for use at a later time

EXPANDING THE SEARCH

Information that you have assembled to begin your research can be expanded

by following these few suggestions:

S E A R C H T I P S

Become familiar with one or two search engines and utilize their Help screens to search more efficiently.

No one search engine will provide total information for a subject.

Explore advanced search options when available.

Make use of phrase searching by placing quotes around a phrase in the search box for more specific results.

Example: “environmental ethics”

Utilize truncation or Boolean Operators.

Use lower case lettering for keywords. Some search engines will limit your results with capital letters.

Try using the symbols + or - to include or exclude certain terms in certain search engines.

Example: +music -country, searches for information concerning music in general but not country music.

Is your spelling correct?

Use at least two words in your query to focus your search. Place your main term first.

Generally use quotes and capital letters when searching for proper names. Example: “Bruce Springsteen”

REVISING THE SEARCH PROCESS

You may discover that your search terms are not providing you with sufficient information or are not relevant to your needs. You may then have to rethink and revise your strategy.

- select alternative search terms that may be more relevant

- use synonyms, acronyms, plural and singular forms of search terms plus variations of spelling of the root forms of the words

- consult a thesaurus or specialized dictionary for assistance in choosing key words

- be persistent and try various combinations of keywords to make sure you get the most out of your search

- add keywords to narrow a search

- omit a keyword to broaden your search

- use the database that is best suited for gathering information on your specific subject/topic

ERIC DATABASE

ERIC is an education database created by the U.S. Department of Education’s Educational Resource Information Center. This electronic resource contains citations and abstracts from nearly 1,000 journals that are related to education, as well as “full text of more than 2,000 digests.” The information indexed in ERIC in currently available online through EBSCOhost at the King’s Corgan Library web page.

KEYWORD SEARCH

EBSCOhost can be accessed through the King’s Library web page or by clicking on the Library Information icon on the library computer desktop. Once you have arrived at the EBSCOhost login screen, perform the following instructions in order to access ERIC:

≈ Click on the box containing the words “Login to EBSCOhost”

≈ Place a √ in the box next to ERIC and make certain that no other boxes contain the same mark.

≈ Then click on “enter.”

≈ The next page presents you with a box where you can perform a basic keyword search.

≈ Additional search options are available such as choosing full text articles only, searching by a specific time

period, or by a particular magazine(s). Simply place a √ in the box next to the option you want to use.

≈ You can click on “Search Tips” for a review of Boolean Operators.

As an example, type in the term “multiculturalism” to view the number of hits you receive.

Click within one of the listed documents on the highlighted title or the phrase that states “Full Text From EDRS.” You will notice that an abstract is provided plus a six-digit ERIC number preceded by the initials ED, and is representative of an entire document. The Corgan Library maintains a collection of ERIC documents on microfiche located sequentially on the main floor. The ED number is the designation for a particular ERIC document. Please ask a librarian for assistance in locating the microfiche or in the usage of the microfiche readers.

Many of the titles listed in your search may be available in full text and are noted as such. Click on the highlighted term “ Full Text” to retrieve a complete copy of the document or “ Check linked full text sources” to achieve the same results.

ADVANCED SEARCH

The green task bar at the top of the keyword search page contains an Advanced Search option that the user can use to fine tune their searching process. Click on the “Advanced Search” option to reveal the following page:

Databases: ERIC

Find:		in
		in
		in
		in

	Enter keywords you wish to find. You may separate keywords with and, or, or not. For search examples, see Search Tips.

Limit Your Results:

Full Text

Magazine:

titles owned by King's College

Date Published: Yr: to Yr:

Expand Your Search:

also search for related words

search within full text articles

Special limiters for ERIC

Pub. Type:

Journal or Document:

Audience:

Availability:

Government Level:

Country of Publication:

Language:

The section entitled “Databases” operates similarly to the basic keyword search page but features the use of Boolean Operators to connect the search terms. They are featured in dropdown menus that are accessed by clicking on the downward arrow next to each term. A dropdown menu is also available for each keyword entered. The user can select from a variety of areas that the computer will use to search for a particular word such as title, author, subject, or abstract.

“Special Limitors” are also a feature that can be used to further narrow the searching process and are worth exploring.

GLOSSARY

With regret to Pepperdine University

Abstract - a brief summary of an article, a conference paper or a book

Acronym - a new word or pronounceable and hence memorable name coined from the first or first few letters or

parts of a phrase or compound term (example: HUD for Housing and Urban Development).

Almanac - annual publication that contains calendars, facts, statistics, and other miscellaneous information.

Annotated Bibliography - a list of works on a particular topic, with each entry accompanied by a note intended to

explain, describe, or evaluate the publication.

Bibliography - a list of citations for books, periodical articles, government documents or other materials.

Biography - a written account of a person’s life or the group of literature concerned with people’s lives.

Boolean Logic/Operators - words such as AND, OR, and NOT that are used to combine search terms to broaden or

narrow the results of a search.

Citation - information that fully identifies a publication; usually featuring the author, title, name of work, publisher,

and date. Page and volume numbers plus other information may be included.

Compendium - a brief account or summary of a particular subject.

Database - a collection of information arranged into individual records to be searched by computer.

Descriptors - a word or a group of words used as a subject to describe the content in books, articles, and other

materials for the purpose of indexing or organizing these items by topic.

Dictionary - a book composed of an alphabetical listing of words with their definitions that often include pronunciation

and usage.

Directory - a systematically organized list of persons, businesses, organizations, or associations that provides

addresses, affiliations, telephone numbers, and similar information

Encyclopedia - a reference source containing informational articles that provide brief but thorough overviews of a

range of topics; usually arranged by subject with an index volume to help locate subjects that do not have their own alphabetical entry.

Field - a part of a record used for a particular category of data. For example,

Full-text - refers to the entire article located in a database that may be printed or downloaded to a disk.

Handbook - a collection of information on a subject, meant to be a concise and authoritative reference.

Hits - the number of results that are yielded by a database search

Index - a systematic guide to the contents of a file, book, document, or group of document in an arrangement that

represents the contents, references, page numbers, etc.

Internet - a worldwide network of computers that can be accessed via the campus computer network.

Journal - a periodical containing articles or other materal such as reports, proceedings, or transactions issued by a

society, an organization, or an institution.

Keywords – significant terms that are utilized when performing a database search

Magazine - a periodical publication for general interest such as news, current events, and popular materials.

Microforms (microfilm, microfiche) - documents, often ones that are bulky or likely to deteriorate rapidly, which

have been photographed and reduced in size to minimize storage space and

for preservation.

Newspaper - a serial issued at stated, frequent intervals (daily, weekly, or semi-weekly), containing news, opinions,

advertisements, and other items of current, often local interest.

Corgan Library’s Online catalog - a computerized catalog that contains records for the King’s College Library

collection.

Peer reviewed - refers to a scholarly journal article or other work which has been submitted to a process of

evaluation by one or more experts in the subject to determine whether it is worthy of publication.

Periodical - publication that is issued at least twice a year, including journals, magazines and newspapers.

Current periodicals are those that have recently arrived. Bound periodicals are back issues that have been covered with a binding and placed on the shelves.

Periodical index and abstracts - a list of articles that have appeared in journals, magazines, or newspapers and

feature author, title, name of periodical, volume, pages and date of publication. Abstracts are indexes that also contain summaries of the content of the article.

Phrase searching -

Plagiarism - copying or closely imitating the work of another writer or composer for the purpose of passing the

results off as original work.

Popular magazine - publications targeted for mass market sale at newsstands, supermarkets, or chain stores.

Primary source - a manuscript, record, or document providing original research or documentation.

Root word – the fundamental part of a word upon which other letters can be added to form new words.

Scholarly journal - see Peer Reviewed.

Search strategy - a series of steps for planning and preparing an efficient way to collect pertinent information on a

given topic.

Secondary source - materials or sources that contain information that has been cited, translated, or based upon

another primary or original source.

Subject encyclopedia - an encyclopedia devoted to a specific subject or field of study.

Subject heading - words or headings assigned to books and articles and used to index these items by topic.

Determining the correct headings for a specific database or catalog is an important part of effective research.

Synonym - a word whose meaning is the same as that of another.

Thesaurus - a reference book that provides synonyms and antonyms, as well as broader and narrower terms

for vocabulary.

Truncation - typing a special symbol (usually an *) at the end of a root word to retrieve all possible endings of

that word.

World Wide Web - a client-server information system that uses the Internet to access computers containing millions

of hypertext documents.

Yearbook - an annual compendium of facts and statistics on a particular subject for the preceding year.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

General Encyclopedias

Academic American Encyclopedia

Provides “32,000 entries and more than 16,000 illustrations that select, describe, organize, structure,

and interpret a representative portion of the world’s vast amount of knowledge in a manner that is useful

to readers.”

Britannica Online

Includes “more than 72,000 articles, over 10,000 illustrations, including photographs, drawings, maps, and flags; and more than 75,000 definitions--including pronunciation guides and word histories--from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.”

Collier’s Encyclopedia

A 24-volume edition designed to meet the needs of most users “who seek to further their education.”

Encyclopedia Americana

Consists of 45,000 entries written be leading authorities to “serve as a bridge between the worlds of the specialist and the general reader.”

World Book Encyclopedia

“Presents information from the vast reservoir of knowledge in the most accessible and usable form.”

Subject Encyclopedias

Encyclopedia of Early Childhood Education

Defines the field of early childhood education with respect to “historical, political, economic, sociocultural, intellectual, and educational influences.”

Encyclopedia of Special Education

Contains over 2000 entries that are “designed to define a subject, relate the history of the subject, explain the research and treatment of the subject in an objective manner, and relate the body of knowledge to everyday special education practices. Technical language is kept to a minimum in order to reach a wider audience.

Handbook of Educational Psychology

An informative collection of contemporary subjects in educational psychology that range from Cognition and Motivation to Foundations of the Discipline. The authors have geared their contibutions toward ”practicing researchers, university teachers, and graduate students.”

The International Encyclopedia of Teaching and Teacher Education

Topics featured were written by leading scholars worldwide and reflect the “major developments of thought and research about teaching and teacher education.”

Philosophy of Education: An Encyclopedia

A diverse collection of 228 articles aimed at general readers that focuses on the “philosophical points of view that have had the greatest influence on educational thinking from ancient Greece to the present.”

WORDS

A Critical Dictionary of Educational Concepts

The main focus of this book is to ”probe and critically assess some of the key concepts in education” and help make people aware of the more common words, ideas, and issues in the field.

American Heritage Dictionary

“Covers the latest developments in vocabulary, gives intelligent guidance on perennial and emerging usage problems, has variety of new language Notes and an innovative etymological Appendix, and presents an abundance of material in a stunning new color format.”

Bartlett’s Roget’s Thesaurus

Reflects “the huge richness and variety of the English language today “ in a manner that is useful to

modern-day readers.

Dictionary of Education

A comprehensive volume that provides clarity for approximately 19,000 “technical and professional terms and concepts” that are employed in the field of education.

Dictionary of Multicultural Education

Explains the “meanings and perspectives of various terms that are used in multicultural education.”

A resource for “scholars, students, education practitioners, and lay people as they read, write, and study”

in multicultural environment.

The Contemporary Thesaurus of Social Science Terms and Synonyms:

A Guide for Natural Computer Searching

Assists the user in discovering key words and phrases for computer searching within a variety of databases. The thesaurus provides suggestions and alternatives leaned from “social, cultural, psychological, political, and current affairs.”

The Literacy Dictionary: The Vocabulary of Reading and Writing

Provides “a resource to help educational practitioners, researchers, and other interested persons in the national and international community to understand terms used in contemporary and historical writings

about literacy.”

CURRENT INFORMATION

ERIC (U.S. Department of Education’s Educational Resource Information Center)

Comprehensive electronic index that contains abstracts and full text articles pertaining to almost every

aspect of the field of education.

LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe

An online information source that includes major newspapers, magazines and journals,

newsletters, and abstracts.

BOOKS AND JOURNAL TITLES

Books

King’s College Online Catalog

Northeastern Pennsylvania Library Network

NPLN provides area library users access to the 1.5 million volume collections of participating libraries via its new virtual online catalog.

Journals

A sampling of the journal titles found in the D. Corgan Library: Use the library’s online catalog to locate

titles of interest.

The Chronicle of Higher Education

Contemporary Education

English Education

Instructor

The Journal of General Education

The Journal of Higher Education

The Journal of Special Education

Peabody Journal of Education

Sociology of Education

QUICK FACTS

The Condition of Education 1997

Information gathered and published on the “status and progress of education in the United States” by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

Digest of Education Statistics 1997

Provides “ a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from kindergarten through graduate school.”

Infoplease.com

Offers a vast amount of information on a myriad of subjects. Includes access to the Learning Network which “explores an extensive collection of tools, activities, and resources designed for teachers.”

Title Projections of Education Statistics to 2008

Features statistics and projections for primary and secondary schools including institutions of higher education at the national level. Also reported are projections of public elementary and secondary enrollment and high school graduates at the state level.

PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS

Biography.com

Review the biographies of 25,000 personalities online.

Directory of College & University Administrators 2001:

The Complete Guide to Academic and Administrative Officials in U. S. Higher Education

The “most comprehensive single-volume reference on accredited institutions of higher education in the U.S.

Education Resource Organizations Directory

Contains “information on more than 2,700 national, regional, and state education organizations including many associations that provide information and assistance on a broad range of education-related topics.”

Patterson’s American Education

A standard directory to “11,100 public school districts, 29,000 public secondary schools, 5,500 private and Catholic secondary schools and more than 6,000 post-secondary schools.”

Pennsylvania Department of Education

Provides a variety of information for most levels of education in Pennsylvania.

U.S. Department of Education

A comprehensive site that provides information in all aspects of education in the United States.

OPINIONS

Constructivism in Education: Opinions and Second Opinions on Controversial Issues

EBSCOhost

King’s College, D. Corgan Library Web Page - Internet Resources (Newspapers and other News Media)

Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe

New York Times Index

Washington Post Index

Wilson Web Indexes

FURTHER RESEARCH

King’s College, D. Corgan Library Web Page – Internet Resources (Education)

Features an array of valuable Internet resources evaluated and posted specifically for those interested in the field of education.

Requirements for Certification of Teachers, Counselors, Librarians, Administrators for

Elementary and Secondary Schools 2000-2001

Updated information for certification within the United States.

Teacher Certification Requirements in all Fifty States 2000-2001

Presents the requirements for obtaining teaching certification in all 50 states including the District of Columbia.

2000-2001 Pennsylvania School Laws and Rules Annotated

The “very latest and most complete source for [Pennsylvania] school law.”