Locating Material for Research

Topics Covered in Session 3

Locating Material for a Topic

To be good researchers, students must familiarize themselves with and become experts in their topics. The number of journals which are published today precludes anybody being able to afford to subscribe to all of them. Hence, you need to use the library and other sources in order to access pertinent information on your topic.
The amount of material which was being published changed radically after the federal government’s aid to education programs began in the 1960s. To qualify for funds, school districts had to evaluate whatever it was they were doing with the funds, and hence many of these evaluations began being published in various journals. Also, as part of the federal funding programs, a national clearing house (Education Resources Information Exchange – ERIC) was established to function as a resource to disseminate educational evaluation and research materials.

Major Sources of Information on Education

Computer/Online Resources

ERIC is available online as well as in the Hunter College Library and most other major college libraries. Keep in mind that for CIJE, you will only receive a citation and summary of an article. You likely will have to go to a library to retrieve the actual article.
Go to askEric – Clearinghouse
Search engines available on the World Wide Web also can provide valuable information on topics. For instance, you can access GOOGLE Education Categories. However, complete copies of articles are rare and difficult to come by without paying fees.
Go to Google – Education

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE TOPICS COVERED IN THIS SESSION, PLEASE REFER TO CHAPTER 1 OF A.G. PICCIANO "EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH PRIMER".