EDF 6481
Introduction to Graduate Research in Education
Librarian: Ken Frankel
August 29, 2005

I. Locating books in the Library:

1. WebLUIS (the Library's catalog): click on Catalog or Books. The following types of basic searches are available:

A. Keywords: This search looks for a word anywhere in the record. Keywords can be truncated with a ? For example, research? will search for researchers, researching etc. Also, you can search for 2 keywords next to each other this way: research adj methods (adj stands for adjacent)
B. Author's Name: last name first, you don't need to capitalize
C. Title: if a title starts with "The," "A," or "An," omit that and skip to the next word.
D. Subject: This search looks for items classified by a subject heading and organizes the results into sub-topics. Subjects must be entered in a specific manner according to the Library of Congress subject headings. You may get a cross-reference to the preferred subject heading. Some subject heading examples that might be useful:

• action research in education
• education--research
• education--research--evaluation
• education--research--methodology
• educational design
• experimental design
• sampling--statistics

*If you're not finding anything with a subject search try a keyword search instead*

E. Journal/Magazine Title: be sure to check the "Library Has" link to see which dates the Library owns. (Note: not all electronic journals we have are cataloged in WebLUIS. There is also a link to a list of all electronic journals available at FAU.)

Note the location box, which can be used to limit your search to sections of the library such as the Reference, Curriculum, Children’s Literature or Government Documents Collections, or to a particular campus library.

II. Searching for articles in databases

To search for articles click on "Indexes/Databases" or "Articles." There are both alphabetical and subject listings of databases. The Library provides access to the two major education databases: ERIC and Education Full Text. It is estimated that there is about a 60% overlap between the two, so to be thorough, try using them both. In addition, the Proquest Digital Dissertations and Kraus Curriculum Development Library (KCDL) databases may be accessed through the Library's home page.

Note: when using these databases from off-campus you must log in through the EZ-Proxy link. You will need to enter the number from your Owl Card in order to do this. The SFX system allows you to link to external sources such as other databases holding the full text of the article, the Library's catalog, the list of FAU's electronic journals, ILLIAD requesting, etc.

1. Education Full Text:

Education Full Text is the online version of the paper Education Index. This database covers periodical (magazine and journal) articles only. Artivcles that have the "View HTML Full Text" link may be read online. If it says "Florida Atlantic University" next to an article that indicates that the Library owns at least some years of that journal. There is a link to search the FAU Library catalog to see if we have the exact year needed.

2. ERIC (Education Resources Information Center):

ERIC is a combination of two databases: Cumulative Index to Journals in Education (CIJE) and Resources in Education (RIE). RIE covers non-journal education documents, such as reports, conference papers, curriculum guides, etc. Several versions of ERIC are listed on the database list. The FirstSearch version is the easiest to use. By using the Advanced Search screen, you can limit your search by document type (e.g. guides-teaching), source, format, or date. Many of the more recent ERIC documents and articles can be accessed online by clicking on the "Electronic Resource" link. Older ERIC documents are available on microfiche in the Library, and are arranged by the six digit ED number. Note: new materials are not being added to ERIC between January and November 2004!

3. Kraus Curriculum Development Library (KCDL Online):

This searchable database of curricula, frameworks, and standards brings together educational objectives, content, instructional strategies, and evaluative techniques for all subjects covered in PreK-12 and Adult Basic Education. Searches may be limited by subject, grade level, educational content, etc. Documents with a "page" icon are available online. The other documents are available on microfiche in the Library (LB 1570 K72). The Library has the microfiche for 1983-1994 and 1997-2000.

4. ProQuest Digital Dissertations:

Covers every doctoral dissertation completed in the U.S. at accredited institutions for the last 150 years. It includes some master's theses and foreign language dissertations. The full-text of most recent (1997 to present) dissertations is available to download.

5. InfoTrac OneFile:

A very large interdisciplinary database that allows you to limit searches to refereed journals and/or fulltext.

IV. Citing your References

APA style is the way to format research papers based on the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2001). This book is available in the Ready Reference area and on 3 hour reserve (BF 76.7 P83 2001). Many quick reference guides to APA & other styles are available on the Internet. An example from Purdue University is:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html

For further assistance, contact:

Ken Frankel, M.Ed., MLIS (frankel@fau.edu)
Library Reference Dept. (297-0079)