EBSCO ERIC Guide

Getting Started

Basic

Advanced

Thesaurus

Visual

Viewing/ Printing

Folders

EBSCOhost Account

This guide is for using the EBSCO version of ERIC. It contains instructions that are specific to users with affiliations to UMaine. Residents of Maine who are not affiliated with the University of Maine can access ERIC through MARVEL! Maine's Virtual Library.

Getting Started

Locating ERIC on the Fogler Web Page
1. From the Fogler Library web page go to the link "Search in a Database" under the heading Articles on your topic.
2. Under the Databases A-Z list click on E.
3. Then click on the link for ERIC (EBSCO).

Connecting to ERIC from Guide
You can go directly to the site from this link to ERIC (EBSCO)

Accessing ERIC Remotely
1. You will need to enter your name and the number on the back of your Maine card in order to access ERIC.

2. Your Maine card needs to be activated. If you have not checked out a book, you will need to have your Maine card activated at the circulation desk.

Basic Search

Basic Search is the default setting for ERIC. This is the single search box that searches all of the default fields.

Entering Your Search Terms

1. Your search terms are the words that must match part of the ERIC record. If you enter more than one term the database will search for the terms next to each other.
2. Use AND to look search for more than one term. You can search for a subject and an author. Example: Dodge AND aggression

3. Use OR to search for synonyms. Matching records will contain either of your terms. Example: children OR adolescents
4. Use NOT to eliminate certain aspects of a term. Example: curriculum NOT reading
5. Put ( ) around terms to make a complex search. Example (children OR adolescents) AND discipline

6. Use * to truncate words so that you can capture both the singular and the plural. Example: child*

Changing Search Options
The default search option can be changed. Click on Find all my search terms to AND between all terms. Click on Find any of my search terms to OR between all terms.

Setting Limits in Basic Search
You can place a number of limits on your search. When you place a limit on your search you will not see any records that do not match your limits.

1. Because we now have full-text articles in other databases such as Education Full Text and Science Direct, it is NOT a good idea to limit your search to full text. Use Article Linker to access the full text articles from other sources.
2. The journal or document limit allows you to choose between the two types of resources kept in ERIC. ERIC documents (ED) include a variety of formats from ERIC digests to entire books. EDs may vary in scholarly quality. ERIC journal articles (EJ) may or may not be peer reviewed.

Narrow Results by Subject
1. You can narrow the results within your results by clicking on a subject term in the box on the left of the search results. Below are the subject terms returned, if you search by the keyword Dyslexia.

2. This process can be repeated by clicking on another subject term. Each time the results are further limited.

Sorting Results
1. The default listing is by date

2. Results can also be listed by author, source, or relevance.

Advanced Search

To access Advanced Search click on the Advanced Search links that is beneath the basic search box.

Entering Your Search Terms

If you leave the setting for "Default Fields" your search terms are matched in the same way as a basic search. Unless you are know a specific field you wish to search, you should use the default fields.
Advanced Search has pull down menus for AND, OR and NOT.

Setting Limits in Advanced Search
Advanced Search contains more limits than are available in Basic Search.

Search History on Advanced Search
1. ERIC automatically makes a temporary file running your searches. This file will not remain if you close out of the database.
2. Click on the link Search History/Alerts to see your search history.

3. You can click on the link to see the results or revise a previous search

ERIC Thesausus

Using the Thesaurus
The thesaurus is an index of subject terms that are used in ERIC. Subject terms are assigned to each record, and using them can increase your success in getting records that contain related concepts.
1. Click on the Thesaurus button that is in the top part of the screen.

2. Look for descriptors by entering your search term into the box and then clicking on the Browse button. The default setting is to see descriptors Term Begins With. You can also select Term Contains or Relevancy Ranked.

3. Click on the terms to find the scope note and broader, related, or narrower terms.

Visual Search

Visual Search allows you to search across broad subjects.

Enter Your Search Term
1. Click on the link for visual search beneath the basic or advanced search box.


2. Your results will come in a visual map organized by topics.

3 Click on the topics to see subtopics.

ERIC visual results expanded

4. The first three results for each topic, subtopic, etc are shown. To see the all of the results for a given column, place the mouse at the bottom of the column.

5. Click on the title to open a record for a citation.

6. Once you have clicked on a rectangle to bring up a document the record will appear on the right hand side of the screen.

ERIC visual abstract

7. To print, email, or save the abstract, click on the link Add to Folder. Click on the More link at the bottom of the abstract to see full text.

Viewing/Printing

Opening Full Text Documents
	This link pulls full text directly from the ERIC government web site for ED documents
	This link opens pdf journal articles. The articles have the same format as print journals.
	This link opens html journal articles. These articles have been recoded using html and do not have the same format as the print journal.
	This button implements a process that connects the database to the journals in URSUS. This will connect to full text articles if URSUS has access to an online journal either through a subscription or through another database. If no online source can be found, then print resources or interlibrary loan are available.

Printing or Emailing a PDF Document
1. If you article has is a pdf document you will see icons above article

2. Click on the icon of a printer to print the article.
Do NOT go to the file menu and click on print. If you do this, you will not print the article.
3. To email a copy of the article, click on the icon of an envelope. Select the option of sending a copy, since the link will not work once you have left ERIC.

Printing or Emailing an HTML Document
1. If you article is an html document you will icons above the article.

2. Click on the icon of the printer to print, the icon the the envelope to save and the icon of the disk to save.

Locating ERIC Journal Articles and ERIC Documents in Fogler
1. Fogler Library has a complete collection for all ED documents that are available on microfiche prior to 2003. They are filed by ED number. Ask for assistance in the Microform area.
2. The journals are shelved in alphabetic order unless otherwise noted in URSUS. Floor 1 contains A -- Chemical Society Journal Floor 1b contains Chemical Society Proceedings -- Journal of Reprints for Anti-Trust Law and Economics Floor 2 contains Journal of Reproduction and Fertility -- Physical Review Floor 2b contains Physical Review A -- Zygon
3. If Fogler does not have access to an item either online or in print you can request it through interlibrary loan.

Using Folders

Saving in a Temporary Folder
Note: Documents in a temporary folder will be lost if you close ERIC or time out due to inactivity. See the EBSCOhost account. section for instructions on how to save permanently to a folder.
1. Click on the icon of a folder located beneath the citation information.

2. Click on the link at the top of the screen to save all of the items in a search.

Viewing Items in Folder
1. Click on the link Folder View in the upper right area of your computer screen to see items in folder.

2. There are two ways to remove items from the folder. Either click on the icon of the folder below the citation in the results section, or click on the X in the Folder has items area.
3. Once you are in the folder area, you may email, save, print, or export your items.

EBSCOhost Account
1. In order to save a search, save items permanently in a folder or create a web alert on the EBSCOhost server, you must sign up for an EBSCO host account. There is a link at the top of the page called "Sign Into My EBSCOhost" which leads to an area where you can sign in or create a new account.

2. Click on the "I'm a new user" link to establish a free account.

3. Click on the link "Search History/Alerts" link to save your search.

4. Then choose the Save/Searches Alert link. To retrieve saved searches or alerts click on the appropriate link.

5. Select either a permanent or temporary Save or an Alert. An alert can be run daily, weekly, biweekly, or monthly

Contact Information for ERIC
Education Subject Specialist: Cynthia Crosser Phone: 581-3612 cynthia.crosser@umit.umaine.edu \| Revised: 08/12/2008