Library Workshop
Wednesday, 14 May 2003
Instructor: Moira Smith
molsmith@indiana.edu
Indexes to Begin Your Literature Search
- ERIC
- http://www.libraries.iub.edu/scripts/countResources.php?resourceId=91
(Ebsco version)
- or
- http://www.libraries.iub.edu/scripts/countResources.php?resourceId=59562
(CSA version)
- Eric indexes and abstracts materials in education and related fields.
It includes document citations (from Resources in Education--RIE),
journal article citations from over 775 professional journals (from
the Current Index to Journals in Education--CIJE), and ERIC digest
full-text records. The database also includes full-text from nearly
500 journals and full-text of most of the ERIC documents from 1996 to
the present.
- Education Full Text
- http://hwwilsonweb.com/cgi-bin/auto_login.cgi
- This is the web version of EDUCATION INDEX enhanced with abstracts
and full text. It provides abstracting and indexing to 427 core
international periodicals, yearbooks, and monographs covering preschool,
elementary, secondary, higher, and adult education. Full text is provided
for articles from 133 titles since January 1996. Abstracts are included
since August 1994. It includes about 90 periodical titles not covered by
ERIC.
- Help file for this database (slightly out of date):
- http://www.indiana.edu/~libugls/Publications/ed_abstracts.html
- Discipline-Specific Indexes
- Go to the Find Information web page:
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/index.php?pageId=16#
- Click "Articles and Indexes"
- Click on the appropriate broad subject category for a list of online
indexes in that area; OR
- Type a discipline name in the search box
Steps to a Successful Search
- Translate topic into keywords
- Choose indexes (no index has everything; try more than one)
- Perform key word search
- When you find a good record, examine the descriptors or subject
terms (you might have to change the display to see them)
- Perform subject search using terms from previous step
Keywords vs. Descriptors
Keywords:
- Search all or most parts of the database, including title, author,
abstract, and subject/descriptor fields.
- In some full text databases, keyword search includes full text
- Use the same keywords in any index
- Results are large but include many false hits
- More keywords=results are fewer, but better
- Unique keywords=results are fewer, but better
Descriptors or Subject Terms:
- Search subject/descriptor field only
- Vary from one index to another
- Use the thesaurus to find the right terms
- Results are smaller but more relevant
Snowballing: Another Search Method
Starting from a known item (article or author) that relates well to your
topic:
- Look them up in indexes to uncover appropriate subject terms
- Use Citation Indexes to find later articles that cite this
item:
- Web of Science http://isiknowledge.com
Other Library Resources