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• For citations with abstracts to:
  • Education journal articles (indicated by EJ___ in the "Accession Number" field)
  • Other documents (indicated by ED___ in the "Accession Number" field)
• 1966-present

• ERIC via Cambridge Scientific Abstracts allows you to mark up to 500 records for later downloading or emailing. (This guide is on the Cambridge interface.)
• ERIC via OCLC allows you to download/email up to 100 records at a time.
• The "Educator's Reference Desk" access is not limited to the UCR community – you can search it from anywhere.
• All the databases connect to the full text of available documents.

• From any of the UCR Library pages:
  • Select "Databases by Subject"
  • Select "Education / Library & Information Science"
  • Select "ERIC (via Cambridge Scientific Abstracts) "

• See Connect from Home for more information (opens in a new window)

• Enter keywords
  • Multiple words are treated as a phrase, e.g., University of California
• Select the search field(s) from the drop down menu(s) (see below)
• Select Boolean connectors (AND, OR, NOT) to link your terms together
• Click "Search"
  
   
  
  
• Truncation & "Wildcard" symbols:
  • Any number of characters: * 
    EXAMPLE: computer* (computers or computerization)
  • One character: ? 
    EXAMPLE: wom?n (woman or women)
• Search multiple databases by selecting them using the "Change:" options
• Use the "Show..." menu to view results list records with:
  • "Short format" = title, author, source and abstract (if available);
  • "Full format" = all fields;
  • "Full -- omit refs" = all fields except bibliographic references;
  • "Custom format" = specify the fields you want to display

• The Thesaurus adds precision to searching by standardizing words or phrases used to represent concepts, e.g., the term "microcomputers" is used instead of "personal computers."
• Enter your word in the "Find" box 
  
   
  
  
• Select the display option:
  • "Thesaurus" displays the standardized word as well as relationship between your term and other index words.
  • "Rotated Index" displays an alphabetical list of terms containing your word. You can only search for a single word.
  • "Alphabetical" display produces an alphabetized list of terms.
• Click a hyperlinked term to display the full thesaurus entry
• To search a term:
  • Select it with the checkbox next to the desired term(s)
• Click the "Search" button on the left side of the screen

Find Fewer Articles

• Use more search words
• Limit entries to specific types of publications, such as articles or English only
• Set publication date to a smaller range of years

Find More Articles

• Use fewer search words
• Put "or" between words

• Journal Articles & Documents (after 1996):
  • Click the "UC-eLinks" icon (a second window opens)
  • Select to:
    • Retrieve the full text (if available);
    • Check Scotty to see if UCR owns the item;
    • Request it through interlibrary loan.
  • See Getting Started with UC-eLinks for more information (opens in a new window)
  
  
• Documents (-1996):
  • Copy the document number in the "Accession Number" field at the bottom of the full record (i.e., ED______)
  • Retrieve the microfiche copy in Rivera Periodicals and Microforms

First steps:

• Return to the screen listing matching records
• Click the box to the left of each citation you want to print, email, or download
• Click the "Update Marked List" link located above the matching records list

• Click the "Save/Print/Email" link above the matching records list
• Select the "Marked" records
• Select which fields to include
  
• Email
  • Enter your email address in the field
  • Click the "Email" icon
• Download
  • Select your computer's operating system
  • Click the "Save" icon
  • Use the browsers "Save" feature after the formatted pages loads
• Print
  • Click the "Print preview" icon
  • Use the browser's "Print" feature after the formatted pages loads
• Use "QuikBib" to generate a formatted bibliography from your marked records.

• To search using descriptors:
  • Display a useful entry
  • Scroll down to the descriptors field
  • Select appropriate entries
  • Select "Use AND to narrow"
  • Click "Go"
    
  
  
• Click the "Search History" link at the top to view/combine previous searches
  • Creating an "Alert" in the Search History section allows the system will notify you, via email, of new content from your specified search.

• Click the "Help & Support" link in the upper right corner for additional assistance
• Ask a reference librarian