How to Use:
ERIC (Educational Resource Information Center)
1st - - - Launch search engine 

On campus: from the Decker Library Website (www.mica.edu/library) click on Find Journal Articles, then click on ERIC, which is listed below the Research Indexes provided.

NEW REMOTE ACCESS SYSTEM, effective May 2006: To access databases from off-campus, go to the Remote Access page. From that page, click on any database link, then enter your MICA user name and password (same as My MICA Portal log-in). The log-in will take you directly to the selected database for searching. For instructions on using the remote access system, see Remote Access Directions.

ERIC (the Educational Resource Information Center) is a national Information system supported by the U. S. Dept. of Education, the National Library of Education, and the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. It provides access to information from journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index. ERIC provides full-text of more than 2,200 digests along with references for additional information and citations and abstracts from over 1000 educational and education-related journals.

Beginning in January 2004 and until the new ERIC model for acquiring education literature is developed later in 2004, no new materials will be received and accepted for the database. However, the ERIC database will continue to grow, as thousands of documents selected by the ERIC clearinghouses throughout 2003 will be added. When the new model is ready later in 2004, the new ERIC contractor will communicate with publishers, education organizations, and other database contributors to add publications and materials released from January 2004 forward.

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2nd --- Type in Search


From the Basic Search screen, you can:
- Limit a search by year
- Choose by a journal name
- Choose the Intended Audience (for example: parents, teachers, administrators)
- Choose by an ERIC number
- Choose by availability of the document, either in paper or in microfiche.
- Choose by the country of publication or by language
- Choose by Full-text, abstract, or citation only for your subject.

From the Advanced Search screen, you can:
- Limit a search by year
- Choose the availability of the document, either in paper or in microfiche.
- Choose by the ERIC number
- Choose by choice of journal article or document
- Choose by Intended Audience (for example, parents, teachers, administrators, etc.)
- Choose by government level (for example, local, state, federal, foreign, etc.)
- Choose by educational level (for example, preschool, secondary education, higher education, etc.)
- Choose by country of publication and language


The following features are available with both levels of searching:
- Publications - you can browse through the entire list of indexed publications, either alphabetically or by relevancy.
- Thesaurus Authority File – provides flexibility in searching as an alternative to keyword searching mode.
- Browse an Index – by using the drop down menu, you can choose such indexes as Author, Entry Date, Intended Audience, ISBN or ISSN #’s, Language, among others.

The Choose Databases (Green Tab) allows you to select from more than one database. Select the appropriate databases for you search, check the box on the left margin of each database, and click Continue.

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3rd – View Search Results

The results are a list of items which include either a Citation, Abstract, and/or a Linked Full Text. The Add to Folder option produces a Folder list of all saved searches. These selections can then be Printed, E-mailed, Saved to a Disk, or Removed.

 Click on the ADD button at the right of each citation. All items in your list, when selected for viewing, will show the title highlighted in blue. Clicking on the title allows the user to view the full citation.
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4th --- Print, save, or email records

As you view citations, click on the ADD button to produce your Folder of items. The Folder icon on the right side of the page will then indicate My Folder has Items.

Saving or emailing the records not only gives you a good record of what you’ve found, but you can also cut and paste text into a bibliography without retyping it.

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5th --- Searching Tips


There are many helpful tips you can use to improve your search results. You can use Boolean operators, control the search order, limit the search to a specific title, and/or limit the search to a particular date range.

Use up to three words or phrases connected by one of the following:

AND – each record retrieved must include both words – makes search more specific.
OR – retrieves records containing either of the terms – makes the search more general
NOT – returns records containing first term while excluding those which also contain second term
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6th – Citing Articles in Footnotes/Bibliographies

See citation examples for the following formats, online, courtesy of Western Washington University http://www.library.wwu.edu/lmt/page.phtml?page_id=698:

MLA (Modern Language Association)
Chicago Manual of Style
APA (American Psychological Association)


Examples from MLA (Modern Language Association):

Footnote or Endnote
100 Paul Michaud, "Paris exhibit puts Matisse and Morocco in focus," Art Business News 26/12 (Dec 1999): 26.
KEY: Number of note in superscript. Author first name, last name, "Article Title," Journal Title (italicized or underlined) Volume #/Issue # (Date): page of quotation source.

Citation embedded parenthetically within text
Blah blah blah, blah as Michaud says, "Blah, blah, etc." (Michaud 26). Blah blah blah etc.
(If bibliography contains just one work by Michaud, otherwise use Michaud a, Michaud b, etc.)

Article Bibliography, Basic Form
Michaud, Paul. "Paris exhibit puts Matisse and Morocco in focus." Art Business News 26/12 (Dec 1999): 26-27.
KEY: Author last name, first name. "Article Title." Journal Title (italicized or underlined) Volume #/Issue # (date): page numbers overall.

Full Text Article from an Online Database
Michaud, Paul. "Paris exhibit puts Matisse and Morocco in focus." Art Business News 26/12 (Dec 1999): 26-27. Art
Full Text. The H.W. Wilson Co. 8 April 2002 <http://vweb.hwwilsonweb.dom>.

KEY: Author last name, first. "Article Title." Journal Title (italicized or underlined) Volume #/Issue # (date): page numbers overall. Database title (italicized or underlined). Database publisher. Date accessed. <URL where accessed>.
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updated 7/6/06 kc