CSA ERIC Guide

Getting Started

Mac users will have an easier time printing if they use the Safari browser. Safari can be downloaded at http://www.apple.com/safari/download/

Quick Search

Quick 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. When you do a Quick Search your search terms are automatically compared to all the fields of the record including the abstract.
2. Enter a subject term  or the name of an author or journal title. Example: dyslexia
3. 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
4. Use * to truncate words so that you can capture both the singular and the plural. Example: child*
5. Limit years with the pull down menu for Date Range

Search Results

Result Categories
1. The results are categorized into All Publications, Journals, Peer-Reviewed Journal, Conferences and Books.
2. There is also a link for authors that participate in Scholar Universe.

Full Text Options
Full text options are limited to Full-Text Linking and Article Linker for journal articles. Full-Text from ERIC cannot be accessed from CSA. Users looking for full-text for ED documents should use the EBSCO version.
	This link opens pdf journal articles.  The articles have the same format as print journals.
	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.

Print  or email  a PDF Document
Mac users utilizing Safari can go to the file menu and hit print. Safari can be downloaded at http://www.apple.com/safari/download/ All PC users and Mac users utilizing Internet Explorer will need the following instructions for printing:
1. To open and print a pdf article click on the link in This Documents box. You can choose either thumb nail or full-size images to appear in journal article.
2. Look for the icons above open article.
3. 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.
4. To email the article click on the link "Email" that is in the action box below the document box.
Do NOT click on the icon next to the printer icon.  This is an emailing icon, but it won't work.

Advanced Search

Access Advanced Search by clicking on the green tab at the top of the screen

Entering  Search Terms
1. If you leave the setting for "Anywhere" your search terms are matched in the same way as a quick search. Unless you are know a specific field you wish to search, you should use the default fields.
2. Advanced Search has pull down menus for AND, OR and NOT.
3. Search boxes can be added or removed by clicking the links for Add Row or Remove Row.  You do not need to remove rows to search with only  one or two rows.

Setting Limits in Advanced Search
1. You can limit your search to Journal Articles, to English Only, and ERIC Documents only.
2. You can set the display for format type using the drop down menu Show.  You can also increase the number on the Results per page.

Search Tools

The Search Tools tab leads the ERIC Thesaurus, Saved Searches, and Alerts.

ERIC 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. Select either Alphabetic Index, Hierarchy or Rotated index.
3. All of the formats link to information about narrower, broader, and related terms. The default setting is Alphabetic Index which puts the search term as the main link. This is the same format that is used by the EBSCO version of  the ERIC thesaurus. The Rotated Index matches the format that is used on the government web site for  the ERIC thesaurus.  This format begins with an alphabetic list of all terms that contain the search term.
Example:   Alphabetic Index and search term Literacy
Example: Rotated Index and search term Literacy

Saving Searches
1. You need to begin with the Search History to save your search.  This can be done by clicking on either the History tab under Search Tools or the link Save Search at the top of the screen.
2. Click on the "I'm a new user" link.
3. Click on the Save link.
4. This will bring up the screen to access your personal profile.
5. If you do not have a personal profile, click on the line to create one.

Saving as a Web Alert
1. Web Alerts are created by clicking on the Save as Alert link.
2. Web Alerts run for six months and can be removed or deleted.

Questions and Training

cynthia.crosser@umit.umaine.edu | Revised: 01/25/2008

Home | Resources | Services | Search | Help | Site Map | Campus

Copyright 2000-2008, Raymond H. Fogler Library