Table of Contents 

What Is ERIC? ............................................. 1 

How To Use ERIC......................................... 3 

ERIC Database ............................................. 7 

How To Get Copies of ERIC 

Database Materials ...................................... 8 

ERIC Systemwide Publications 

and Products ............................................... 10 

ERIC System Directory ................................ 13 

How To Start an ERIC 

Resource Collection ..................................... 20 

How To Contribute to the 

ERIC Database ............................................. 24 
1 

What Is ERIC? 

he Educational Resources Information Center 

(ERIC) is a national information system designed to provide ready access to an extensive body of education-related literature. Established 

in 1966, ERIC is supported by the U.S. Department 

of Education’s Office of Educational Research and Improvement and is administered by the National Library 

of Education. 

The ERIC system, through its 16 subject-specific 

clearinghouses, associated adjunct clearinghouses, 

and support components, provides a variety of services and products that help you stay up to date on a 

range of education-related issues. Products and services include research summaries, bibliographies, reference and referral services, computer searches, and 

document delivery. 

The heart of the ERIC system is the ERIC database, 

the world’s largest source of education information. 

The ERIC database contains more than 1 million 

abstracts of documents and journal articles on education research and practice. You can search the database online via the Internet or on CD-ROM. The 

database is updated monthly (quarterly on CD-ROM) 

to ensure that the information is timely and accurate. 

(See page 7 for more information about the ERIC 

database.) 

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2 

You can access the wealth of information offered by 

the ERIC components (listed on pages 13–19) and 

other education-related organizations through ACCESS 

ERIC, the reference and referral component of the 

ERIC system. You can call ACCESS ERIC toll free at 

1–800–LET–ERIC or visit the systemwide Web site 

at http://www.eric.ed.gov to locate education 

information. 

Who Uses ERIC? 

■ Teachers 

■ Administrators 

■ School board members 

■ Librarians 

■ Students 

■ Journalists 

■ Professors 

■ Researchers 

■ Parents 

■ Community members 

This booklet describes the resources that are available 

through ERIC and contains important contact information to help you access ERIC. 
3 

How To Use ERIC 

ou can take advantage of ERIC resources 

in several ways. You can access ERIC on 

the Web, call specific ERIC Clearinghouses 

or components, or visit a library. 

ERIC on the Web 

■ Visit ERIC Web sites 

■ Conduct searches 

■ Order documents online 

Through the Internet, ERIC provides a global audience 

with easy access to education resources, including the 

ERIC database, full-text ERIC Digests (short summaries of popular education topics), virtual libraries, 

lesson plans, parent publications, and reference directories. Internet users can access these and other 

resources through a system of ERIC-sponsored Web 

sites. The gateway to these Web sites is the ERIC 

systemwide Web site, which is sponsored by ACCESS 

ERIC and located at http://www.eric.ed.gov. You can 

go to this Web site to find links to all ERIC-sponsored 

Web sites, the ERIC database, ERIC systemwide 

publications, and much more. This site also features 

the ERIC slide show, a quick tour of ERIC products 

and services along with tips for searching the ERIC 

database. 

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ERIC offers various specialized Web-based services 

that can help you find the information you need. Some 

of these are listed on the following pages. 

AskERIC 

AskERIC is a free, personalized, Internet-based 

question-answering service for educators and others 

interested in education theory and practice. You can 

e-mail education questions to askeric@askeric.org. 

An AskERIC Information Specialist from one of the 

16 ERIC Clearinghouses will respond to your questions with citations from the ERIC database and with 

information about electronic resources such as Web 

sites and listserv discussion groups. Their typical 

response time is two business days. 

Education Resource Organizations 

Directory (EROD) 

EROD enables Internet users to search more than 

4,000 national, regional, and state organizations that 

provide information and assistance on a broad range 

Programs/EROD. 

of education-related topics. EROD has several searchable fields, including organization title, subject, description, and geographic location. EROD resides on the 

Department’s Web site at http://www.ed.gov/ 
5 

ERIC Calendar of Education-Related 

Conferences 

The ERIC Calendar includes international, national, 

regional, and state education-related conferences 

occurring on or after the first day of the current month. 

The Calendar is updated as new information becomes 

available. It can be searched by keyword, sponsor, 

and conference name, date, and location. To view 

the Calendar, visit the ERIC systemwide Web site at 

http://www.eric.ed.gov. 

National Parent Information Network 

(NPIN) 

The purpose of NPIN is to provide information to parents and those who work with parents and to foster 

the exchange of parenting materials. Visitors to the 

NPIN Web site at http://npin.org will find a variety of 

resources, including full-text pamphlets, brochures, 

ERIC Digests, guides, and other materials; reviews, 

summaries, and abstracts of books; and links to other 

online parent-related resources. 

Call ERIC 

■ Reference and referral services 

■ ERIC search strategy consultation 

ERIC Clearinghouse staff respond to requests for information, assist with ERIC searches, conduct workshops, and publish a variety of materials including 

reports, summaries, and ERIC Digests. The ERIC 
6 

Clearinghouses also collect and process materials 

for inclusion in the ERIC database. For information 

about a specific education topic, call the appropriate 

ERIC Clearinghouse (see the list of clearinghouses 

on pages 13–19) or call ACCESS ERIC at 

1–800–LET–ERIC. 

Visit a Library 

■ Conduct searches 

■ View and copy full-text ERIC documents 

The ERIC database is available at more than 1,000 

university, public, and professional libraries and education resource centers. Most of these locations also 

maintain an ERIC microfiche collection that can be used 

to view or copy full-text ERIC documents, and many 

now offer access to electronic copies of ERIC documents. To locate the nearest ERIC resource collection, 

call ACCESS ERIC or search the Directory of ERIC 

Resource Collections online at http://bcol02.ed.gov/

Programs/EROD/eric_search.cfm.
7 

ERIC Database 

The ERIC database is one of the most widely used 

bibliographic databases in the world. It currently 

includes more than 1 million abstracts of educationrelated documents and journal articles. The ERIC 

database can be searched at no cost via the Internet 

(http://www.eric.ed.gov) and on CD-ROM at many 

libraries and education resource centers. To find out 

where you can use the ERIC database in your community, call any ERIC component, call ACCESS ERIC at 

1–800–LET–ERIC, or search the Directory of ERIC 

Resource Collections at http://bcol02.ed.gov/Programs/

EROD/eric_search.cfm. To learn how to search the database on a particular topic, contact the ERIC 

Clearinghouse most closely associated with your subject area. To learn how to contribute to the ERIC database, see page 24. 
8 

How To Get Copies 

of ERIC Database 

Materials 

ERIC Documents (EDs) 

he full text of most materials in the ERIC 

database with an “ED” followed by six digits 

is available through the ERIC Document 

Reproduction Service (EDRS). About 100,000 ERIC 

documents from 1993 to the present are available in 

electronic form for downloading and printing. More 

than 400,000 of the documents announced in ERIC 

since 1966 are also available in microfiche or paper 

copy format. To obtain copies, you can 

■ Go to a library convenient to you and ask if it offers 

access to electronic and/or microfiche copies. To 

locate the nearest ERIC resource collection, call 

ACCESS ERIC or search the Directory of ERIC 

Resource Collections online at http://bcol02.ed.gov/

Programs/EROD/eric_search.cfm.

■ Contact the ERIC Document Reproduction Service 

(see page 19). The EDRS Web site allows users 

to search the ERIC database and order electronic 

copies of recent, available documents. Electronic 

images of ERIC documents are provided in Adobe 

Portable Document Format (PDF). EDRS also offers 

paper copy delivery, including fax and express mail 

services. 

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ERIC Journal Articles (EJs) 

Materials listed in the ERIC database with an “EJ” 

followed by six digits are journal articles. Most of 

them can be found in library periodical collections or 

obtained from article reprint services such as: 

Ingenta 

44 Brattle Street, Fourth Floor 

Cambridge, MA 02138 

Toll Free: (800) 296–2221 (help desk only) 

Phone: (617) 395–4000 

Fax: (617) 395–4099 

E-mail: ushelp@ingenta.com 

Web: http://www.ingenta.com 

Institute for Scientific Information 

3501 Market Street 

Philadelphia, PA 19104 

Toll Free: (800) 603–4367 

Phone: (734) 549–8565 

Fax: (856) 787–1679 

E-mail: service@isidoc.com 

Web: http://www.isidoc.com 

To obtain articles from journals that do not permit 

reprints and are not available from your library, write 

directly to the publisher of the journal. You can find 

addresses of journal publishers in the Source Journal 

Index Database on the ERIC Processing and Reference Facility Web site at http://www.ericfacility.net/ 

extra/pub/sjisearch.cfm. You can also call any ERIC 

component for this information. 
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ERIC Systemwide 

Publications and 

Products 

RIC produces numerous products to meet 

your information needs. Some of these are 

listed below. You can also contact the clearinghouse most closely associated with your interest 

area for its publication list. 

All About ERIC 

This handy reference booklet provides basic information about searching the ERIC database and more 

detailed descriptions of each component in the ERIC 

system. Free copies of this booklet are available from 

ACCESS ERIC at 1–800–LET–ERIC. All About ERIC is 

also available online at http://www.eric.ed.gov. 

ERIC Digests 

These popular, two-page research summaries provide 

overviews of current education issues. Digests often 

address the questions most frequently asked of the 

16 subject-specific ERIC Clearinghouses and always 

include a list of additional resources. The complete 

text of approximately 2,500 Digests is available online 

at http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/index/ and on 

CD-ROM versions of the ERIC database. To order 

paper copies, call ACCESS ERIC at 1–800–LET–ERIC. 

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ERICNews 

ERICNews is the ERIC system’s electronic newsletter. 

Published by ACCESS ERIC at the beginning of each 

month, ERICNews includes information about new 

ERIC document delivery services, new ERIC publications and products, ERIC Web site enhancements and 

updates, systemwide administrative announcements, 

and more. You can view ERICNews on the ERIC systemwide Web site at http://www.eric.ed.gov. 

The ERIC Slide Show 

This comprehensive online introduction to ERIC includes information about searching the ERIC database; obtaining ERIC documents, journal articles, and 

Digests; and accessing the popular AskERIC Q&A 

Service, ERIC listservs, and ERIC Clearinghouse Web 

sites. The slide show can be downloaded on the ERIC 

systemwide Web site (http://www.eric.ed.gov) in 

HTML and PowerPoint formats, making it a great 

resource for teaching others about ERIC. 

Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors 

This publication is helpful in developing a strategy to 

search the ERIC database and contains a complete list 

of descriptive terms used by ERIC to index and search 

the database, with a cross-reference structure and rotated and hierarchical displays. The Thesaurus is generally available at libraries and other sites that provide 

access to the ERIC database, or you can call Greenwood Publishing Group at 1–800–225–5800 to 
12

purchase a copy. An online version is available

through the ERIC Processing and Reference Facility at

http://www.ericfacility.net/extra/pub/thessearch.cfm.
13 

ERIC System 

Directory 

Federal Sponsor 

Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) 

National Library of Education 

Institute of Education Sciences 

U.S. Department of Education 

Toll Free: (800) 424–1616 

TTY/TDD: (800) 437–0833 

Web: http://www.ed.gov/NLE 

Clearinghouses 

Adult, Career, and Vocational Education 

Ohio State University 

Toll Free: (800) 848–4815, ext. 2–7069 

Phone: (614) 292–7069 

TTY/TDD: (614) 688–8734 

E-mail: ericacve@osu.edu 

Web: http://ericacve.org 

Assessment and Evaluation 

University of Maryland at College Park 

Toll Free: (800) GO4–ERIC (464–3742) 

Phone: (301) 405–7449 

E-mail: ericae@ericae.net 

Web: http://ericae.net 

Community Colleges 

University of California at Los Angeles 

Toll Free: (800) 832–8256 

Phone: (310) 825–3931 

E-mail: ericcc@ucla.edu 

Web: http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/ERIC/eric.html 
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Counseling and Student Services 

University of North Carolina at Greensboro 

Toll Free: (800) 414–9769 

Phone: (336) 334–4114 

E-mail: ericcass@uncg.edu 

Web: http://ericcass.uncg.edu 

Disabilities and Gifted Education 

Council for Exceptional Children 

Toll Free: (800) 328–0272 

Phone: (703) 264–9474 

TTY/TDD: (800) 328–0272 

E-mail: ericec@cec.sped.org 

Web: http://ericec.org 

Educational Management 

University of Oregon 

Toll Free: (800) 438–8841 

Phone: (541) 346–5043 

E-mail: eric@eric.uoregon.edu 

Web: http://eric.uoregon.edu 

Elementary and Early Childhood Education 

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign 

Toll Free: (800) 583–4135 

Phone: (217) 333–1386 

TTY/TDD: (800) 583–4135 

E-mail: ericeece@uiuc.edu 

Web: http://ericeece.org 

National Parent Information Network Web: 

http://npin.org 

Higher Education 

George Washington University 

Toll Free: (800) 773–ERIC (3742) 

Phone: (202) 296–2597 

E-mail: eric-he@eric-he.edu 

Web: http://www.eriche.org 
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Information & Technology 

Syracuse University 

Toll Free: (800) 464–9107 

Phone: (315) 443–3640 

E-mail: eric@ericit.org; askeric@askeric.org 

Web: http://www.ericit.org 

AskERIC Web: http://www.askeric.org 

Languages and Linguistics 

Center for Applied Linguistics 

Toll Free: (800) 276–9834 

Phone: (202) 362–0700 

E-mail: eric@cal.org 

Web: http://www.cal.org/ericcll 

Reading, English, and Communication 

Indiana University 

Toll Free: (800) 759–4723 

Phone: (812) 855–5847 

E-mail: ericcs@indiana.edu 

Web: http://eric.indiana.edu 

Rural Education and Small Schools 

AEL 

Toll Free: (800) 624–9120 

Phone: (304) 347–0400 

TTY/TDD: (304) 347–0448 

E-mail: ericrc@ael.org 

Web: http://www.ael.org/eric 

Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education 

Ohio State University 

Toll Free: (800) 276–0462 

Phone: (614) 292–6717 

E-mail: ericse@osu.edu 

Web: http://www.ericse.org 
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Social Studies/Social Science Education 

Indiana University 

Toll Free: (800) 266–3815 

Phone: (812) 855–3838 

E-mail: ericso@indiana.edu 

Web: http://ericso.indiana.edu 

Teaching and Teacher Education 

American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education 

Toll Free: (800) 822–9229 

Phone: (202) 293–2450 

E-mail: query@aacte.org 

Web: http://www.ericsp.org 

Urban Education 

Teachers College, Columbia University 

Toll Free: (800) 601–4868 

Phone: (212) 678–3433 

E-mail: eric-cue@columbia.edu 

Web: http://eric-web.tc.columbia.edu 

Adjunct Clearinghouses 

Child Care 

National Child Care Information Center 

Toll Free: (800) 616–2242 

TTY/TDD: (800) 516–2242 

E-mail: info@nccic.org 

Web: http://nccic.org 

Clinical Schools 

American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education 

Toll Free: (800) 822–9229 

Phone: (202) 293–2450 

Fax: (202) 457–8095 

Web: http://www.aacte.org/eric/ 

pro_dev_schools.htm 
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Early Intervention and Early Childhood 

Special Education 

National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center 

Phone: (919) 962–2001 

TTY/TDD: (919) 843–3269 

E-mail: eric_nectac@unc.edu 

Web: http://www.nectac.org/eric 

Educational Opportunity 

National TRIO Clearinghouse 

Council for Opportunity in Education 

Phone: (202) 638–2887 

E-mail: ch@pellinstitute.org 

Web: http://www.trioprograms.org/clearinghouse 

Entrepreneurship Education 

Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership 

Toll Free: (888) 4–CELCEE (423–5233) 

Phone: (310) 206–9549 

E-mail: celcee@ucla.edu 

Web: http://www.celcee.edu 

ESL Literacy Education 

National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education 

Center for Applied Linguistics 

Phone: (202) 362–0700, ext. 200 

E-mail: ncle@cal.org 

Web: http://www.cal.org/ncle 

Homeless Education 

National Center for Homeless Education 

Toll Free: (800) 308–2145 

Phone: (336) 315–7452 

Fax: (336) 315–7457 

E-mail: homeless@serve.org 

Web: http://www.serve.org/nche/adjunct.htm 
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International Civic Education 

Indiana University 

Toll Free: (800) 266–3815 

Phone: (812) 855–3838 

E-mail: patrick@indiana.edu 

Rural Mathematics Education 

Ohio University 

Phone: (740) 593–9869 

E-mail: howleyc@ohio.edu 

Web: http://kant.citl.ohiou.edu/ACCLAIM/rc/rc.htm 

U.S.-Japan Studies 

Indiana University 

Toll Free: (800) 266–3815 

Phone: (812) 855–3838 

E-mail: japan@indiana.edu 

Web: http://www.indiana.edu/~japan 

Affiliate Clearinghouse 

National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities 

National Institute of Building Sciences 

Toll Free: (888) 552–0624 

Phone: (202) 289–7800 

E-mail: ncef@nibs.org 

Web: http://www.edfacilities.org 

Support Components 

ACCESS ERIC 

Toll Free: (800) LET–ERIC (538–3742) 

Phone: (301) 519–5157 

E-mail: accesseric@accesseric.org 

Web: http://www.eric.ed.gov 
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ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS) 

DynEDRS, Inc. 

Toll Free: (800) 443–ERIC (3742) 

Phone: (703) 440–1400 

E-mail: service@edrs.com 

Web: http://www.edrs.com 

ERIC Processing and Reference Facility 

Computer Sciences Corporation 

Toll Free: (800) 799–ERIC (3742) 

Phone: (301) 552–4200 

E-mail: info@ericfac.piccard.csc.com 

Web: http://www.ericfacility.org 

Publisher 

Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. 

88 Post Road West 

P.O. Box 5007 

Westport, CT 06881–5007 

Toll Free: (800) 225–5800 

Fax: (203) 750–9790 

E-mail: sales@greenwood.com 

Web: http://www.greenwood.com 
20 

How To Start an 

ERIC Resource 

Collection 

ibraries and other resource centers can make 

ERIC available on even a modest budget. The 

ERIC database is available on CD-ROM and 

online. Full-text copies can be ordered in electronic, 

paper, and microfiche formats. 

Electronic Document Subscription 

Service 

In response to the growing need that research institutions and their patrons have for immediate access to 

ERIC materials, EDRS created E*Subscribe, an electronic document subscription service. The service features access to the ERIC database via three levels of 

searching, links to electronic document images for 

downloading in Adobe PDF format, and provides 

ordering capability for documents not available electronically. Links to full-text documents can be found 

through various search services including ERIC-sponsored sites on the Web, SilverPlatter WebSPIRS, Ovid 

Online, EBSCO Host, OCLC FirstSearch, Cambridge 

Scientific Abstracts IDS, and ProQuest Education Full 

Text. For more information, call EDRS or visit its Web 

site at http://www.edrs.com. 

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ERIC Microfiche 

More than 400,000 of the documents listed in the 

ERIC database are available on microfiche from EDRS. 

About 700 organizations subscribe to the complete 

ERIC microfiche collection, and others subscribe to 

partial or subject-specific collections. 

Libraries and other resource centers with substantial 

budgets will want to invest in the entire ERIC microfiche collection, but you can purchase specialized collections that suit your budget and your specific areas 

of interest. Subject-specific collections are available in 

each of the 16 areas covered by the ERIC Clearinghouses. For example, you can purchase a microfiche 

collection on elementary and early childhood education or on reading and communication skills. 

To learn more about ERIC microfiche collections, call 

EDRS at 1–800–443–ERIC or see the EDRS listing on 

page 19. 

Vendors 

Some libraries and resource centers offer access to 

the ERIC database via CD-ROM or online commercial 

services. Most commercial vendors offer sophisticated search capabilities and the ability to access the 

entire ERIC database (1966 to the present). 
22 

Online Vendors 

Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA) 

7200 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 601 

Bethesda, MD 20814 

Phone: (301) 961–6700 

Fax: (301) 961–6720 

E-mail: service@csa.com 

Web: http://www.csa.com 

The Dialog Corporation 

Toll Free: (800) 3–DIALOG (334–2564) 

Phone: (919) 462–8600 

Fax: (919) 468–9890 

E-mail: customer@dialog.com 

Web: http://www.dialog.com 

EBSCO Publishers 

Toll Free: (800) 653–2726 

Phone: (978) 356–6500 

Fax: (978) 356–6565 

E-mail: ultra@epnet.com 

Web: http://www.epnet.com 

National Information Services Corporation (NISC) 

Phone: (410) 243–0797 

Fax: (410) 243–0982 

E-mail: sales@nisc.com 

Web: http://www.nisc.com 

Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) 

Toll Free: (800) 848–5878 

Phone: (614) 764–6000 

Fax: (614) 764–6096 

E-mail: oclc@oclc.org 

Web: http://www.oclc.org/home 
Pro Quest Company 

300 North Zeeb Road 

Ann Arbor, MI 48103 

Toll Free: (800) 521–0600 

Phone: (734) 761–4700 

Fax: (734) 975–6450 

E-mail: info@il.proquest.com 

Web: http://www.proquest.com 

Ovid Technologies 

Toll Free: (800) 950–2035, ext. 249 

Phone: (646) 674–6300 

Fax: (212) 563–3784 

E-mail: sales@ovid.com 

Web: http://www.ovid.com 

Silver Platter Information, Inc. 

See Ovid Technologies 

CD-ROM Vendors 

The Dialog Corporation 

Toll Free: (800) 3–DIALOG (334–2564) 

Phone: (919) 462–8600 

Fax: (919) 468–9890 

E-mail: customer@dialog.com 

Web: http://www.dialog.com 

ERIC Processing and Reference Facility 

Toll Free: (800) 799–ERIC (3742) 

Phone: (301) 552–4200 

Fax: (301) 552–4700 

E-mail: info@ericfac.piccard.csc.com 

Web: http://ericfacility.org 

National Information Services Corporation (NISC) 

Phone: (410) 243–0797 

Fax: (410) 243–0982 

E-mail: sales@nisc.com 

Web: http://www.nisc.com 

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Ovid Technologies 

Toll Free: (800) 343–0064­

Phone: (781) 769–2599­

Fax: (781) 769–8763­

E-mail: us_customerrelations@ovid.comWeb: http://www.ovid.com 

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How To Contribute to 

the ERIC Database 

RIC collects a variety of materials on a range 

of education-related topics. Examples of 

materials in the database include 

■ Books 

■ Research reports 

■ Monographs 

■ Speeches and conference papers 

■ Studies 

■ Instructional materials (for students) 

■ Lesson plans 

■ Manuals and handbooks 

■ Bibliographies 

■ Tests 

To have your material considered for inclusion in the 

ERIC database, please send one legible copy along 

with a Reproduction Release Form (available from any 

ERIC component or online at http://ericfacility.org/ 

submitting.html#errp) to the Acquisitions Department 

of the ERIC Clearinghouse most closely related to the 

subject matter. You may submit documents to the ERIC 

Processing and Reference Facility (see page 19) if you 

are unsure which clearinghouse is appropriate. (For 

clearinghouse address information, visit http://www. 

eric.ed.gov or call the clearinghouses listed on pages 

13–19.) 

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