Respected work generally demonstrates awareness of related or contrasting work and is self-conscious enough to recognize where it fits in to other work. Specialized fields grow out of broader fields, publications follow. Researchers in a discipline can search this body of literature to find previous work on their area by using periodical indexes and databases. This page presents an overview of the process of searching databases with specific attention to the ERIC database. Published periodically, covering specified periods of time.
Different indexes cover different disciplines.
Provide citations and sometimes abstracts of articles drawn from many different journals, from many different publishers. In the field of education, the primary literature source is the ERIC database. ERIC is a national information network for education and its related disciplines. ERIC's purpose is to describe and disseminate information from research and other sources. To facilitate this mission, subject-oriented clearinghouses at 22 U.S. universities have been established where data are received, analyzed, described and disseminated.