What is ERIC?
ERIC is an internet-based digital library of education research and information sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education, providing access to bibliographic records of journal and non-journal literature from 1966 to the present. ERIC's mission is to provide a comprehensive, easy-to-use, searchable database of education research and information for educators, researchers, and the general public.
On a weekly basis, over half a million users directly search the ERIC website, with many more users searching through vendor sites. ERIC users include education researchers, students, teachers, librarians, administrators, education policymakers, parents, and the general public.
This video will help you learn more about searching ERIC for education research.
ERIC partners with publishers and organizations across the world to provide searchable education research to users. ERIC takes that content and then creates PDFs and/or links available for purchase, whenever possible.
What’s in the collection?
The ERIC collection includes bibliographic records (citations, abstracts, and other pertinent data) for 1.6 million items indexed since 1966, including:
- journal articles
- books
- research syntheses
- conference papers
- technical reports
- policy papers, and
- other education-related materials
Currently, over 1,000 journals are comprehensively indexed in ERIC with a small number indexed selectively in regards to education-related topics. In addition, authors and publishers have given ERIC permission to display, free of charge, more than 350,000 full-text materials. Many of these materials are "grey literature" such as conference papers and reports, but there are a growing number of journal articles and books available as well. Most materials published from 2004 to current date include links to other sources, such as publishers' websites.