WISER : Education Kate Williams, Education Librarian February 2009

Today In today’s session we will: see how to find relevant education resources in Oxford identify the major education subject databases see how they work, and how best to search them see how to get to the full text look at ways to find free education web resources have time to practise

Where to look for information? Books:SOLO - Search Oxford Libraries online SOLO - Search Oxford Libraries online (searches OLIS), COPAC Known journal titles: SOLO, Oxford E-journals Articles / reports / conferences: OxLIP+OxLIP+ Subject databases and resources: listing for Education Useful websites: Education Library webpage links, Intute web gateway

Where to start… OxLIP+ Oxford Libraries Information Platform Gateway to subject databases and e- resources Browse by title / subject / type of resource Cross-search a range of databases Go into individual databases, for more in- depth searching

Which databases? 3 major education databases are on the same platform: British Education Index ERIC Australian Education Index

British Education Index (BEI) Covers research, policy and practice in education – UK 1975 to date 300+ education and training journals Book chapters, reports, series Links to full text conference papers Updated monthly All indexed - British Education Index Thesaurus

ERIC (Education Resources Information Centre) US Digital library Over 1 million references to thousands of educational topics to date Journal articles, books, theses, curricula, reports, conference papers, dissertations and standards and guidelines. Updated monthly All indexed – ERIC thesaurus online

Major inter-disciplinary databases: SCOPUS: Social Sciences and sciences Web of Science/Knowledge: all disciplines PsycInfo: psychology, including educational and developmental Sociological Abstracts: social and behavioural sciences on OxLIP+ to find out more…

How best to search …? Natural language searching Thesaurus searching Keyword searching Citation searching Boolean searching Pearl-growing Cross-searching

Cross-searching: Pros and Cons Quick Searches up to 5 databases at once Shows you where material is indexed BUT No thesaurus to help you search Less sophisticated limits Not all databases are cross-searchable

Thesaurus searching Searches using controlled vocabulary / index terms – set by subject experts Groups together synonyms / related terms under one heading Looks for articles about your topic, not just with your words in the article Avoids trial/error or guessing which search terms to use

Some search tips… 1. Identify the most important elements of your search for your key search terms. e.g. What are the most effective methods of assessment in higher education? 2.Select a suitable database(s) for the subject area, e.g. BEI, ERIC from the Education section on OxLIP+

Some search tips… 3.Enter your search terms individually, using the thesaurus searching option. 4.For free text searches, use $ or * to truncate terms, e.g. assess$ or assess* for assessment, assessing, assessor etc (N.B. – need to use synonyms/alternative terms)

Combining your search terms: Boolean search logic OR searches for results with ANY terms e.g. assessment OR evaluation OR testing (synonyms)‏ AND – searches for results with ALL terms e.g. assessment AND higher education

Some search tips… 5. Combine the resulting search numbers with AND e.g. 1 and 2 6. Follow the links to see if we have full text - electronic or print.

Where are print resources? Education Library, Norham Gardens  Printed books and journals for Education  Material to support teaching and research in the Department of Education, plus DipLATHE  Dissertations and theses in Education, plus portfolios for DipLATHE Bodleian Library  Most UK material, including Education  Can be ordered to read at Education Library British Library / Institute of Education - loans

Free web resources for Education Links from Education Library webpage: Intute: subject gateway UK Educational Evidence Portal

How can I get help? Phone or the Education Library: OR Use our online tutorial:  Searching the British Education Index and related databases 