How do materials get indexed in ERIC?

Journal articles, reports, conference papers and other materials become indexed in ERIC through a formal review process of the journals and other content sources. Materials from approved sources under agreement are selected and indexed, and new records are added to the collection.

This infographic walks through the steps an article takes to get indexed in ERIC.

Who contributes content to ERIC?

There are three major types of ERIC content contributors: journal publishers, grey literature and book sources, and individuals submitting materials through ERIC's online submission system. See this infographic which provides metrics related to each content provider type.

What is the selection policy?

The current ERIC Selection Policy establishes the standards and criteria for selecting materials for the library. It is revised biannually, or as needed. To view the selection policy, see here: http://eric.ed.gov/?selection

How can I get my journal or non-journal materials indexed in ERIC?

Twice a year ERIC reviews new potential sources against the selection policy. Before nominating a source, please review the policy to see if your journal, non-journal reports, briefs, white papers, or other materials satisfy the policy requirements. If so, send an email to ERICRequests@ed.gov. Please include the journal title and ISSN (if applicable) or your association or organization name; and a link to sample content, if possible. For more information, see this video.

How do I submit my paper, report, or article to be indexed in ERIC?

The ERIC online submission system can be found at http://eric.ed.gov/submit.

I have questions about online submission. Where can I get more information?

Please see the online submission FAQs at http://eric.ed.gov/?submitfaq and tips for a successful submission in this video.

I am a grantee and I am confused about what the requirements are for me.

Please see the grantee requirements FAQs at http://eric.ed.gov/?granteefaq and watch this video.

How does ERIC Define Peer Review?

ERIC recognizes the following types of peer review:

• Blind, or Anonymous Peer Review — Content is reviewed by external reviewers and the author's identity is unknown to the reviewer. A double-blind peer-review process is where both the reviewer and the author remain anonymous throughout the process.
• Expert Peer Review — Content is reviewed by internal or external reviewers, and the author's identity may or may not be known to the reviewer.

A peer-review process employing at least two reviewers with scholarly affiliation is preferred.

Internal, editorial reviews and dissertation reviews are not recognized by ERIC as an accepted type of peer review.

I thought only journal articles were peer reviewed. Why is a report in ERIC marked as peer reviewed?

ERIC assigns the peer-review indicator to records of either journal or non-journal content if they are determined to have been peer reviewed. For more information about how this determination is made, please see the selection policy: http://eric.ed.gov/?selection.

Do all peer-reviewed journal articles and non-journal materials in ERIC have the peer-reviewed flag?

The peer-review indicator has been assigned to peer-reviewed journal records in ERIC for several years. The policy to add this indicator to non-journal materials was adopted in January 2016. It is being applied to currently indexed content and to previously indexed materials that are specifically identified as peer reviewed by the provider.

Can I search for peer-reviewed journal articles only?

Yes. Please check the "Peer reviewed only" filter when you conduct a search, then click the "Journal Articles" publication type in the left column of the results page.

I am going to submit a paper that has been peer reviewed using ERIC's online submission system. Can this be marked as peer reviewed on the ERIC record?

Yes. Any material received through the online submission system may be marked as peer reviewed if evidence of a recognized peer-review process is provided. The document submitted must have an explanation of the peer-review process in the front matter, or the author may submit a URL to the publisher or conference website that outlines the peer-review process.

ERIC recognizes the following types of peer review: blind or anonymous, and expert peer review as defined in the selection policy: http://eric.ed.gov/?selection.

I submitted a paper to ERIC's online submission system last year that was peer reviewed Can I apply for the peer-review indicator be added to the ERIC record?

No. The peer-review indicator is being added to new online submissions from individuals going forward.

Our association is under agreement with ERIC and our papers go through a peer-review process. How can the peer-review indicator be added to our ERIC records?

A representative from your organization may download and fill out this application. The peer-review designation may be assigned to ERIC records for all of your content, or for a specific series or type of publication. If your application is approved, you will receive a countersigned form. If not approved, you will receive an email response.

Our peer-review application was approved and the peer-review indicator is being added to new ERIC records. Can this indicator be added to the older ERIC records for similar material?

Yes. After a publisher's application is approved, a publisher representative may submit a list of ERIC numbers for their previously indexed work that qualifies for the peer-review indicator.

Where is the advanced search?

The search engine was designed to use smart search technology. If you type what you are looking for without quotes or advanced Boolean logic, the most relevant results will appear as the first results. If would like to use more complex search strategies, you can find more information about that here: http://eric.ed.gov/?advanced and learn about our search engine in this video.

How can I get additional information about IES publications?

For all publications sponsored by IES, ERIC includes a hyperlink in the IES Publication field that will re-direct you to the IES website. Here you can find additional information about the publication.

How can I find information on the IES grant that funded a publication?

For all IES grants, the ERIC record includes a hyperlink on the grant number that will re-direct you to the award information on the IES website. You will find background information on the grant, as well as additional publications funded by that grant.

Why are certain author names a clickable link?

ERIC began including links to author identification information, when available, to ERIC records in the summer of 2016. The links are embedded in the author name and they go to third party sites that provide information about the author, including additional publications. The supported sites include SciENcv, NIH eRA Commons, NSF FastLane, and ORCID.

The ERIC record I was viewing has a link to a What Works Clearinghouse Study Page. What does that mean?

The What Works Clearinghouse study pages break down all of the information in the study, such as the setting, who was studied, how the study was conducted, and the findings, and puts it into a user-friendly website.

What are identifiers?

Identifiers are proper nouns assigned to ERIC records to help you find information related to geographic locations, laws, or assessments and surveys. The identifiers are extracted from the title, abstract, or text of the document as appropriate. There is no requirement that an identifier be assigned for every document. ERIC made improvements to identifiers in the summer of 2016 to streamline, standardize, and make them easier to search. There are three identifier categories where previously there was only one.

How can identifiers help me in a search?

A search using identifiers is more specific than a keyword search – it will return only records tagged with the identifier. See ERIC's Advanced Search Tips at http://eric.ed.gov/?advanced for guidance on how to search using identifiers.

How can I search for state-specific, or city-specific, studies?

ERIC includes location identifiers in records that are relevant to specific geographic locations. Location identifiers include country names, states, and cities. Use the format location:term where term is the name of a country, state, or city.

Is it possible to find all records related to an assessment or law without searching on multiple variants of the names?

ERIC has standardized the names of laws and assessments so that a single search will find all related records. ERIC has streamlined and standardized these fields by: ERIC has standardized the names of laws and assessments so that a single search will find all related records. ERIC has streamlined and standardized these fields by:

• Updating truncations (assessment names are now spelled out in full);
• Removing parenthetical author names; and
• Creating a single term to cover all assessments and laws that share the same name.

How do I download full text for the article that I want?

If you see "Download Full Text" in the grey box to the right of a bibliographic citation after you search, then ERIC has permission for you to download the article for free. To only see these articles, check the "Full text available on ERIC" box when you search.

The article I want says "PDF pending restoration." What does that mean?

"PDF pending restoration" means that the document is temporarily unavailable because the existing copy in ERIC was of very poor quality. This document was originally scanned from microfiche. Much of the text was lost in the digitization process and the resulting copy is barely legible. We are working to see if we can make a more readable copy. In the meantime, the document can still be found on microfiche and obtained through interlibrary loan.

If full text is not available through ERIC, how can I see the article?

To find free access to the full text of these articles, please contact your local or university library. They may be able to help you access through interlibrary loan or through one of their databases.

I am looking to weed my microfiche collection. Which ERIC records should I keep?

The documents which are currently available on microfiche, but not online, can be found here. This list will be updated periodically to reflect any new documents made available online through the PDF restoration process.

How many terms are in the Thesaurus?

As of October 2015, the ERIC Thesaurus contains a total of 11,721 terms. There are 4,520 Descriptors and 7,068 Synonyms. There are also 133 Dead terms which are no longer used as Descriptors but remain in the Thesaurus to aid in searching older records.

How is the ERIC Thesaurus maintained?

The ERIC Thesaurus goes through periodic updates to ensure that it reflects the terminology used in ERIC content. Thesaurus updates capture new terms, such as new fields of study, and modify existing terms to reflect changes in terminology. For example, in 2015 ERIC changed a descriptor from "mental retardation" to "intellectual disability" to make the term consistent with the vocabulary found in current ERIC records. Learn more in this video.

What is a dead term?

A dead term is a thesaurus descriptor that used to be included in ERIC, but is no longer a current term. If you are looking for historical material, you may find it helpful to check the "Include Dead Terms" box.

Can ERIC help me write a research paper?

ERIC is widely used by students, researchers, faculty members, and others who are responding to course requirements or developing reports for their work. This video can help.

How do I stay in touch with ERIC?

For general updates, you can sign up for our emailed Newsflash. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

How can I get help using ERIC?

If you have a specific question, you can call the ERIC Help Desk at 1-800-LET-ERIC or email us at ERICRequests@ed.gov. The ERIC help desk would be happy to provide general search assistance, tips for using the ERIC website, and to answer any questions that you may have about ERIC. However, we are unable to provide assistance outside of the scope of ERIC and are unable to provide reference services.

What is the history of ERIC?

ERIC was founded on May 15, 1964. Learn more about the history of ERIC here. For basic information about ERIC, see this video.