Check out the new and improved Education Guide!
Start here:
ERIC (EBSCO)
ERIC is the primary database supporting research in all areas of education, including psychology, administration, and library science.
Other databases:
Academic Search Premier (all topics) from EBSCO
Full-text articles in biology, chemistry, education, engineering, humanities, physics, psychology, religion and theology, sociology, etc. Tip: Click the check box to limit to Academic (Peer Reviewed) Journals.
CINAHL Plus with Full Text (Nursing)
Search 3,000+ journals in nursing and allied health back to 1937; covers nursing, biomedicine, alternative/complementary medicine, consumer health, etc.
Dissertation Abstracts - PQDT Open
Selective index to open access masters theses and dissertations from U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and Europe. Note: This is an open access subset of Dissertation Abstracts International (DAI).
Google Scholar
While Google Scholar doesn't find everything, you will discover some resources not included in databases. Google Scholar ranks results by how often an article has been cited by other scholars.
PsycINFO
PsycINFO is the premier source for finding scholarly articles and other information relating to all aspects of psychology and related fields.
Teacher Reference Center
Provides indexing and abstracts for over 280 of the most popular teacher and administrator trade journals to assist professional educators.
Research Databases
The complete list of databases from the University Library.
ERIC (EBSCO)
ERIC is the primary database supporting research in all areas of education, including psychology, administration, and library science.
Other databases:
Academic Search Premier (all topics) from EBSCO
Full-text articles in biology, chemistry, education, engineering, humanities, physics, psychology, religion and theology, sociology, etc. Tip: Click the check box to limit to Academic (Peer Reviewed) Journals.
CINAHL Plus with Full Text (Nursing)
Search 3,000+ journals in nursing and allied health back to 1937; covers nursing, biomedicine, alternative/complementary medicine, consumer health, etc.
Dissertation Abstracts - PQDT Open
Selective index to open access masters theses and dissertations from U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and Europe. Note: This is an open access subset of Dissertation Abstracts International (DAI).
Google Scholar
While Google Scholar doesn't find everything, you will discover some resources not included in databases. Google Scholar ranks results by how often an article has been cited by other scholars.
PsycINFO
PsycINFO is the premier source for finding scholarly articles and other information relating to all aspects of psychology and related fields.
Teacher Reference Center
Provides indexing and abstracts for over 280 of the most popular teacher and administrator trade journals to assist professional educators.
Research Databases
The complete list of databases from the University Library.
- Search by concepts, taking out common words like effect, affect, good, bad, etc.
- Using AND focuses or limits your search (you get fewer results). Using OR broadens or expands your search (you get more results).
- Use * to search for different word endings (child* searches child, child's, children, children's but also childbirth) and plurals.
- Use quotation marks around phrases.
- Try the Advanced Search. Change the "field" you are search using the pull down menu (for example, search for keywords only in the "Title" of an article).
An empirical article is a research article that reports the results of a study that uses data derived from actual observation or experimentation.
Format of Article:
ERIC and PsycINFO databases have limiter tools to narrow results by methodology type (empirical). Few databases have this limiter tool. However, you can use keywords to locate empirical research articles by using the following terms: empirical, methods, methodology, research design, survey, data, results. You can also use keywords to specify the methodology: action research, focus groups, interviews, ethnography, etc.
Format of Article:
- Abstract – summary of the study
- Introduction – literature review
- Methods – methodology used
- Results – data results/analysis
- Discussion – significance of study
- References – works used/cited
ERIC and PsycINFO databases have limiter tools to narrow results by methodology type (empirical). Few databases have this limiter tool. However, you can use keywords to locate empirical research articles by using the following terms: empirical, methods, methodology, research design, survey, data, results. You can also use keywords to specify the methodology: action research, focus groups, interviews, ethnography, etc.
Search for Books in the Library
WorldCat
Search for materials beyond SCSU, from thousands of libraries and institutions around the world. Click on the FindIt! button and sign in to and request items through Interlibrary Loan.
Library Access for Distance Students
Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students
From North Carolina State University Libraries
Literature Reviews
From The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina
Write a Literature Review (Includes video tutorials)
From Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries
Write Place
The Write Place offers one-on-one tutoring at any stage in the writing process. Make an online appointment or visit Webster Hall 117 or University Library 135E.
From North Carolina State University Libraries
Literature Reviews
From The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina
Write a Literature Review (Includes video tutorials)
From Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries
Write Place
The Write Place offers one-on-one tutoring at any stage in the writing process. Make an online appointment or visit Webster Hall 117 or University Library 135E.
Robin Ewing
Professor, Research Librarian
MC 204F
(320) 308-2093
rlewing@stcloudstate.edu
Click to access email (answered usually within an hour during regular Reference Desk hours), chat (available 24 / 7), phone numbers for SCSU Reference Desk, and online form to set up a one-on-one research consultation with a librarian.
As you work on your culminating project, schedule a meeting with me for in-depth guidance on finding the best resources for your topic. I can meet in-person, by phone, and via Adobe Connect/Zoom/Google Hangout.
As you start your culminating project, use the Dissertation Calculator from the University of Minnesota Libraries to help you stay on track.
Your culminating project will be submitted to the Repository at St. Cloud State University (Institutional Repository) . The Repository provides open access to a diverse collection of academic, scholarly, scientific, and creative content produced by faculty, students, and staff at the University. As you progress through your program, watch for more information about preparing and uploading your proposal, draft for committee members, and final copy to the Repository. Your culminating project will also be cataloged and available through the SCSU library catalog.
Culminating projects in Special Education
Your culminating project will be submitted to the Repository at St. Cloud State University (Institutional Repository) . The Repository provides open access to a diverse collection of academic, scholarly, scientific, and creative content produced by faculty, students, and staff at the University. As you progress through your program, watch for more information about preparing and uploading your proposal, draft for committee members, and final copy to the Repository. Your culminating project will also be cataloged and available through the SCSU library catalog.
Culminating projects in Special Education
ChildStats.gov
The official website of the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics.
National Center for Education Statistics
This official agency site includes: Education Statistics at a Glance which is comprised of The Condition of Education, The Digest of Education Statistics, and Projections of Education Statistics. In addition, there is a searchable database of NCES tables and figures. This search tool lets the user locate all tables/figures published in the inventory of NCES' "Education Statistics Quarterly"; the NEDRC (National Education Data Resource Center) Postsecondary Table Library; and many NCES publications.
Nation's Report Card
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas.
U.S.Dept of Education: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
Research findings and statistics are disseminated to educators, policymakers, parents, and the general public in the form of reports and publications.
IRIS Evidence-Based Summaries
Summaries on the effectiveness of instructional strategies and interventions with links to research reports.
National Center for Special Education Research
Education research on children with disabilities.
What Works Clearinghouse
The official website of the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics.
National Center for Education Statistics
This official agency site includes: Education Statistics at a Glance which is comprised of The Condition of Education, The Digest of Education Statistics, and Projections of Education Statistics. In addition, there is a searchable database of NCES tables and figures. This search tool lets the user locate all tables/figures published in the inventory of NCES' "Education Statistics Quarterly"; the NEDRC (National Education Data Resource Center) Postsecondary Table Library; and many NCES publications.
Nation's Report Card
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas.
U.S.Dept of Education: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
Research findings and statistics are disseminated to educators, policymakers, parents, and the general public in the form of reports and publications.
IRIS Evidence-Based Summaries
Summaries on the effectiveness of instructional strategies and interventions with links to research reports.
National Center for Special Education Research
Education research on children with disabilities.
What Works Clearinghouse
Reviews research on education programs, products, practices, and policies, determines which studies meet standards, and summarizes the findings.
ELM: Electronic Library for Minnesota
ELM (eLibraryMN) gives Minnesota residents online access to magazine, journal, newspaper and encyclopedia articles; media including images, videos, audio files; and other information resources via a selection of databases.
On the eLibraryMN homepage, click All Databases. Academic Search Premier, Business Source Premier, and several other databases are available for you to search.
If you find an article that isn't available in full text, you may be able to order it through interlibrary loan at your public library.
