ERIC database alternatives and strategies for education researchers

Abstract

PurposeThis paper seeks to address scholarly concerns related to the performance of the “new” Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) database and provides education researchers and those who teach education research (at the Reference Desk, in a lab or “chatting” with a student at 2.00 am) a means of evaluating and selecting alternative databases based on their relative coverage of major education journals. Alternative research strategies are discussed in light of ERIC's loss of position and importance as a single, comprehensive education resource. Broader implications regarding the role of librarians as educators are presented.Design/methodology/approachThe journal indexing coverage of ERIC (old and new) and alternative databases were checked against two recent Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) Journal Citation Reports (most cited journals in 2004 and 2005) in three categories: Education and Educational Research, Special Education, and Educational Psychology. The results are presented to show the percentage of journals indexed by each database in each of these three categories.FindingsThe “new” ERIC database is not indexing and keeping up to date with the same number of major education journals as the “old” ERIC. Other databases are performing better and provide researchers with more comprehensive coverage of scholarly education sources.Originality/valueAimed at academic reference librarians and those who teach research methods to education students, this comparative study provides an objective scale to assess the current state of education research indexing and offers advice to meet the information needs of education students and scholars at all levels. It is intended to answer these practical questions: will education researchers need to use other databases to supplement or replace the “new” ERIC? And, if so, what are the better options for varying research needs?