Searching for journal articles in Education

When conducting any form of research it is important to keep in mind the currency of the material you are using. Journal articles are a good source of up-to-date information. They are valuable for information on specific topics and keeping track of new developments.

Searching for journal articles

There are many journals devoted specifically to education. To find out which education journals we hold in Exmouth, use the journals subject list held at the Enquiry Desk or alternatively, search on LIBERTAS under specific journal titles.

Using journal indexes and abstracts

Libraries do not produce guides to individual articles in journals. However, by using journal indexes and abstracting services, you will be able to pinpoint relevant articles for your research. The Exmouth Library holds a number of indexes and abstracts useful for educational research. However, do be warned that we do not stock all of the journals that are mentioned in the indexes. It is, therefore, worthwhile to keep a copy of the Library’s journals list beside you when searching through the indexes, so you are able to check which journals we stock and which we do not. If you come across a journal article that you feel is necessary for you to read for your research and we do not stock it in the Library, we can obtain a photocopy for you via the Inter-Library Loan service; ask at the Enquiry Desk for details.

The following is a list of journal indexing and abstracting publications we hold in the Exmouth Library (see Exmouth Library web pages for more detailed instructions on how to use the following indexes):

ASSIAnet (Applied Social Science Index and Abstracts) 1987 -

Accessible over the University network and via Internet at http://www.assianet.co.uk Updated monthly, indexes over 550 social science journals, including 83% of the most-cited social science journals from 16 countries.

British Education Index (also available on International Eric CD-ROM and in print in the journals room [1954-date]) 1986 -

Accessible via BIDS over the University network and via Internet at http://www.bids.ac.uk Updated quarterly. Indexes approx. 250 education journals published in the UK, with both subject and author lists. Indexing terms are listed in the British Education Thesaurus. NB See also International ERIC.

BHInet (British Humanities Index) 1984 - present

Accessible over the University network and via the Internet at http://www.bhinet.co.uk Updated monthly. Guide to articles in 320+ British journals and broadsheet newspapers. Very wide subject scope. Particularly useful for newspaper articles on Education as these do not appear in BEI.

ERIC 1966 -

CD-ROM in Quick Reference area and via BIDS on the University network and via Internet at http://www.bids.ac.uk Quarterly database assembled from 2 American sources: Resources in Education (RIE) and Current index to journals in Education (CIJE)

International Eric 1976 –

CD-ROM in Quick Reference area

Quarterly database, comprising the British Education Index (see before) and the Australian Education Index. NB the print version of the British Education Index is also held (Journals Room)

Web of Science 1981 –

Accessible over the University network and via the internet at http://wos.mimas.ac.uk Updated weekly. Indexes journals articles in a wide range of subjects; comprises Arts & Humanities Citation Index, Science Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index.

The previously listed indexes will enable you to locate articles on education and related topics. They do not normally include any more information other than the bibliographic details. Abstracting publications take this one stage further by providing abstracts or short summaries of articles. An abstract may well give you enough information for your immediate purpose or help you to decide whether or not you would like to order a photocopy of the article through inter-library loan.

Journal abstracting publications held within Exmouth Library:

Sociology of education abstracts 1965 - Abstracts & Indexes section, Jnls Rm

Quarterly, with an international coverage of ca.600 abstracts per volume. The main arrangement is by author but there is a subject index in two parts: Educational Study Areas and Sociological Study Areas. A cumulated author index has been published from vol. 3 onwards.

Special educational needs abstracts 1965- Abstracts & Indexes section, Jnls Rm

Quarterly, with a cumulative index at the end of each volume. Abstracts are drawn from international sources for professionals and parents. Prepared by staff of the National Centre for Down’s Syndrome.

School Organisation and management abstracts 1981 - Abstracts and Indexes section, Jnls Rm

Quarterly index, focusing particularly on difficult-to-access material. Cumulative indexes in the final issue of each volume. Provides abstracts from 170 educational journals, as well as conference papers, reports and theses.

Multicultural education abstracts 1982- Abstracts & Indexes section, Jnls Rm

Quarterly, scanning all major sources including conference reports and theses.

Children’s literature abstracts 1973- Abstracts & Indexes section, Jnls Rm

Quarterly, with annual index. International coverage, with abstracts arranged by subject.

Sports Documentation Monthly bulletin 1991- Abstracts & Indexes section, Jnls Rm

Lists recent periodical articles and conference papers on the scientific aspects of sport, physical education and recreation. Indexes cumulated annually.

Whitefield Centre Special Educational Needs Library & Information Service Bulletin

1990- Abstracts & Indexes section, Jnls Rm

Bi-monthly, with international coverage. All cited materials are available through the Whitefield Library.

Psychological abstracts 1960-, and

Psychlit (CD-ROM version of the above) 1974-

Summaries of the world’s literature in psychology and related disciplines. Covers approx. 25,000 abstracts per annum in broad topic arrangement. (Psychlit is available over the university network.)

Research into Higher Education Abstracts 1968 -

Published 3 times a year with broad topic arrangement and author and subject indexes. Short summaries of new projects are given in each issue. Coverage mainly British with selected overseas work. The endlist of periodicals abstracted could be useful to researchers. Exmouth Library holds 1966-1989.