Research Guide: Education
Things you should know before you start your research:
Reference librarian for Teacher Education:
Chris Hartman
142 Reed Library
(970) 247-7662
hartman_c@fortlewis.edu
Step 1: Focus your topic
Reference sources can be extremely useful for narrowing a broad topic. The following online reference sources are most useful during the initial phase of a research project:
Britannica Online
Hint: Some articles have tables of contents on the left and "expand your research" links on the right. Both these features can be very helpful for topic narrowing.
Hint: CQ Researcher covers a wide variety of topics of current interest. Try clicking on the "browse related topics" link for help with developing your thesis statement or research question.
Hint: Most CQ Researcher articles include a bibliography, which is linked at the top of the page. If you find an article useful, chances are you will find the author's sources useful as well. Ask a librarian if you need help locating a source.
General Reference information on all subjects.
Also, take a look at the library's print reference collection. Try an advanced search of the library catalog. Limit the location to reference, then enter keywords that are broad in nature (since you are still at the background information/topic narrowing stage). For example, try the keyword "psychology." You'll get 51 results, several of which are likely to be useful if you are researching a poet.
Selected print reference sources:
Encyclopedias
American Educators' Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia of Education
Encyclopedia of Educational Research
Encyclopedia of American Education
Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education
Encyclopedia of Early Childhood Education
Encyclopedia of Special Education
Philosophy of Education: An Encyclopedia
World Education Encyclopedia
Handbooks and Manuals
Handbook of Alternative Education
Home Schooling Laws: All Fifty States
International Handbook of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education
Specialized Dictionaries
A Critical Dictionary of Educational Concepts: An Appraisal of Selected Ideas and Issues in Educational Theory and Practice
Dictionary of Multicultural Education
Statistical Sources
Almanac of American Education
Condition of Education
Digest of Education Statistics
Education Statistics of the United States
Projections of Educational Statistics
Statistics on Navajo (Dine) Education
We the Americans: Our Education
Step 2: Borrow some books
Books contain both general and specific information, and can be useful during all phases of the research process. However, they take longer to read than reference sources and periodical articles, and since they often come from other libraries, they can take longer to arrive. That's why we suggest that you start looking for books as early as possible.
TALON, the Reed library online catalog
Hint: start with a keyword search. (And remember to use Boolean operators! Ask a librarian if you don't know what that means.) When you find a useful book, notice the subject headings assigned to it. Click on the subject headings to find similar books. This technique works in most online library catalogs, including Prospector and WorldCat (see below).
Prospector--one search, 23 libraries. Materials arrive in 3-4 days or less, can be kept for three weeks, and renewed once. HIGHLY recommended.
Note: Look at the list of libraries that own the item you want, and if you see Fort Lewis on the list, there's no need to order it from Prospector.
Hint: The Prospector interface works the same as TALON, with the obvious exception that you must click on "Request this Item" and follow the instructions to have it sent to Fort Lewis. Check in with the Circulation Desk a few days later to see if your item has arrived.
WorldCat and OpenWorldCat--one search, thousands of libraries. Materials arrive in 7-10 days or less, and can be kept for three weeks.
Hint: The content of these two databases is the same, but the interface is different. Choose WorldCat for the FirstSearch interface which is good for complex searches, and OpenWorldCat for a Google interface that is better suited to simple searches. Pay attention to subject headings ascribed to materials you are interested in. To request items, go to the library home page and click on the Inter Library Loan link at the top.
Step 3: Find some articles
ERIC
PsycInfo
Physical Education Index
Academic Search
J-STOR
Wilson Omnifile
Step 4: Create your bibliography
It is strongly recommended that you start creating your bibliography before you start writing your paper. As soon as you know you are going to use a source, create and format your citation using Reed Library's online guide. Doing so will save you lots of time and frustration at the end; just remember to delete from your bibliography any sources you ended up not using. If you have a tricky source for which there is not an example in the online guide, a reference librarian will be glad to assist you.
Author: Jacqui Dacko, Visiting Reference Instruction Librarian, Fort Lewis College.
Page created September 14, 2006.