How do I search ERIC?

Step 1:

Access ERIC.  This website is maintained by the US Department of Education.  Note: You may get an alert saying the site is not secure.  It should be safe to continue, but use your own judgment.  If you prefer, search it within EBSCO.  
 

Step 2:

Enter your search terms in the search box.  Select "Full text available on ERIC" to limit your results to only those where you can download the article or report.  You can also select "Peer reviewed only," but there are many reports written by government agencies in this database.  These would be scholarly and appropriate sources for research papers, but they aren't technically "peer reviewed."  Only select this if your professor has specifically required "peer reviewed journal articles."  (These are articles that have been reviewed by a panel of experts before being published).

Step 3:

Click Search, and review your results.  Pay special attention to the date of the article or report.  Some will date back to the 1960s.  When you want to read the entire article, click the "Download full text" button.

• As you are reviewing your results, you can limit them by using the facets on the left menu.  The ones especially useful are: Publication Date (education is a rapidly changing field, so limit your results to the last 5-10 years for certain topics), Publication Type (narrow to just journal articles or reports), Education Level (helpful if your focus is only on higher education, high school, or elementary education), and Location (zero in on the United States if that's your focus).