This digest provides information and advice for accessing information from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database, a federally funded information network designed to provide users with ready access to education literature. It describes the database, the best ways to access ERIC, the thesaurus of ERIC descriptors, and the use…

This paper demonstrates the importance of effective planning when using database application programs in exceptional education programs, to more efficiently track students' performance, keep vital information, and create desired reports. The described approach, called the ends-to-means model, calls for developing the database by designing the…

Intended for use by parents of children and youth with handicaps, the guide offers basic information on accessing the ERIC bibliographic database and publications. Answers are provided to the following questions: what is ERIC?; where are the resources?; why use the ERIC system?; what's in the ERIC system?; and how do you get started using ERIC…

This guide to searching for special education information in the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) database covers: selecting a search system, using the "Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors," using Boolean logic, planning the search, and using the ERIC Clearinghouses as resources. (DB)

Many individuals are concerned that the "knowledge explosion" in special education is making it difficult to keep up with research in the field. However, at the same time that knowledge has been expanding, efficient ways of locating knowledge have developed and additional sources of integrative reviews of research have appeared. The paper…

The workshop is intended for individual or group use to understand the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) and the Exceptional Child Education Resources (ECER) databases as a way of finding information on special education topics. Information products available from ERIC and The Council for Exceptional Children (which maintains the…

Discusses how educators can access the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database online to review summaries of more than 900,000 documents and journal articles, research reports, curriculum and teaching guides, conference papers, and books. Key search terms are provided, along with different access points. (CR)

This worksheet is a supplement to "ERIC Basics: How To Use ERIC To Search Your Special Education Topic." It provides an example of how a special education question can be converted to a strategy for searching the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) database. The worksheet suggests that the ERIC user write the topic in his or…

This booklet is designed to explain how the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) and ECER (Exceptional Child Education Resources) databases can be used to find information about the education of children and youth who have disabilities or who are gifted. Chapters cover the following topics: what ERIC is, where ERIC can be found, how to…

This digest offers tips for both new and experienced users of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database. It describes ERIC as a federally funded, nationwide information network providing access to papers, curriculum and teaching guides, conference proceedings, literature reviews, curricular materials, and journal articles in the…

This guide describes ERIC (the Educational Resources Information Center) as a system of 16 clearinghouses and 5 support units providing many types of information services related to education, and also describes ERIC as a bibliographic database where descriptions of education-related documents and articles are maintained. It explains how to get…

This paper describes the National State Policy Database (NSPD), a full-text searchable database of state and federal education regulations for special education. It summarizes the history of the NSPD and reports on a survey of state directors or their designees as to their use of the database and their suggestions for its future expansion. The…

This guide offers suggestions on conducting literature reviews on topics relating to children and youth with disabilities. The guide recommends that the researcher begin by accessing a computerized database at a university, public, or private library. It specifically describes the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) database and the…

Information systems in public places such as community centers and libraries require some means to provide access to individuals with physical, visual, and, if sound is involved, hearing impairments. This paper proposes a seamless adaptable human interface protocol that would allow users to incrementally modify the command and presentation aspects…

This Research Archive on Disability in the United States (RADIUS), a database on CD-ROM, contains 19 data sets on the prevalence, incidence, correlates, and consequences of disability in the United States. The 19 data sets are: (1) 1991 National Maternal and Infant Health Follow-Up Survey; (2) National Pediatric Trauma Registry, 1988-1994; (3)…