The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) is a national information system designed to provide ready access to an extensive body of education-related literature. Established in 1966, ERIC is supported by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement and is administered by the National Library of Education (NLE).


At the heart of ERIC is the largest education database in the world-containing more than 1 million records of journal articles, research reports, curriculum and teaching guides, conference papers, and books.


The ERIC database contains two types of citations:

• ERIC documents (EDs) are unpublished documents and literature such as research reports, papers presented at conventions, lesson plans and curriculum guides; identification numbers (finding aids) for these documents are in the "AN:" field (first line) of the citation and begin with “ED” (e.g., ED406721). These items are kept on microfilm and are arranged in numerical order in the gray microform cabinets in Huie Library.
• ERIC journal articles (EJs) are from approximately 750 journals and other serial publications; the identification numbers for journal articles begin with an “EJ” (e.g., EJ612193) in the "AN:" field (first line) of the citation. To determine availability of a particular journal title in Huie Library, look for an "LHM" field in the citation for the article. If there is an "LHM:" field, make sure the specific volume and issue number for your article (found in the "SO:" field) falls within the date range held by this library. If it does, you need to determine if the article is available on microfilm (mf), microfiche (fc), bound, paper (p) issues, or is accessed electronically through one of our research databases (online periodical indexes).

• EBSCOHost (Academic Search Premier)indexes articles in the areas of business, social science, humanities, general academic, general science, education, and multicultural issues. Indexes approximately 4,000 journals and magazines. Approximately 1/4th to 1/3rd of them are available in full text online.


• ProQuest Direct indexes a variety of articles covering the arts, business, humanities, health, social sciences and the sciences. It indexes approximately 1,800 journals. 75% of them are available in full text online. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Barron's are among the periodicals it indexes.


• Academic Universe by Lexis-Nexis allows specialized access to the five distinct areas of news, business, legal, medical & reference - over 5,300 full text journals in all.


• FirstSearch provides access to over 60 databases in 14 topical areas in which you can search for books articles, films, computer software, and other materials. Please ask a librarian for assistance with the login and password.


• Please go to All Databases on Huie Library's homepage to see a complete listing of online and CD ROM periodical databases.

• Writing a Research Paper by Purdue's Online Witing Lab (OWL).
• Note Taking Techniques by University of Michigan-Dearborn Mardigian Library Information Services Librarians.
• Note Cards by Mrs. Leal at Mt. Carmel.

• Footnotes and Endnotes in Microsoft Word 2000 by the University of Reading.
• Doing Notes and Bibliographies Using Microsoft Word by Writing Center at Lewis & Clark College.
• Using MS Word to Write a Paper on the IBM PC from a site developed by Jen Chao and Jenny Wongtangswad at Stony Brook State University of New York.

Citation Manuals

Use the style assigned by your professor. Buy or check out a guide to that style at the library. It will provide a blueprint for researching, taking notes, and formatting your paper. The Huie Library homepage can also be very useful.From the homepage, select Style Guides. On the left, are the four most commonly used citation styles. The Reference List selection brings up examples of how to cite materials most frequently used by university students. Remember, articles from online databases such as EBSCOHost and ProQuest Direct, are cited differently than their paper/bound or microform formats.