ERIC is an internet-based digital library of education research and information sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education. ERIC provides access to bibliographic records of journal and non-journal literature from 1966 to the present. ERIC’s mission is to provide a comprehensive, easy-to-use, searchable Internet-based bibliographic and full-text database of education research and information for educators, researchers, and the general public.
The ERIC collection includes bibliographic records (citations, abstracts, and other pertinent data) for 1.6 million items indexed since 1966, including:
- journal articles
- books
- research syntheses
- conference papers
- technical reports
- policy papers
- other education-related materials
Currently, over 1,000 journals are indexed in ERIC. Almost all of these journals are indexed comprehensively—every article in each issue is included in ERIC. A small number are indexed selectively—only those articles that are education-related are selected for indexing. In addition, authors and publisherrs have given ERIC permission to display more than 350,000 full-text materials available—at no charge. Many of these materials are “grey literature” such as conference papers and reports, but there are a growing number of journal articles and books freely available in ERIC as well. Most materials published 2004 and forward include links to other sources, including publishers’ websites.