Education Tutorial

What are the right resources to use for your topic?

Education uses the same types of information resources described in Module 1: books, magazine or journal articles, reference sources, newspaper articles, and Internet sites. In addition to these sources, the Wright State University Libraries offer access to several Education-specific databases and online full-text journal collections through the Libraries' web site.

BOOKS
If you are unfamiliar with your topic, books are a good place to begin gathering background information. They often provide overviews or broad coverage of issues, concepts, theories; case studies; biographies, etc. But, because it can take more than a year for books to be published, they typically do NOT contain the most current information available. Later in this tutorial you will learn how to use the library catalog to find relevant books for your research.

JOURNALS
It is very important to use journal articles to find the most current information in Education. You will find citations to scholarly journal articles by using the computerized databases or print indexes appropriate for your Education topic. A descriptive list of these databases and indexes follows.

REFERENCE SOURCES
Most Reference sources in Education provide you with basic factual information, summaries/overviews of issues, or statistical data. The format of these sources varies: print, microform, CD-ROM, or electronic. Or, if you select Education under the RESEARCH GUIDES link, you will find more subject-specific materials.

FULL-TEXT ONLINE BOOKS, JOURNALS, MEDIA COLLECTIONS
If you are unable to visit the library, you still have access to many full-text online resources through the library catalog. Under the SEARCH OUR CATALOG link on the Libraries' web site, you will find ebooks, e-journals, and digitized media. Online journals are in the EJC (click on DATABASES, then click on the letter "E," then click on "Electronic Journal Center."). Full text articles and media collections can be found in a number of databases--see the Education list.

INTERNET
You have access to selected Internet Education sites through the Education subject guide on the Libraries' web site. These sites have been evaluated for their currency, authority, informational content/scope, and relevance.