Knowledge use and production is complex and so also are attempts to judge its quality. Research synthesis is a set of formal processes to determine what is known from research in relation to different research questions and this process requires judgements of the quality and relevance of the research evidence considered. Such judgement can be…

Fullerton, California--College students use technology constantly. They text-message friends, compile playlists for their iPods, and are whizzes at updating their MySpace profiles. But when it comes to one kind of work they are required to do in college--namely, academic research--they can be inept. Too often, college officials say, students rely…

An online demonstration, designed to enhance comprehension of Sternberg's (1966) short-term memory scanning task, involved rapidly searching under virtual cups for a ball. We randomly assigned students to 1 of 3 groups, all of whom read the same textbook description of Sternberg's work: A demonstration group used 3 search methods to look for balls…

The absence of a central database and use of specialized language hinder nonexperts in becoming familiar with the science teaching and learning literature and using it to inform their work. The challenge of locating articles related to a specific question or problem, coupled with the difficulty of comprehending findings based on a variety of…

This article reports on our experiences in providing interoperability between the ARIADNE knowledge pool system (KPS) (Duval, Forte, Cardinaels, Verhoeven, Van Durm, Hendrickx et al., 2001) and several other heterogeneous learning object repositories and referatories.

This brief review of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) system is intended to make users more aware of (1) the system as a whole, (2) the process of indexing educational literature for the database, and (3) the role of the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors in the overall information dissemination process. An overview of the ERIC…

This presentation at a seminar for library staff and students describes the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) system as an information system designed to provide users with ready access to primarily English-language literature dealing with education by establishing a database, publishing abstracting journals, and reproducing…

This paper describes the content, organization, specifications, and methods of use of the CAS77 and CAS7276 online files of worldwide chemical literature, databases produced by Chemical Abstracts Service and available from System Development Corporation (SDC). The scope of the databases, their unit record, their data elements, their modes of…

This introduction to the nonbibliographic databases offered by the Dow Jones News/Retrieval Service describes file content and search strategies in four groups: Dow Jones Business and Economic News; Dow Jones Quotes (market prices for stocks and other securities); Financial and Investment Services; General News and Information Services. Examples…

Last article in a series reviews online databases in fields of astronomy, earth sciences (geology, oceanography, other geosciences), and materials science (interdisciplinary subject encompassing ceramics, polymers, metals, glasses, etc.), noting coverage and search strategies. A table of 28 databases citing major subjects, producers, and starting…

Reviews databases providing information on published, standardized and unpublished, non-standardized test instruments: Educational Testing Service File, Mental Measurements Yearbook Database, Dissertation Abstracts Online, ERIC, and Psychological Abstracts. Search strategies, search examples, and a summary chart of searchable fields for test…

Surveys major databases offering access to historical and biographical information in the sciences and highlights special features of each--Histline, America: History and Life, Historical Abstracts, Agricola, Biosis Previews, CA Condensates, Compendex, Excerpta Medica, Inspec, and Medline. Two references are listed. (EJS)

Discusses educational applications and implications of the GeoRef geoscience database. GeoRef is 15 years old and will soon contain one million references. The online product of the database is explained in relation to accessibility, educational impact, and searching methodology. (Author/JN)

Describes two new bibliographic information services being marketed to microcomputer owners by DIALOG, Inc. and Bibliographic Retrieval Services to allow access to databases at low rates during evening hours. Subject focus, selection of a database, search strategies employed on each system are discussed, and the two services are compared. (EJS)

Describes the advantages and drawbacks to high-speed conference searching and outlines the procedure for a standard conference search. (FM)