This operating manual was constructed for the first version of the experimental database system SOUCIT, a qualified citation index for educational technology designed by the Computer Services Unit of Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology (RGIT) in association with the Scottish Education Department. The database comprises 45 references generated…

This document defines and describes electronic databases and provides guidance for organizing a useful database and for selecting hardware and software. Alternatives such as using larger machines are discussed, as are the computer skills necessary to use an electronic database and the use of the computer in the classroom. Files, records, and…

Revised to reflect changes in both DIALOG and ERIC, this second edition of a self-improvement manual for online searchers who wish to refine their skills presents three basic approaches to searching and provides illustrations from DIALOG's ERIC ONTAP database. The manual is divided into two parts: an 8-step model of the total search process which…

This manual, intended for the librarian or information specialist beginning with online systems, introduces the National Agricultural Library's (NAL) Cataloging and Indexing System (CAIN) and presents the search techniques required for retrieving information on agriculture and its many related fields. The manual, which concentrates on the online…

Discusses SOUCIT, a suite of programs designed by the Computer Unit of Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology in association with the Scottish Education Department Qualified Indexing Project to create a database of references to educational technological literature and link them in a meaningful way through qualified citation. The structure of the…

This manual has been prepared as a means of introducing students to online computer searching using DIATOM, a simulation of the ERIC file as it is searchable on the DIALOG Retrieval Service. The objectives and contents of the DIATOM system are described in the preface to the manual. The overall process of bibliographic searching and the procedures…

Using the ERIC/ONTAP file, student searchers may improve their online skills by employing an 8-step search strategy technique. ERIC/ONTAP, now available through LRS/DIALOG, uses a subset of the ERIC file with built-in answer sets and a special evaluation command. The training procedure guides the student from the initial search interview to the…

Developed to orient the information seeker to the computerized literature search process, this guide provides background information that will help the user facilitate the search interview and the formation of a search topic, enabling him or her to focus on personal search needs and not on the fundamentals of online searching. Major purposes for…

This manual, designed to be used with a video tape, provides information for conducting a workshop to familiarize educators with the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC). Objectives of the workshop include: (1) to develop an understanding of the contents and structure of the ERIC database; (2) to develop an understanding of ERIC as a…

This guide provides basic instruction on how to search the ERIC database on the SilverPlatter CD-ROM, which is the computerized equivalent to Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE) and Resources in Education (RIE). The entire database is available on three discs, from 1966 to the present. Included in this guide is a description of the ERIC…

This manual introduces the novice searcher to ERIC on Disc and discusses how to prepare for a search by creating a search statement; how to locate ERIC terms using the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors; and how to modify and limit the search using boolean logic. A computer keyboard illustration accompanies descriptions of the functions of the…

The purpose of this learning packet is to help teacher educators introduce their students to the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) system. The packet was prepared with students' papers and projects in mind and is divided into three sections: (1) "ERIC Handbook for Professors of Education: Instructional Materials for Use with…

This document is a guide to the use of Quick Search, a library service that provides access to more than 100 databases which contain references to journal articles and other research materials through two commercial systems--BRS After/Dark and DIALOG's Knowledge Index. The guide is divided into five sections: (1) Using Quick Search; (2) The…

This instructional package describes techniques that reference librarians at George Mason University (Virginia) have found to be successful and offers specific suggestions for the application of those techniques to teach research skills to students in English 302. The first of three major sections discusses the assessment of student library…

This student manual is designed to supplement a course for the enhancement of library research capabilities using the speech and hearing sciences as a subject base. It is divided into sections, each of which displays commands and features from a number of printed and computerized reference works. Section titles include: (1) "Syllabus";…