The document discusses various sources of information for educational research. It identifies direct sources such as journals, books, theses, and government publications. Indirect sources include encyclopedias, indexes, abstracts, bibliographies, and biographical references. Specific indexes and abstracts mentioned are the Education Index and Educational Abstracts. Guidelines are provided for conducting preliminary reading, compiling bibliographies, and collecting data to support educational research.

1. EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Unit No. 7
Source of Education Research

2. Developed by:
Dr. Safiullah
Course coordinator
Dr. Zaheer Ahmad

3. Sources of information, existing in any field of research, found in the
library may be of two types: direct and indirect. In the field of
education, the direct sources of information are available in the form
of educational literature of the following types:
Direct Sources of Information
1. Periodical literature found in Journals,
2. Books, monographs, yearbooks and bulletins,
3. Graduate, doctoral and other theses, and
4. Certain miscellaneous sources—like Government publications on
Education.
PROCEDURE IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH-B SURVEY AND
COLLECTION OF RELATED INFORMATION

4. INDIRECT SOURCES OF INFORMATION
The indirect sources of information—or guides to educational literature—
are available in the form of:
 1. Encyclopedia of education.

 2. Education Indexes.

 3. Education Abstracts.

 4. Bibliographies and Directories.

 5. Biographical References.

 6. Quotation Sources.

 7. Miscellaneous other sources

5. GUIDES TO EDUCATIOAL LTTERATURE
 Encyclopedias of Education
 Encyclopedias, as we know, imply a huge or multi-volume work
containing articles of both biographical and general character. So also
in education, encyclopedias are the work of a group of experts in the
various fields of education.
 Encyclopedias are highly recommended as a starting point for your
research on a particular topic. Encyclopedias will give you introductory
information to help you broaden or narrow your topic, while also
providing keywords and terms needed to conduct further research.

6. Education Index
This indicator is defined as the average number of years
of education received by people ages 25 and older, converted
from education attainment levels using official durations of each
level. Mean years of schooling is more frequent, has broader
coverage, and has better discriminatory power than literacy.
Index as a guide to literature serves the same purpose as the index
of a book or the card file of the library. It is the most valuable
single source or guide to periodic literature in education.

7. Education Index
 Bulletins, monographs and reports on education.
 Articles in about 175 educational periodicals.
 Articles on education in non-professional Publications.
 Book reviews and Book lists.
 Bibliographies published.
 Courses of study published.
 Resources and teaching units.
 Tools of research and evaluation.
 Reference books.
 Names of foundations and associations.
 Meeting dates of' professional education associations.

8. Educational Abstracts
Education Abstracts is an education research database providing high-
quality indexing and abstracts for hundreds of journals. Coverage spans
all levels of education and includes adult education,
multicultural education and teaching methods.
The reference guides literature known as abstract, digest, or review
provide not only a systematized list of reference sources, but also
include a summary of the contents of each article.
An abstract is a short statement about your paper designed to give the
reader a complete, yet concise, understanding of your paper's research
and findings.
The length of an abstract fluctuates with the requirement. However, the
typical length of an abstract is from 100 to 500 words but it is
suggested that abstract should not be more than one page. Rarely,
it can go more than one page but just fewer words.

9. Educational Abstracts
 (i) Philosophy and Theory,
 (ii) Curriculum,
 (iii) Teaching Techniques,
 (iv) Craft,
 (v) Teachers and their Training,
 (vi) Health and Hygiene,
 (vii) Social Service,
 (viii) Reports of State Departments,
 (ix) Reports of Conferences and Workshops,
 (x) History and Surveys,
 (xi) Abstracts of research projects and other publications, and
 (xii) Short Comments, Notes, etc.

10. Educational Literature
A literature review is a piece of academic writing demonstrating knowledge and
understanding of the academic literature on a specific topic placed in context.
A literature review also includes a critical evaluation of the material; this is why
it is called a literature review rather than a literature report.
The contribution of literature in education covers intrinsic values and extrinsic
values. The intrinsic values are the reward of a lifetime of wide reading
recognizable in the truly literate person while the intrinsic values facilitate the
development of language skills and knowledge
Not only is reading literature important in developing cognitive skills to be able to
succeed in a school or work setting, but it is valuable for other reasons as well. ...
Students can learn to evaluate and analyze literature, as well as summarize and
hypothesize about the topic.

11. Periodical Literature Found in Journals
A periodical is a publication that issues articles, etc. periodically throughout the year
(hence the name!). You may be most familiar with periodicals like magazines,
newspapers and journals. Journals are often issued monthly, but might be
published only a few times per year.
Periodicals are materials that are published on a regular basis. For example,
magazines, newsletters, and journals may be published daily, weekly, monthly or
on other regularly scheduled dates.
Periodicals are magazines, scholarly journals, newspapers, and newsletters. They
are publications that are published at regular intervals. Daily newspapers, weekly
magazines, and quarterly journals are all periodicals. ... These periodicals, written
for a scholarly audience, are called journals

12. Some Books on Methodology of Educational
Research
There are a number of books in the English language available on educational research
found useful by the research workers in education. Some of them are the following:
 Introducing Research Methodology: Thinking Your Way Through Your Research
Project by Uwe Flick
 Research Methods: A Practical Guide For Students And Researchers by Willie Tan
 Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods by John W. Creswell
and J. David Creswell
 Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners by Dr. Ranjit Kumar
 Understanding Research Methods: An Overview of the Essentials by Mildred L. Patten
& Michelle Newhart
 Etc etc …………..

13. Monographs, Yearbooks, Bulletins and Survey Reports
 A monograph is a special type of book written on a single specialized topic, devoted mainly for
research works; could pose some unsolved problems and may provide detained explanation of some
research papers.
 A book published yearly as a report or summary of statistics or facts : annual. 2 : a school
publication that is compiled usually by a graduating class and that serves as a record of the year's
activities.
 Abrief public notice issuing usually from an authoritative source specifically : a brief news item
intended for immediate publication or broadcast. A bulletin is a short official announcement made
publicly toinform people about an important matter.
 The purpose of writing a survey report is to study a research topic thoroughly, and to summarize the
existing studies in an organized manner. It is an important stepin any research project.
Surveys are used to gather or gain knowledge in fields such as social research and demography.
Survey research is often used to assess thoughts, opinions, and feelings. Surveys can be specific and
limited, or they can have more global, widespread goals.

14. Collection of Useful Data
Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring information on variables of
interest, in an established systematic fashion that enables one to answer stated
research questions, test hypotheses, and evaluate outcomes.
Data collection enables a person or organization to answer relevant questions, evaluate
outcomes and make predictions about future probabilities and trends. Accurate data
collection is essential to maintaining the integrity of research, making informed
business decisions and ensuring quality assurance.
The main sources of the data collections methods are “Data”. Data can be classified
into two types, namely primary data and secondary data.

15. Compiling a Bibliography
A bibliography lists all the sources you used when researching your
assignment. You may include texts that you have not referred to
directly in your work, but which have had an influence on your ideas.
The main purpose of a bibliography entry is to give credit to authors
whose work you've consulted in your research. It also makes it easy for
a reader to find out more about your topic by delving into the research
that you used to write your paper.
A bibliography is a list of works (such as books and articles) written on
a particular subject or by a particular author.
Adjective: bibliographic. Also known as a list of works cited,
a bibliography may appear at the end of a book, report, online
presentation, or research paper.

16. Preliminary Reading
Preliminary reading, called rapid investigation, is done with the object
of ascertaining whether the reference has any bearing on the topic
under study for this purpose one is guided by the table of contents,
index, chapter headings and illustrations.
It helps you to narrow your topic by finding out how much information
is out there and, therefore, what is do-able within the page-limits you
have been assigned. 2. It helps you get an idea of which specific
aspects of your topic you will want to do more
detailed reading about.

17. Critical Reading
Critical reading means that a reader applies certain processes, models, questions,
and theories that result in enhanced clarity and comprehension. There is more
involved, both in effort and understanding, in a critical reading than in a mere
"skimming" of the text.
 Top 5 critical reading techniques
 Survey – Know what you're looking for! Before you crack open your book, take a
few minutes to read the preface and introduction, and browse through the table of
contents and the index. ...
 Ask questions. ...
 Read actively. ...
 Respond to your own questions. ...
 Record key concepts.

18. Note-taking
Note taking (or note taking) is the practice of writing down pieces of information in a
systematic way. ... Taking notes in a lecture or a discussion. Taking notes in a lecture +
processing/rewriting these notes. Taking notes from reading / on the Web in some
systematic way.
Note taking keeps your body active and involved and helps you avoid feelings of
drowsiness or distraction. Engages your mind. Listening carefully and deciding what to
include in notes keeps your mind actively involved with what you hear. Emphasizes and
organizes information.
 Four types of note taking?
 The Cornell Method.
 The Outlining Method.
 The Mapping Method.
 The Charting Method.
 The Sentence Method.

19. Education Index
The Education Index is a major source of
educational periodicals. Educational periodicals (as other
periodicals) typically are published at regular intervals
(monthly or bimonthly, for example) and include such
things as reports of research efforts, reviews of related
research, and opinion articles on contemporary educational
issues.

20. Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)
The mission of ERIC 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.
To get to the ERIC database, start on the library home page
http://sherman.library.nova.edu/ Click on the Databases by Subject option. Type
Education on the search box, then click on the link to the Education databases
that will come up. On the next page, select ERIC - Pro Quest.
ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) is an authoritative database of
indexed and full-text education literature and resources. Sponsored by the
Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education, it is an
essential tool for education researchers of all kinds.

21. Books
Knowledge gained from reading or study rather than from practical
experience.
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or
images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus,
parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a
cover.
It is hard to imagine a graduate student who has never used the library
card catalog to find books related to a given problem. However,
without the data it would not be very "research" to say that there is no
such graduate student, thus the inclusion of this discussion.

22. Computer Searches
A computer or PC search engine is simply an information retrieval program on
your computer, designed to help find information. It will search through your
folders and files for specific keywords—the words you typed into the search bar
and then return a list of results that were found to contain the keywords.
A search engine is a software system that is designed to carry out web searches.
They search the World Wide Web in a systematic way for particular information
specified in a textual web search query.
Popular examples of search engines are Google, Yahoo!, and
MSN Search. Search engines utilize automated software applications (referred
to as robots, bots, or spiders) that travel along the Web, following links from page
to page, site to site.

23. Data Sources
Computer searches are made possible by the fact that
various databases, such as ERIC, Psychological Abstracts,
and Exceptional Child Education Resources, are available
on computer tapes. Information retrieval systems, such as
the Lockheed DIALOG system, provide institutions with
access to the tapes in their system. Some Institutions have
some tapes themselves. It is safe to say, however, that
virtually any institution that provides computer search
services accesses the ERIC system.

24. Thank You