The University of St. Thomas

Getting Started with Research

Getting Started in Education Research

This guide is designed to give you a selection of resources when you are just beginning your research in the field of education.  It covers general educational theory and practice, elementary and secondary education, curriculum and instruction, and tests and measurements.  If your topic is in the field of Special Education, please see the Special Education Research Guide.

Research Consultations

Professional research assistance is available at Keffer Library.  Walk-up service is available during library hours.  We encourage you to make an appointment for more lengthly consultations or tutorials.  You may set up a consultation by calling 651-962-4664, or for an individual librarian, call:

Donna Nix, 651-962-4662
Maura Smyth, 651-962-4661

To search for books or nonprint resources:

Books provide indepth information on a topic.  Reference sources can provide a definition, basic facts, or overview about your topic. You may also find citations for electronic books, videos or other nonprint media.

CLICnet
CLICnet is the catalog of Cooperating Libraries in Consortium (CLIC), a federation of the libraries of eight private colleges and universities in the Twin Cities, including the University of St. Thomas.  Books from other campuses can be requested online and sent to the UST library of your choice.

WorldCat
WorldCat contains over 62 million bibliographic records for items in libraries around the world. This may be useful when you can't find an item in a CLIC library.  Books not held by CLIC libraries can be borrowed  on interlibrary loan.

Reference Books:

Please visit Keffer Library in person to use the following resources. Check CLICnet for exact shelf locations.

  • Encyclopedia of American Education, 3 volumes
  • Encyclopedia of Educational Research, 4 volumes
  • Encyclopedia of Education, 8 volumes
  • Encyclopedia of Eduation and Human Development, 3 volumes
  • Greenwood Dictionary of Education
  • Education and Sociology; An Encyclopedia
  • Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education
  • ASCD Curriculum Handbook, 2 volumes

For information about education in other countries, try these:

  • World Education Encyclopedia, 3 volumes
  • The International Encyclopedia of Education, 12 volumes
  • International Handbook of Curriculum Research

To search for journal, magazine, or newspaper articles:

Use library databases to locate these materials.  For help planning your search, please see Selecting a Topic.

Use the "Find It" button to link to the fulltext of an article online. However, sometimes it will be necessary to use the library's print collection of journals or interlibrary loan to obtain the text of an article.

To find statistics:

Try these online or print resources. See also Statistical Resources for Education for more options.

To find information on tests and measurements:

Try these sources.  See also the guide for Tests and Measurements for more resources.

To find information about educational associations and other related organizations

Please see Education Organizations and Associations

Online Dictionaries

Chronology/Timeline

Websites for Research on General Education Topics

Websites for Research on Best Practices

Style manual and writing assistance

APA (American Psychological Association) is the style used by the School of Education at the University of St. Thomas. Printed copies of the Publication Manual are available in the reference collections of Keffer and O'Shaughnessey Frey libraries. See also:

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For additional information or assistance, please contact:

Donna Nix
denix@stthomas.edu
Office: MOH 124, Mail: MOH 206, Charles J. Keffer Library
651-962-4662
Maura Smyth
mtsmyth@stthomas.edu
Office: MOH 121, Mail: MOH 206, Charles J. Keffer Library
651-962-4661

This page was last updated on August 19, 2008.