Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL): ERIC - Education Resources Information Center

ERIC Subject Headings

Both ERIC platforms (EBSCO and ProQuest) provide access to Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors. Noting various subject headings assigned to articles can help you in your searching.

Selected relevant ERIC Descriptors:

Default and keyword search

The All fields option looks for search terms in all fields—including any available abstract or full text.

Two or more terms entered are combined with AND

Plurals

Searches regular plurals automatically.  You can change this in preferences.

Phrase

Use quotes:  "curriculum development"

Truncation / Wildcards

* use an asterisk at the beginning, end, or in the middle of a search term. Replaces up to 10 characters. Each truncated word can return up to 500 word variations: 

identit* gets identity or identities

?  used to replace a single character, either insider or at the right end of a world.

organi?ation, e?l

Proximity

near/n or N/n   searches two terms, in any order, within 0 to n number of words from each other.  Replace ‘n’ with a number. Used alone, near defaults to near/4.  When you shorten NEAR to N, you must provide a number.  

adult near/3 learner

pre/n or P/n  - searches for documents that contain a search term appearing a specified number of words before a second term.

novice pre/2 teacher

Field searching

Use either the pulldown menus to select fields or specify them in your search: 

ti,ab,su(online) searches for online in the title, abstract, and subject fields.

ALLCAPS 

Brings back results with the letters in the parents in capitals 

ALLCAPS(esl)