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Center for Community Engagement: Research Databases

This guide connects educators to resources on community engaged learning

CEL search words for ERIC (subject headings)

The terms below are human-applied labels that help cluster related items. To use them, go to ERIC, then click Thesaurus (top left corner), then type/paste any of the phrases below in the search box. Then click Add, and then click Search.

Recommended terms:

  • Service Learning
  • Student Volunteers
  • Field Instruction

Other related terms:

  • Citizen Participation
  • Citizenship Education
  • Citizenship Responsibility
  • Community Organizations
  • Community Programs
  • Community Services
  • Public Service

Subject heading searching

While you can search databases using keywords, you can get more precise search results if you use Thesaurus or Subject Heading terminology. Searching by keywords requires matching the exact words found in a record, while searching by subject headings (or descriptors as they are called in ERIC) allows you to locate records indexed by subject, regardless of the terminology the author may have used. Using the thesaurus or a subject heading search will allow you to conduct systemic searches and save time by reducing guesswork and trial-and-error methods.

CEL search words for sociology databases (subject headings)

The terms below (called "subject headings") are human-applied labels that help cluster related items. The two databases Social Services Abstracts and Sociological Abstracts use the same subject headings. Go to either of those two databases, then click Advanced Search, then type/paste any of the phrases below in the search box, and before you click search change the dropdown to the right of the searchbox to All subjects & indexing - SU.

Recommended terms:

  • Service Learning
  • Field Instruction

Other related terms:

  • Citizen Participation
  • Community Involvement
  • Community Organizations
  • Community Services
  • Volunteers

Sociological Abstract Subject Terms

The terms below are human-applied labels that help cluster related items. To use them, go to Sociological Abstracts, then click Advanced Search, then type/paste any of the phrases below in the search box, and before you click search change the dropdown to the right of the searchbox to All subjects & indexing - SU.

  • Active Learning
  • Citizen Participation
  • Community Involvement
  • Community Organizations
  • Community Services
  • Field Instruction
  • Service Learning
  • Volunteers

 

Google Scholar - Trace the thread

Google Scholar Search

Find who is citing whom: Identify the articles that cite an article you've already found. 

Search for one specific article, then look for "Cited by [number]"