Search Example: Descriptor Search

Descriptors are controlled vocabulary terms, taken from the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors, that describe the main focus of the article. Using descriptors results in a more precise search. For example, to find information about material for practitioners on the use of audiovisual aids in individualized instruction. We could just search for occurrences of audiovisual aids or individualized instruction, but unless the terms occurred in the Descriptor (DE) field, we couldn't be sure that they were the main focus of the article.

1. First search for (audiovisual-aids and individualized-instruction) in dem. The parentheses group the terms so that SPIRS can interpret the search correctly. By searching in the Major Descriptors (DEM) field, we ensure that the topics are a main focus of the records.

2. Next search for and practitioners in ta. Beginning a search statement with an operator (and) automatically combines the results with your previous search statement. Limiting our search to the Target Audience (TA) field ensures that the retrieved records are written for practitioners.