Descriptors are similar to subject headings in a library's catalog, i.e. they are an efficient way to search different objects addressing the same topic. In a library these objects are usually books or films. In ERIC's case these objects include articles, books, dissertations, conference papers, reports, etc. In short, an article, a book, or a conference paper dealing with homosexual students will share the same descriptor, "homosexuality."
Generally speaking searching by descriptors is the most efficient way to use ERIC.
To see examples of descriptor searching, click here.
New research is constantly being published, making bibliographic databases like ERIC inherently dynamic. This dynamism extends to ERIC's descriptors. As research objectives change so do the words we use to describe these objectives. For example, the ERIC online database contains records dating back to 1963. But you won't find the descriptors "sexual orientation" or "homosexuality" in 1963 records. ERIC added the descriptor, "homosexuality," in January of 1974 and "sexual orientation" in August of 2000 This doesn't mean there weren't articles pertaining to those topics before those dates, but that they weren't indexed under those headings. That matters because it is natural for people to search for articles addressing homosexuals under "homosexuality."Locating older articles on items of contemporary interest may require the creative use of the Thesaurus of Eric Descriptors.