Efficient Location of Information in Special Education.

Overview & Synopsis

Many individuals are concerned that the "knowledge explosion" in special education is making it difficult to keep up with research in the field. However, at the same time that knowledge has been expanding, efficient ways of locating knowledge have developed and additional sources of integrative reviews of research have appeared. The paper describes major sources of comprehensive reviews, indexes and other information sources on special education. General reviews of special education research, including "Advances in Special Education" (Keogh) and "Yearbook of Special Education" are introduced, as well as reviews of educational research and psychology which contain information of interest to special educators. Suggestions are offered for locating research on specific topics via indexes (such as "Exceptional Child Education Resources,""Current Index to Journals in Education," and indexes specific to disability areas such as "Low Vision Abstracts"), guides to dissertations and theses (e.g., "Dissertation Abstracts International"), guides to tests (e.g., "Tests in Print II"), and guides to government publications, computer searching, and basic guides (such as D. Berry's "Bibliographic Guide to Educational Research"). (CL)