Social Sciences & Humanities
Education research
Education research studies learning, teaching and the policies and systems around them, and in the United States much of its infrastructure sits in the Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES). IES sponsors ERIC, a free bibliographic and full-text database of education research. Its National Center for Education Research funds research and research training, and its What Works Clearinghouse reviews studies under the Procedures and Standards Handbook, version 5.0, and publishes practice guides and intervention reports. The National Center for Education Statistics runs NAEP, the Common Core of Data and IPEDS. NSF's Directorate for STEM Education funds fundamental research through EDU Core Research (ECR:Core), at up to $2.5 million over three to five years, alongside IUSE, ITEST and RITEL. The American Educational Research Association, founded in 1916, publishes AERJ, Educational Researcher, AERA Open and four other journals, and the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness focuses on research relevant to practice. Registered Reports are accepted by education journals including the Journal of Educational Psychology and Learning and Instruction. LDbase, an NIH-funded repository at Florida State University, holds education and developmental science data. Studies that use student records must meet FERPA: the studies exception in 34 CFR 99.31(a)(6) requires a written agreement, limits use to the study's purpose and requires the data to be destroyed when no longer needed.
New to the field? What is Education Research? →
Reviewed 5 November 2026 by CASRAI Editorial Board
- AERA journals (AERJ, Educational Researcher, AERA Open, EEPA, JEBS, RER, RRE)(read 5 November 2026)
- American Educational Research Association (AERA)(read 5 November 2026)
- Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE)(read 5 November 2026)
- IES National Center for Education Research (NCER)(read 5 November 2026)
- NSF Directorate for STEM Education (EDU)(read 5 November 2026)
- NSF EDU Core Research (ECR:Core)(read 5 November 2026)
- NSF EDU research programmes (IUSE: EDU, ITEST, RITEL)(read 5 November 2026)
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)(read 5 November 2026)
- LDbase(read 5 November 2026)
- WWC Procedures and Standards Handbook, version 5.0(read 5 November 2026)
- What Works Clearinghouse (WWC)(read 5 November 2026)
- FERPA (34 CFR Part 99)(read 5 November 2026)
- FERPA studies exception, 34 CFR 99.31(a)(6)(read 5 November 2026)
- Registered Reports (Center for Open Science)(read 5 November 2026)
- ERIC (Education Resources Information Center)(read 5 November 2026)
- ERIC selection policy(read 5 November 2026)
Field at a glance
Journals
- AERA journals (AERJ, Educational Researcher, AERA Open, EEPA, JEBS, RER, RRE)
- AERA's seven titles, from AERA Open's rapid open-access review to RER's integrative reviews and JEBS's statistical methods papers.Website ↗
Societies
- American Educational Research Association (AERA)
- National research society founded in 1916, with 12 divisions and over 150 special interest groups.Website ↗
- Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE)
- Society advancing research relevant to practice from early childhood through post-secondary education; runs JREE and a yearly conference.Website ↗
Funders and programmes
- IES National Center for Education Research (NCER)
- IES centre funding education research on practices, programmes, policies and systems, plus research training for education scientists.Website ↗ · Our guide →
- NSF Directorate for STEM Education (EDU)
- NSF directorate supporting STEM education innovation and talent development at all levels and in a variety of settings.Website ↗
- NSF EDU Core Research (ECR:Core)
- Fundamental STEM education research in three areas, at up to $500,000, $1.5 million or $2.5 million over three to five years.Website ↗
- NSF EDU research programmes (IUSE: EDU, ITEST, RITEL)
- EDU programme list, including undergraduate STEM education, technology experiences for preK-12 and research on technologies for learning.Website ↗
Archives, facilities and data
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Federal education statistics agency, operating since 1867, behind NAEP, the Common Core of Data, IPEDS and restricted-use datasets.Website ↗
- LDbase
- NIH-funded project-oriented data repository for education and developmental science, run by Florida State University units.Website ↗
Standards and formats
- WWC Procedures and Standards Handbook, version 5.0
- The rules the What Works Clearinghouse uses to review studies; version 5.0 dated August 2022, revised December 2022.Website ↗
- What Works Clearinghouse (WWC)
- IES evidence review service publishing practice guides, intervention reports, individual study reviews and study review data.Website ↗
- FERPA (34 CFR Part 99)
- Federal rules on the privacy of student education records; disclosing personally identifiable information needs written consent unless an exception applies.Website ↗ · Our guide →
- FERPA studies exception, 34 CFR 99.31(a)(6)
- Allows disclosure to organisations conducting studies for schools under a written agreement that limits use and requires destruction of the data.Website ↗
- Registered Reports (Center for Open Science)
- Format with peer review before data collection; adopters include the Journal of Educational Psychology and Learning and Instruction.Website ↗ · Our guide →
Preprints and indexes
- ERIC (Education Resources Information Center)
- Free IES-sponsored bibliographic and full-text database of education research that catalogs articles, papers and books.Website ↗ · Our guide →
- ERIC selection policy
- Lists the journals and non-journal sources approved for ERIC; under the May 2024 policy new sources are reviewed twice a year.Website ↗
55 pages across 9 topic areas
Grants Management & Research Funding
- AERA Minority Dissertation Fellowship in Education Research
Review eligibility rules, award terms, application requirements, and selection timelines for the AERA Minority Dissertation Fellowship in education re…
- ATEC (Australian Tertiary Education Commission): What It Is and How It Relates to the ARC
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- DAAD Scholarships: Research Grants, EPOS & How to Apply
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- DOST-SEI Scholarships: Tracks, Eligibility, Exam and Return Service Obligation
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- Education Endowment Foundation: Research Guide
A practical guide to the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) research funding pipeline, independent evaluation model, trial standards, and data archi…
- Education Research Funding: IES, NSF, and Foundation Grants
How IES, NSF’s Directorate for STEM Education, and private foundations like the Spencer Foundation fund academic education research, and how their gra…
- Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM): Scholarship, Eligibility, and How to Apply
Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM) funds a consortium-delivered joint master's degree, not a single-university scholarship. This guide covers what th…
- FERPA Exceptions: 34 CFR 99.31 for Researchers
A practical guide to FERPA exceptions under 34 CFR 99.31 for researchers and institutions, detailing the studies exception, written agreements, and IR…
- GETFund Scholarship: Eligibility, Application and Selection
What GETFund publishes about its scholarship programme: the eligibility bar, the academic and supporting document set, what local and foreign awards a…
- Ghana Scholarships Secretariat: Now the Ghana Scholarships Authority — Eligibility and How to Apply
The body most people still call the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat now operates as the Ghana Scholarships Authority under the Ghana Scholarships Autho…
- SAM.gov Registration and the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)
Step-by-step SAM.gov registration and UEI guide: entity-validation documents, the 12-month renewal cycle, roles/permissions, and fixes for common reje…
- TESOL International Association: Membership and Awards
TESOL International Association explained: what it offers, who can apply for its awards and scholarships, and the shared eligibility rules, as of Nov…
- The Spencer Foundation: Education Research Grant Guide
How the Spencer Foundation's research-grant programs work: Small and Large Research Grants, the NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship, eligibility, app…
- William T. Grant Scholars Program: Research Guide
A practical guide to the William T. Grant Scholars Program: $425,000 over five years for early-career researchers expanding expertise in youth researc…
Research Methods & Statistics
- Cronbach's Alpha: What It Measures, How to Interpret It, and When to Use Omega Instead
Cronbach's alpha measures internal consistency, not unidimensionality or reliability in general — the most common misreading of the statistic. This gu…
- Danielson Framework for Teaching: Rubric & Scoring
A comprehensive methodological guide to the Danielson Framework for Teaching: 4 domains, rubric scoring formulas, MET project reliability, and APA rep…
- Educational Research Methods: Designs, Standards, and Practice
A guide to educational research methods: empirical study designs, What Works Clearinghouse causal standards, IES SEER principles, and research practic…
- English Learners: Definition, Formulas & Research
A complete guide to English learners in quantitative research: federal definitions, subgroup stability, reclassification formulas, and APA reporting m…
- Mathematics Education: Research Field Overview
Mathematics education is the research field on how mathematics is taught and learned: ICMI and ICME, NSF DRK-12 funding, methods and how to find studi…
- Path Analysis: Direct, Indirect, and Total Effects
Path analysis is structural equation modeling with a structural model but no measurement model. This guide works a full path diagram end to end: stand…
- Power Analysis and Sample Size Calculation: A Complete Guide
How to run a power analysis to calculate sample size: the four interlocking quantities (effect size, alpha, power, N), a priori vs. post-hoc power, ch…
- Questionnaire Design: Writing Survey Questions That Work
A construction guide to the questionnaire-design decisions that determine data quality: question wording, response-option and Likert scale design, que…
- Regression Analysis: Assumptions, Interpretation, and How to Report It
A practical guide to choosing between linear, logistic, and other regression models, checking each model's assumptions, interpreting coefficients and…
- Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI): PBIS Fidelity Measure, Scoring and Use
The Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI 3.0) explained: 54 items, 0-4 scoring, 216 points, who completes it, how 2.1 differs and how researchers use it.…
- Types of Validity in Research: Measurement Validity vs Design Validity
Measurement validity (face, content, construct, criterion) and design validity (internal, external, statistical-conclusion) are two distinct families…
- What Is Education Research? Fields, Methods, Funding, and Careers
A field guide to education research: what it studies, its subfields, the methods behind it, who funds it (IES, NSF, foundations), and the privacy and…
Research Information & Identifiers
- BanglaJOL (Bangladesh Journals Online): What It Hosts and How Access Works
BanglaJOL is Bangladesh’s national platform for locally published scholarly journals, part of the INASP-founded Journals Online (JOL) family. This gui…
- ERIC Database: What It Indexes and How to Search It
ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) is the free, federally funded bibliographic database for education research — what it indexes, EJ vs ED…
- HEC eportal and eServices: Which Portal Runs Degree Attestation and Equivalence, and Why Logins Fail
HEC runs several separate online portals. Degree attestation and equivalence moved to eservices.hec.gov.pk, while the legacy eportal is still live wit…
- HEC National Digital Library: How Access Actually Works for Pakistani Researchers
How institutional and off-campus access to Pakistan's HEC National Digital Library actually works, who is eligible, why publisher coverage varies by l…
- InCommon Explained: The US Research and Education Identity Federation
InCommon is the identity federation operated by Internet2 that lets a US researcher's campus login work at thousands of external services. This guide…
- KENET: Kenya's Research and Education Network (NREN) Explained
What KENET (Kenya's National Research and Education Network) is, how its membership and connectivity services work, how it runs eduroam, and how NRENs…
- OpenAthens Explained: How It Works and How It Differs from Shibboleth and EZproxy
What OpenAthens is, how the OpenAthens account model relates to institutional SSO, and how its SAML federation differs from Shibboleth and from EZprox…
- Philippine E-Journals (PEJ): What It Covers and How to Use It
How Philippine E-Journals (PEJ) aggregates Philippine-published scholarship, how subscription vs open access actually works, and how to find Philippin…
- Programa de Incentivos a Docentes-Investigadores: Categories I-V Under PRINUAR
Argentina's Programa de Incentivos categorises docente-investigadores into five ranks (I-V). Since Resolucion 472/2023 the criteria, evaluation cycle…
- Shibboleth Single Sign-On: How Federated SAML Authentication Works
Shibboleth is the open-source SAML software behind "Login via your institution" -- how Identity Provider and Service Provider roles work, how InCommon…
Research Integrity & Compliance
- GTEC (Ghana Tertiary Education Commission): Accreditation Requirements and What Changed from NAB and NCTE
GTEC is Ghana’s tertiary education regulator, created by the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), which merged the National Accreditation…
- What Is Bangladesh's University Grants Commission (UGC)?
Bangladesh's UGC is the statutory apex body for higher education: it funds public universities, approves and supervises private ones, and is now facin…
- What Is CHED? The Philippines' Commission on Higher Education
CHED regulates Philippine higher education institutions and programs through CHED Memorandum Orders (CMOs), accreditation and COE/COD designation, and…
- What Is CUE? Kenya's Commission for University Education
How Kenya's Commission for University Education (CUE) licenses universities, grants charters and Letters of Interim Authority, accredits programmes, a…
- What Is Nigeria's National Universities Commission (NUC)?
The NUC is Nigeria's statutory university regulator: it licenses universities, accredits academic programmes under the CCMAS curriculum standard, and…
- What Is Sri Lanka's University Grants Commission (UGC)?
Sri Lanka's University Grants Commission (UGC): its statutory role, recognized universities and degree-awarding institutes, biannual research grant sc…
Scholarly Publishing
- American Educational Research Association Guide
A research-practice guide to the American Educational Research Association (AERA), including its 12 divisions, repository search, journals, and grants…
- HEC Recognized Journals (HJRS): W, X, Y Categories Explained
What HEC's Journal Recognition System (HJRS) is, how the W/X/Y category structure works, how journals get categorized and re-evaluated, how it drives…
- Is Education Sciences a Predatory Journal?
Education Sciences (MDPI) is not predatory by standard indicators -- it's peer-reviewed, indexed in Scopus and Web of Science, and DOAJ-listed -- thou…
- LDbase Data Repository: Research Guide and Platform Walkthrough
A guide to LDbase: the NIH-funded open-science data repository for educational and developmental science research on learning disabilities.…
- Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE): What It Is and What It Offers
SREE explained: its mission, IES funding history, journal, conference and programs, with where each sits on sree.org.…
- UGC-CARE List: Group I vs Group II, How Journals Were Included, and Its 2025 Discontinuation
What the UGC-CARE list was, its Group I/Group II structure, how journals were included, and UGC's 2024-2025 decision to discontinue it as an active na…
Research Tools & Software
- ASSISTments: What It Is and How Researchers Use E-TRIALS
What ASSISTments is, and how researchers use the E-TRIALS testbed to run randomized classroom studies: study types and IRB requirements.…
- RefWorks: What It Is, Institutional Licensing, and How to Migrate Your Library
RefWorks is a Clarivate/ProQuest reference manager distributed almost entirely through institutional library subscriptions rather than sold to individ…
- What Is Coeus? The Research Administration System Behind Kuali Research
Coeus is the MIT-built electronic research administration system that became Kuali Coeus and, today, the commercial product Kuali Research. Here's the…
Research Data Management
- NAEP (The Nation's Report Card): Data, Sampling and Access for Researchers
How NAEP samples students, which NAEP data tools need no license, and when NCES requires a restricted-use license.…
- TalkBank and CHILDES: The Domain Repository for Language Acquisition and Communication Research
TalkBank is a research infrastructure for studying human communication; CHILDES, its flagship child-language-acquisition component, is the field-stand…
Frontier AI Safety & Governance
- The Education Department's AI Grant Priority: Funding AI Adoption Without Attaching Safeguards
ED's final AI priority (91 FR 18774, effective 13 May 2026) can be attached to any discretionary grant competition. It adds funding pressure for AI ad…
Laboratory Equipment & Instrumentation
- Types of Laboratory Glassware: Volumetric vs. General-Purpose, Explained
A selection-and-accuracy reference for laboratory glassware: the volumetric vs. general-purpose distinction, TC/TD markings, Class A vs. Class B toler…
