The purpose of the InformalScience research database is to be the primary source for citations related to informal science education and informal learning. To that end, the research database is a collection of bibliographic references, abstracts and reviews of published, peer-reviewed work related to informal science and learning. Citations come from a wide range of sources including books, journal articles, conference proceedings, professional society publications, doctoral dissertations, theses and published reports.

Note: Evaluation Reports are in a separate database located in the Evaluation section.

In addition to key government reports and publications, we have selectively indexed the following journals since 2006: Visitor Studies, Curator, International Journal of Science Education, Journal of the Learning Sciences, Journal of Museum Education, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Museums and Society, and Science Education. We also reference selected conference proceedings from the Visitor Studies Association, American Educational Research Association, Museums and the Web and The International Conference of the Learning Sciences.

FAQs

1. What information does the database provide?
Each bibliographic record includes a full citation andÑwhen availableÑan abstract and publication keywords. In addition, members of InformalScience.org may supplement citations by adding meaningful tags and writing reviews. Some articles and reports may be freely downloaded. Citations submitted after 2006 may also include a direct link to the publisher for purchasing information.

2. How current is the information in the database?
We index seven journals and make those citations available by RSS feed as soon as the publications are received. We also routinely add citations when new research is published or made available from other online sources. In addition, the broader community regularly contributes new citations to the database.

3. How can I obtain copies of documents that are included in the database but cannot be downloaded from InformalScience.org?
As of 2006, citations may include links to the publisher or to an authorÕs web site, where you may obtain free or paid access to the paper, in addition to subscription and membership information.

4. Can I submit citations to the database?
Yes. InformalScience.org actively seeks submissions of high-quality informal learning references and reports such as: journal articles; research reports; conference papers, posters and presentations; and dissertations and theses.

5. How do I know what kinds of topics are suitable?
InformalScience.org actively seeks submissions of high-quality informal learning references and reports that support the development of a comprehensive interdisciplinary knowledge base related to informal learning and education. There are many relevant topicsÑscience education (STEM content, generally), policy, visitor studies, methods, theory, disciplinary, design of learning environs, to suggest a few.

6. Can I upload research materials that others can then download from InformalScience.org?
Only material relevant to informal learning for which you hold copyright, or are willing to share based on Creative Commons License, may be uploaded. If you hold the copyright of a document and wish to share it, our easy-to-use system leads you through a brief series of steps to upload your materials in a PDF format. >>Click here.
Before uploading any materials, please consider the following: (1) The database can only accept materials with author name(s), title, publication source and publication date; and (2) Files should be in a PDF format, or other format that protects the document from alteration.

7. Who decides what is included in the database?
To the greatest extent possible, we add all references that are submitted by the broader community. Occasionally, we may have to reject a reference because it does not match the criteria for content or quality.
QUESTIONS? We will add frequently asked questions (FAQs) here. Email questions that you would like addressed.

8. Tell me about FORUM
This feature will be available in future.