Physical Education

Physical Education Indexes and Databases

ERIC (1966-present): This is the primary database for the entire field of education and related sub-disciplines. It is therefore, one of the primary databases for physical education research projects that focus on educational aspects of a topic (e.g., physical education in schools, coaching, etc.).
Physical Education Index (Online: 1960-present) more info
Physical Education Index (Print: 1978-2003) WOO Reference GV341 .P49: This is a primary, print index to articles in physical education, sports medicine, and general sports magazines and journals. It is issued quarterly with an annual cumulation.
SPORTDiscus (journals, 1975- ; books, etc., 1949- ): This is the most comprehensive, primary database in the fields of physical education and sports medicine. For most physical education topics, this database is the best place to begin your journal article and book searches. Topics covered include: sports medicine, exercise physiology, biomechanics, psychology, training techniques, coaching, physical education, physical fitness, active living, recreation, history, facilities and equipment. It indexes journal articles, books, dissertations, conference proceedings, reports, and other mongraphs.

Interdisciplinary Indexes and Databases

Academic Search Complete (Coverage is from the early 1970's for some titles to the present): Indexes scholarly journals, popular magazines, and journals of commentary. A high percentage of articles include full-text.
Article 1st (1990-present): This searchable, comprehensive, interdisciplinary magazine and journal article references database is useful primarily as a current awareness tool. The database also allows the user to browse references by journal title and issue.
Medline (1950-present): This is the primary database in the field of medicine. Therefore, it is useful for finding articles on sports medicine topics.
EJC (OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center) more info
PsycINFO (1967-present): This is the primary, disciplinary database in the field of psychology and is the can be a good database to use when seeking journal articles to support a sport psychology research project. The database indexes also chapters of books from 1987 to the present.
Sociological Abstracts (1963-2005): This primary database in the field of sociology, indexes journal articles, conference papers, books, and dissertations. It is useful for topics related to the sociology of sport.

Finding Journals…

…by the TITLE of the journal:

Finding the actual articles identified through other sources, such as indexes, databases, and lists of references at the end of other articles, can be a challenge. The most direct method is to search the title of the journal from the CONSORT catalog Journal Title search page. Some like to go direct to the EJC (OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center), but one needs to do so with caution as there are journals found in CONSORT that are not in OhioLINK. In addition, CONSORT will link to all of the journals found at the OhioLINK site.

…by the PUBLISHER or the FOCUS of the journal:

Occasionally, you may want to find journals by a particular PUBLISHER or journals that have a particular FOCUS. The following are two sample CONSORT Word searches that demonstrate both of these types of approaches:

…finding journals by a particular PUBLISHER (e.g., journals published by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance):

CONSORT WORD SEARCH:

a:american alliance for health physical education recreation and dance and s:periodicals

…finding journals with a particular FOCUS (e.g., journals on sports medicine):

CONSORT WORD SEARCH:

s:sports medicine and s:periodicals

Reference Sources

Reference sources are particularly useful for background information on topics and definitions on concepts and specialized terminology. The following specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries are particularly useful in the fields of physical education and sports medicine. There are many other similar sources on the shelves next to those listed here, so this can be considered as a browsers guide to psychology reference sources.

Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: Basketball and Other Indoor Sports WOO Reference GV697.A1 B494 1989: This biographical dictionary is one of a series of biography handbooks in a variety of sports.
Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: 1992-1995 Supplement for Baseball, Football, Basketball, and Other Sports WOO Reference GV697.A1 B494 1995.
Encyclopedia of Ethnicity and Sports in the United States WOO Reference GV709.5 .E83 2000
Encyclopedia of Psychology (Kazdin, 2000) WOO Reference BF31 .E52 2000: This is a fairly recent, authoritative encyclopedia in psychology.
Encyclopedia of Sports Science WOO Reference GV558 .E53 1997: This two-volume encyclopedia covers sports medicine, sports physiology, and related exercise science topics.
Encyclopedia of World Sport: From Ancient Times to the Present WOO Reference GV567 .E56 1996
Professional Sports Statistics: A North American Team-by-Team and Major Non-team Events, Year-by-Year Reference, 1876 Through 1996 WOO Reference GV581 .G37 1997
Historical Dictionary of the Modern Olympic Movement WOO Reference GV721.5 .B83 1995
International Encyclopedia of Women and Sports WOO Reference GV709 .I58 2001
The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science and Medicine. (2nd edition, 1998) WOO Reference RC1206 .O94 1998
Sports Injuries Sourcebook: Basic Consumer Health Information about Common Sports Injuries... WOO Science Reference RD97 .S736 1999
Encyclopedia of American Education (2nd ed., 2001) WOO Reference LB17 .U54 2001: This three volume, brief entry encyclopedia is a useful starting point for topics in physical education, Title IX, and more.

Selected Internet Sites

American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance: Association and membership information, publication/journals and product information, and a public help center.
American College of Sports Mecidine: Information on the association, jobs/careers and certification, publications, research grants and scholarships, and more.
Google Directory > Health > Medicine > Medical Specialties > Sports Medicine: Thorough, annotated listing of web sites devoted to sports medicine and related issues.
NASPE: National Association for Sport and Physical Education
National Athletic Trainers Association: Information about the association, job placement service, publications, and a useful list of web resources.
OAHPERD: The Ohio Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
PE Central: The Premier Web Site for Health and Physical Educators: Contains information on and ideas for preschool and K-12 lesson plans, worksheets, assessment, adapted physical education, best practices, professional resources, equipment and products, and more.
Scholarly Sport Sites: A Subject Directory: (Gretchen Ghent, emeritus at Univ. of Calgary Library, Calgary, Alberta, Canada) One of the most comprehensive internet gateways for the study of physical education, sports medicine, and sports available, directed by a librarian emeritus who is well-respected for her work in this area.
SIRC: A World of Sport Information: Comprehensive, partially annotated, searchable directory of sports, physical education, and sports medicine web site. The site is owned by the publishers of the SPORT Discus database.
SPORTS MEDIA: Physical Education & Sports for Everyone: Contains lesson plans, coaching information, articles, chat, association links, and ask the experts opportunities.
Transnational Perspectives of Women in Sport and Physical Activity: Links to web sites on women in sports, including: historical and current information, women scholars, scholarly texts, and a timeline of monumental moments.
Virtual Library of Sport: Comprehensive, searchable gateway to web sites on a wide variety of sports, sports statistics, training/skills, associations, news, and more.
Women's Sports Foundation: Contains up-to-date information on current issues in women's sports, including equality, Title IX, discrimination, careers, sport figures, physical health, etc. and provides useful links to other sites as well as an option to sign up for email newletters on a variety of topics.

Need Help?

Julia Gustafson
Access Services Librarian
330/263-2315