WCMER research fellow Marie Ruemenapp conducted an extensive search of existing published literature relevant to metropolitan extension. Her methodology and results are outlined below along with how this database (an EndNote database was created) will be accessible in the future and how you may use it to conduct additional research. You can view her webinar on this work.
Methodology
Searched for literature since 2000
Conducted Nested Boolean searches:
- “Cooperative Extension” AND (“Urban OR “Metro)
- “University Extension” AND (“Urban OR “Metro)
- Additional terms searched, only included new items found
Search Indexes used:
- ProQuest – particular attention to ERIC and dissertations.
ProQuest Research Library contains over 2,000 periodicals in the following areas: Arts, Business, Children, Education, General Interest, Health, Humanities, International, Law, Military, Multicultural, Psychology, Sciences, Social Sciences, and Women’s Interests. One of the two search indexes that searches the Journal of Extension and into includes (ERIC) Education Resources Information Center. ERIC blends two files: Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE), covering the published journal literature from over 775 periodicals and Resources in Education (RIE), covering other research document literature, such as conference papers, books, theses, and research reports. - OCLC/First Search – particular attention to ERIC and WorldCat
Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) or First Search is a broad base search engine that searches books, manuscripts, computer data files, maps, computer programs, musical scores, films and slides, newspapers, journals, sound recordings magazines, and videotapes in education, communicative sciences, social work, human development, and family studies. It is the other search index that searches the JOE and ERIC, and I was especially interested in WorldCat. It containing more than 35 million records in library holdings around the world. - EBSCO Host – particular attention to AGRICOLA and Urban Abstracts
Is a broad based search engine searching many resource databases for communication, computer, gender studies, nursing, sports, religion and environmental sciences, including a broad set of agricultural and biological sciences through AGRICOLA (AGRICultural OnLine Access) and Urban Studies Abstracts that focus on planning and design and sociology subjects. - Web of Science – particular attention to CAB Abstracts and Social Science Citation Index
Includes the Institute for Scientific Information Citation Indexes, CAB Abstracts, Social Science Citation Index (SSCI). These search indexes search medical, biological, agricultural, animal and environmental sciences, geography, communicative sciences, international development, food and nutrition, social sciences, human development and family studies. - Google Scholar
Is a broad based search engine that provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. This tool searches across many disciplines and sources: peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations.
Results
The searches produced 2,357 literature citations. 362 of them were duplicates, leaving 1995 unique citations
These articles were organized into themes (folders in EndNote Database)
- General Reference Materials
- Historical materials about Extension related to working in urban/metro
- General information about Extension’s urban/metro work
- University Extension, outreach, partnerships, community centers
- Information about Extension/non-profit community and economic development, and other general community building work in urban/metro
- Any references that are not specifically program focused
- Agriculture/Food Systems
- Urban ag, gardens, Master Gardeners and food systems
- Natural Resources
- Water quality, SeaGrant, urban insects and pests (squirrelsJ), etc.
- Health, Nutrition and Families
- SNAP, EFNEP, nutrition, childcare, health, wellness, etc.
- 4-H/Youth Development
- 4-H, youth, anything about children
- Community and Economic Development
- Community development, economic development, land use
What’s next?
Accessibility: WCMER is currently researching how to make the EndNote Database openly accessible for broad use. Please check back for updates
Further Research: No assessment of the quality of the resources were made at this time. This applied work was only to collect existing resources. The WCMER is looking for fellows to conduct further research utilizing this database for scholarly products such as review articles or meta-analyses on specific subjects (e.g. urban food systems, engaging millennials, etc).
If you are interested in conducting such research as a WCMER fellow, please contact the WCMER director Brad Gaolach (gaolach@wsu.edu)