Where and how to search for evidence in the education literature: The WHEEL

Abstract

An awareness of how and where to search the education literature, and how to appraise it is essential to be a teacher scholar (an academic who takes a scholarly approach to teaching), to develop high quality education research, and to perform the scholarship of teaching and learning. Most pharmacy faculty scholars do not receive training in searching the education literature. Thus, a framework for searching the education literature is needed. The framework presented here on where and how to search for evidence in the education literature, referred to as the WHEEL for teaching, is meant to serve as a guide for faculty members in conducting comprehensive and exhaustive literature searches for the publication of scholarship of teaching and learning projects, educational research, or approaching one's teaching in a scholarly manner. Key resources to search and methods for searching the education literature are listed and described.