Ordering NCES publications and products

Question:
How do I obtain NCES publications and products?

Response:

Most NCES publications and products from the past 20 years and many earlier reports may be accessed from the NCES Electronic Catalog. NCES publications and products are available for free download on the NCES website in Portable Document Format (PDF). PDF files are most commonly denoted by the following icon:. In addition to PDF files, most popular NCES publications, such as the Digest of Education Statistics, The Condition of Education , and The Nation's Report Card (NAEP), are available in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) web format. HTML provides a user-friendly way to navigate and access text, tables, figures, and more.

Hard copies of selected NCES publications such as The Condition of Education and the Digest of Education Statistics may be ordered through a variety of online commercial bookstore vendors.

Another resource for obtaining NCES publications and products is the U.S. Department of Education Publications in Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC). ERIC is an extensive, searchable bibliographic database. Among its range of features, ERIC allows users to download full text journal articles, education literature, and access the thesaurus and legacy microfiche collection. In 2012, the number of records in ERIC exceeded 1.4 million.

Ordering Data Files

Some NCES public-use data files may be downloaded at no cost from our website. Public-use data files are available for surveys such as the Common Core of Data and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The Online Codebook allows you to download other NCES survey datasets directly to your computer. Online Codebook provides instructions on (1) selecting a survey, (2) tagging variables relevant to your analysis, (3) downloading a data set to your computer, and (4) downloading syntax files. Institutions, organizations, and individuals may also apply for a Restricted-use Data License, which enables data users to request restricted-use data from NCES surveys.

Ordering Older Publications

Many older NCES publications may be accessed through Federal Depository Libraries. There are over 1,200 depository libraries throughout the United States and its territories.

In addition to the Federal Depository Libraries, limited copies of older publications may be available for purchase from the U.S. Government Bookstore or ordered from The Education Publication Center (ED Pubs).

Technical Assistance

For instructions on downloading PDF files, or for general technical assistance, please visit the NCES Technical Issues website.