Trexler Library | Muhlenberg College

Child Development

Need help with your research? Contact:

Jen Jarson
Social Sciences Reference Librarian
email: jarson [at] muhlenberg [dot] edu | phone: x3552
IM (AIM, Yahoo, MSN): jjarson1 (add @hotmail.com for MSN)

Need help after hours?
IM the Library at TalkToTrexler (for AIM, Yahoo, and MSN) Note: Add @hotmail.com for MSN.
Online Sunday-Thursday 2pm-10pm.
See Ask a Librarian for more information.

Selected Reference Materials

Broude, G.J. (1995). Growing up: A cross-cultural encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
Reference 305.231 B875g

Carr, A. (1999). The handbook of child and adolescent clinical psychology: A contextual approach. New York: Routledge.
Reference 618.9289 C311h

Craighead, W.E., and Nemeroff, C.B. (Eds.). (2001). The Corsini encyclopedia of psychology and behavioral science (3rd ed.). New York: Wiley.
Reference 150.3 E562o, 2001 v.1-4

Damon, W., & Lerner, R.M. (Eds.). (2006). Handbook of child psychology (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Reference 155.4 H236o 2006 v.1-4

Kagan, J. (Ed.). (1997). The Gale encyclopedia of childhood and adolescence. Detroit: Gale.
Reference 305.231 G151e

Kazdin, A.E. (Ed.). (2000). Encyclopedia of Psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Reference 150.3 E563o v.1-8

VandenBos, G.R. (Ed.). (2007). APA dictionary of psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Reference 150.3 A639d

Vogt, W.P. (1993). Dictionary of statistics and methodology: A nontechnical guide for the social sciences. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Reference 300.15195 V887d

Walker, C.E., & Roberts, M.C. (Eds). (2001). Handbook of clinical child psychology (3rd ed.). New York: Wiley.
Reference 618.9289 W177h

Weiner, I.B. (Ed.). (2003). Handbook of Psychology. New York: Wiley.
Reference 150 H236o v.1-12

Finding Articles

SCHOLARLY, EMPIRICAL ARTICLES: PsycINFO

The PsycINFO database provides indexing of journals in Psychology and related fields from 1887 to the present. (Abstracts are included from 1984 to the present.) Books, book chapters, and dissertations are also indexed.

FIND PsycINFO

Library Homepage -- Articles A-Z (in the Find box) -- PsycINFO

SEARCH PsycINFO

1. Start with keyword searching on the main screen. In the empty Find fields, enter keywords that describe your topic. It's recommended to search across multiple fields when you're just getting started, so leave the drop-down menus at their Select a Field (optional) default.

    Need help with your keywords and search strategy?
    Try the Keyword Searching (Combining Concepts) worksheet.

    PsycINFO search tips to remember:

Use * for truncation. Example: therap* retrieves therapy, therapies, therapeutic, etc.

Use " " for phrase searching. Example: "obsessive compulsive disorder"

2. Browse through your results. Click on any article that looks relevant to see more information about it. Read the abstract, summarizing the article.

As you look through your results, use them to your advantage.

What other words could you use in your next search? Look in the title, keywords, and abstract sections of relevant article records.

What subjects could you use? Each article has been assigned subjects that describe the content of the article. The subject of one article should lead you to more like it. Because subjects are standardized, they cannot be searched as easily as keywords. Use the results from your keyword searches to discover relevant subjects.

When you find a useful article, don't forget to look at its reference list. Is there anything there you might be able to use?

POPULAR MEDIA SOURCES: NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES

To find these and other databases, go Library Homepage -- Articles A-Z (in the Find box).

Academic Search Premier
Large and diverse database that contains both scholarly and news/popular resources. Includes many articles in full text.

Google News
http://news.google.com/

LexisNexis Academic
Indexes and provides full-text of major national and international newspapers (English Language editions only), newswires, select journals and magazines, and legal publications. LexisNexis also includes transcripts of selected news programs. Updated daily. Dates of coverage vary by publication.

Yahoo News
http://news.yahoo.com/

GETTING THE ARTICLES

When searching for articles, you may find the full-text of an article linked in the database.

If not, you need to search the Trexler Library Catalog to see if we own the journal in which the article is published.
- Most databases (including PsycINFO) have a Get It! link embedded. Click the link to check our holdings. If the database doesn't have a Get It! link, search the Trexler Library Catalog by the title of the journal in which the article was published.
- Verify that we have online, print, or microform access to the year/volume you need.
If we do not own the journal you need, request the article via Interlibrary Loan.
- Many databases (including PsycINFO) have a Request on Interlibrary Loan link embedded. Click the link to fill out the form.
- If the database does not have an ILL link embedded, go to the Library Homepage -- ILL (in the Services & Forms box) -- ILL Forms -- Articles (in the left sidebar). Fill out the form. NOTE: Interlibrary Loan can take anywhere from a few day to a few weeks. Plan accordingly.

Citing Your Sources

For help using APA Style, first consult the APA Guidelines section of your assignment description. More information is available in the Resources for Current Students section of the Psychology Department website: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/depts/psychology/studentresources.html.

For additional information on APA Style, consult the following resources.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). (2001). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Reference Desk Reserve 808.06615 p976m 2001 (at Reference Desk)

Concise Rules of APA Style. (2005). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Reference Desk Reserve 808.06615 C744r (at Reference Desk)

Writer's Handbook (University of Wisconsin--Madison)
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocAPA.html

Trexler Library handout on using APA style: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/reshelp/apa_example.pdf.
This and other style guide handouts available from the library website. Library Homepage -- Citation Guides (in the Research Help box).