Need help with your research? Contact:

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

Selected Reference Materials

Annual review of psychology. (1950- ). Stanford, CA: Annual Reviews.
Main Collection 150.5 A615 v.1-
Also available online (and searchable). Search the library catalog by title.

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

Fernandez-Ballesteros, R. (Ed.). (2003). Encyclopedia of psychological assessment. London; Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Reference 150.287 E56o v.1-2

Hersen, M. (Ed.). (2003). Comprehensive handbook of psychological assessement. Hoboken, NJ.: J. Wiley & Sons.
Reference 150.287 C737h v.1-4

Lewis-Beck, M.S., Bryman, A.E., & Liao, T.F. (Eds.). (2004). The Sage encyclopedia of social science research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Reference 300.724 L673s v.1-3

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

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

Finding Articles: Searching in 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    Finding Articles    Periodical Databases and Indexes    Social Sciences

Or go directly to http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/articles/databases/social_sciences.html.

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.  [ PDF | Word ] 

    PsycINFO search tips to remember:       

• Use ? for wildcard character.  Example: wom?n retrieves woman and women
• 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.  See more on subjects below. 
• 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?

Because subjects are standardized, they cannot be searched as easily as keywords.  Use the results from your keyword searches to discover relevant subjects.  You can also use the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms to determine the syntax and language of subjects.

Thesaurus of psychological index terms (10th ed.).  (2004).  Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Ready Reference 025.4915 T413o

It may be more convenient to search the Thesaurus from within PsycINFO.  Click on the Thesaurus link below the Advanced Search tab. 

GET your articles

Once you have found an article you want, click on the Search Trexler Library for this title link.  Can you get the article online or in print? 

If your article is not available online or in print, follow the Request on Interlibrary Loan link to the request form.  NOTE: It usually takes between one and two weeks to receive articles via Interlibrary Loan.

Citing Your Sources

For help using 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)

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    Research Help    Citation Guides.

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

Try NoodleBib Express for a quick tutorial on APA Style: http://www.noodletools.com/login.php.

© Muhlenberg College
Last update: 13 February 2007
URL: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/guides/libinst/psychology/rschmethods.html