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PsycINFO on EBSCOhost at SNC

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Introduction to PsycINFO.

You can use PsycINFO to identify scholarly materials (books, chapters in edited volumes, and journal articles) relevant to your research questions. PsycINFO is the computerized database produced by the American Psychological Association. It provides bibliographic references to the international journal, book-chapter, and book literature in psychology and related disciplines such as education, business, medicine and law.

1. Log on to the PsycINFO database using the EBSCOhost interface.

a. Click on Databases from the Todd Wehr Library’s homepage. If you need remote access, for example, from home because you are a commuter student, please see the handout “Setting up a Proxy Server for Remote Database Access” available from Tech Support Handouts » Internet on the SNC Technology Support Services web page.

b. Click on PsycINFO database from the list of EBSCOhost databases.

c. Click on Advanced Search just below the Search window. This will enable the most powerful set of searching tools.

2. An introduction to three basic search strategies: thesaurus terms, free text, author

a. Searching with thesaurus terms

i. PsycINFO uses a very large but limited set of subject terms to identify the content of an article, chapter, or book. Indexing materials using a consistent set of thesaurus or subject terms makes it easier to find relevant material. Always use thesaurus terms whenever possible.

ii. Click on Thesaurus (top left of the screen).

iii. To select the appropriate subject term from the thesaurus, type the word or phrase in which you are interested in the Browse window under the Thesaurus tab. In this case type depression in the Browse window

iv. Click the Browse button. Two terms related to depression are listed.


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1) Click Depression (Emotion) to learn when the term was first introduced, what it means, broader terms that include depression, and related terms.

2) Click Major Depression to learn when the term was first introduced, what it means, narrower terms included under the heading major depression, broader terms that include major depression, and related terms.

v. Use the Back button on your browser to return to the screen that will allow you to check Depression (Emotion).

vi. Check the box just to the left of the term and click the Add button. This will add Depression (Emotion) to the Find window. Press the Search button.

vii. This search (June 2009) found 19,216 records with the subject term Depression (Emotion). By default, records are sorted by date (most recent first). Please note that PsycINFO entries are not in APA editorial style.

1) What do you learn from this brief entry?

a) For some entries, there is a link to the reference list from the article. All of the sources will be older than this article. This could lead you to additional relevant sources.

b) For some entries, there is a link to sources that cite this article. All of the sources will be newer than this article. This could lead you to additional relevant sources.

c) For some entries there is a link to the full text of the article. This is a convenience, not a sign of the quality or relevance of the work. Do not limit your bibliographic searching to sources for which the full text happens to be available. Choose PDF full text when it is available. This reproduces the article as it appeared in the printed journal.


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2) Click the title of the first record on the list. EBSCOhost will display a complete record of the bibliographic entry. What does it include?

a) This record was included in the search because depression (emotion) was among the subject terms.

b) After examining the complete record you may want to add this source to your folder. The contents of the folder can be printed, e-mailed, or saved to disk.

3) It would take a long time to review 19,216 records looking for relevant research on depression. Later we will consider how to focus your search so as to identify a limited number of relevant sources.

b. Searching with free text

i. You may be interested in searching for resources related to topics for which there is no thesaurus or subject term, or the term has been added so recently as to lead to relatively few entries.

ii. Example 1 – World Trade Center. Assume you are interested in psychological research related to the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001.


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1) Always try a thesaurus term search first. Click on Thesaurus (top left of the screen). Type World Trade Center in the Browse window and click the Browse button. There is no entry in the thesaurus for World trade center. Try September 11 and 9/11 as well.

2) Try a free text search. Click the Advanced Search tab to return to the basic search screen. Type World Trade Center in the first Find window. Type September 11 in the second Find window. Type 9/11 in the third Find window. Set the Boolean operators to OR. Click the Search button.

3) This search (June 2009) located 3,957 records. Pass you cursor over the magnifying glass icon to see which phrase was found and where it was found in the record.

iii. Example 2 – social networking. Assume you are interested in psychological research related to social networking.

1) Always try a thesaurus term search first. Click on Thesaurus (top left of the screen). Type facebook in the Browse window and click the Browse button. There is no entry in the thesaurus for facebook. Try myspace as well.

2) Try a free text search. Click the Advanced Search tab to return to the basic search screen. Type facebook in the first Find window. Type myspace in the second Find window. Set the Boolean operators to OR. Click the Search button.


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3) This search (June 2009) located 62 records. Pass you cursor over the magnifying glass icon to see which word was found and where it was found in the record.

c. Searching with author name

i. You may want to find research and other writing by a particular scholar. Assume you are interested in work by Stanley Milgram, the social psychologist famous for his research on obedience. Click the Advanced Search tab to return to the opening search screen.

ii. Move the cursor over More (top center) and click the Indexes.

iii. Select Author from the pull down menu in the Browse an Index window. Type Milgram in the Browse For window. Click the Browse button.

iv. There have been a number of published psychologists with the last name Milgram. Scroll down until you come to Stanley Milgram.

v. Check the box to the left of his name. Click the Add button to add the name to the Find window. Click the Search button.

vi. This search (June 2009) located 25 records. Recent records are to reprints of Milgram’s original work in other forms (anthologies, edited volumes, and the like). He died in 1984 at the relatively young age of 51. His most memorable research, on obedience, was first published in 1963, before he had turned 30.


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Systematic bibliographic searching using PsycINFO

Follow these steps when you need to conduct a systematic literature search using PsycINFO.

1. Compose a question or narrative statement of your search topic.

a. Example: Can hypnosis help people stop smoking?

2. Identify the separate concepts in the question

a. Example: Can hypnosis help people stop smoking?

3. Connect to PsycINFO on EBSCOhost

4. Identify subject terms to represent each concept. Go to Thesaurus. Click on Thesaurus.

a. Type the first term, hypnosis, into the Browse For window. Click Browse button.

i. Check: hypnosis, hypnotherapists, hypnotherapy, hypnotists

1) Check Explode where possible. This captures all narrower terms subsumed under a subject term.

ii. Confirm that or appears in the Select term, then add to search using window. Click the Add button. This inserts all the terms into the Find window.

iii. Click the Search button.

1) This search (June 2009) located 9,146 records. That is a lot of records to scroll through looking for sources relevant to smoking cessation. We will let the computer do that.

2) Return to Thesaurus. Click on Thesaurus.

b. Type the second term, smoking, into the Browse For window. Click the Browse button.

i. Check smoking cessation, tobacco smoking.

1) Check Explode where possible. This captures all narrower terms subsumed under a subject term.


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ii. Confirm that or appears in the Select term, then add to search using window. Click the Add button. This inserts all the terms into the Find window.

iii. Click the Search button. 1) This search (June 2009) located 16,671. That is a lot of records to scroll

through looking for sources relevant to hypnosis. We will let the computer do that.

5. Combine terms.

a. A brief introduction to search logic

i. If we want to know, Can hypnosis help people stop smoking? Should we use an OR, an AND, or a NOT? Explain.

b. Combining terms

i. Click Search history/Alerts below the search windows

ii. Click the Clear button to empty the Find window.


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iii. Check the boxes next to S1 (Search 1, hypnosis-related terms) and next to S2 (Search 2, smoking-related terms).

iv. Click the Search with AND button.

1) You can also combine more than two sets of search terms. You can

combine thesaurus and free text searches. You can combine thesaurus and author searches.

2) This search (June 2009) located 154 records.

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Set limits on your search. 154 records can take time to review. You can limit your search in terms of publication type and language.

a. Click Search Options.

b. Check the Peer reviewed box. This will help to limit the records you retrieve to high qual-ity sources. This will help to limit the records you retrieve to high quality sources. Peer reviewed journals are not the only sources of quality information. You might also select other publication types such as All books, Authored book, Edited book, or Chapter.

c. Check the English box. PsycINFO provides bibliographic references to the international journal, book-chapter, and book literature in psychology and related disciplines such as education, business, medicine and law. Limiting your search to English will ensure that you can read the records you retrieve.

d. Click the Search button. This search (June 2009) retrieved 96 records.

7. Select desired records.

a. Read abstracts for sources with titles that sound relevant.

b. Add relevant records to Folder. Click Add to folder to select the record. You will be told the record has been Added and that Folder has items.

8. Print, save, or e-mail desired records. Contents of Folder can be printed, e-mailed, or saved to disk.

a. Click Folder has items.

b. Click Print, E-mail, or Save to Disk. Depending on your preference.

i. Brief citation. Provides only basic bibliographic information.

ii. Brief citation and abstract. Provides basic bibliographic information and abstract for each source.

iii. Detailed citation and abstract. Provides basic bibliographic information, additional information, including contact information for authors and thesaurus subject terms, and abstract.

9. Obtain copies of the desired material

a. Click PDF full text if available. This is a convenience, not a sign of the quality or relevance of the work. Do not limit your bibliographic searching to sources for which the full text happens to be available electronically.

b. Check college library catalog for additional titles.

c. Follow If no Full Text, get from another Library to request source through ILLiad, the interlibrary loan service.

10. Summary

a. Compose a question or narrative statement of your search topic.


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b. Identify the separate concepts in the statement or topic.

c. Connect to PsycINFO.

d. Identify subject terms to represent each concept. Use the Thesaurus of psychological index terms. Group related terms with OR.

e. Combine sets of terms with AND to select relevant records.

f. Set limits on your search (type of publication, language, year of publication, etc.)

g. Select desired records.

h. Print, save to disk, or email desired records.

i. Obtain copies of desired materials.

Preparing APA style citations (in the body of the text) and references (list at the end of the manuscript).

Below is a short summary list of some of the most common types of citations and references you will need to use in your research papers. For a much more complete list, see the APA Publication Manual.

1. Journal article, one author, print source. (Heider, 1972)

Heider, E. R. (1972). Universals in color naming and memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 93, 10-20.

2. Journal article, two authors, print source. (Huttenlocher & Burke, 1976)

Huttenlocher, J., & Burke, D. (1976). Why does memory span increase with age? Cognitive Psychology, 8, 1-31.

3. Journal article, two authors, electronic source, Digital Object Indentifier (doi) available. (Herbst-Damm & Kulik, 2005)

Herbst-Damm, K., & Kulik, J. (2005, March). Volunteer Support, Marital Status, and the Survival Times of Terminally Ill Patients. Health Psychology, 24(2), 225-229. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.24.2.2251

4. Journal article, two authors, electronic source, no Digital Object Indentifier (doi), database identified. (Wheeler & Bragin, 2007)

Wheeler, D., & Bragin, M. (2007, November). Bringing it all back home: Social work and the challenge of returning veterans. Health & Social Work, 32(4), 297-300. Retrieved from PsycINFO database.2

5. Journal article, more than two authors, print source. First mention in text (Rosenhan, Underwood & Moore, 1974). Subsequent mentions in text (Rosenhan et al., 1974).

1 Date retrieved not needed for sources with Digital Object Identifiers.2 Date retrieved not needed for sources unlikely to change.


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Rosenhan, D. L., Underwood, B., & Moore, B. (1974). Affect moderates self-gratification and altruism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 30, 546-552.

6. Journal article, more than two authors, electronic source, no Digital Object Indentifier (doi), URL identified. First mention in text (VandenBos, Knapp & Doe, 2001). Subsequent mentions in text (VandenBos et al., 2001).

VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference elements in the selection of resources by psychology undergraduates. Journal of Bibliographic Research, 5, 117-123. Retrieved from http://jbr.org/articles.html.3

7. Book, one author. (Bates, 1979)

Bates, E. (1979). The emergence of symbols: Cognition and communication in infancy. New York: Academic Press.

8. Book, two authors. (Bates & Hawkes, 1978)

Foss, D. J., & Hawkes, D. T. (1978). Psycholinguistics: An introduction to the psychology of language. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

9. Book, more than two authors. First mention in text (Bell, Fisher & Loomis, 1978). Subsequent mentions in text (Bell et al., 1978).

Bell, P. A., Fisher, J. D., & Loomis, R. T. (1978). Environmental psychology. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders.

10. Edited book. (Letheridge & Cannon, 1980).

Letheridge, S., & Cannon, C. R. (Eds.), (1980). Bilingual education: Teaching English as a second language. New York: Praeger.

11. Article or chapter in an edited volume. (Sherif & Sherif, 1979)

Sherif, M., & Sherif, C. W. (1979). Research on intergroup relations. In W. G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.

3 Date retrieved not needed for sources unlikely to change.

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LIBRARY RESEARCH - St. Norbert College · Web viewType facebook in the first Find window. Type myspace in the second Find window. Set the Boolean operators to OR. Click the Search