PSY 480: Clinical Research Methods

• Journals come in both electronic format and in more traditional print format. The OSU Libraries Catalog has information on both. If available electronically, the catalog record links to the journal; if it is in print, you can find the call number here.

  Another access point to our e-journals is the e-journals list from the main library page. Look for journals here if 1) you have the citation to a specific article in a specific journal; 2) you wish to electronically browse a journal's contents; or 3) you wish to verify that OSU has the journal online.

  If you don't have a citation and are searching for articles about a particular subject, we recommended that you use a database to do your article searching. This allows you to search many titles at one time, covering both electronic and print journal contents. Following are the most useful databases we have for searching psychology.

• PsycInfo (via PsycNET)
  Your PRIMARY index to journal articles, series and books for all areas of psychology including animal, applied, clinical, developmental, educational, general, human experimental, general, physiological, social and sport psychology, and treatment and prevention. Not full text itself, it can link you up to online resources using the Link to Full Text button.
  Abstracts and index: 1887-present
  Coverage Dates: 1887
• Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
  This database provides full-text coverage of nearly 550 journals, including more than 500 peer-reviewed titles. Covers topics such as emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry & psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational and experimental methods. NOTE: Nearly every full text title included in this database is indexed in PsycINFO.
  Coverage Dates: 1965
• PubMed (also see MEDLINE)
  Index to research articles covering all areas of medicine including psychiatry and psychology. PubMed is direct from the National Library of Medicine web site.
  Abstracts and index: 1966-present
  Coverage Dates: 1966 - present

• By far the best database for finding articles, dissertations, and book chapters in the field of psychology is PsycINFO. This is a very powerful database, with many limiter options provided for focusing on the precise nature of the information you are looking for. This is an indexing and abstracting database, not full text, so you will need to carefully note the bibliographic information provided so you can track down the publication. Use the Link to Full Text button to search for the resource in our catalog, ejournals list, and other databases.

• PsycInfo (via PsycNET)
  
  Coverage Dates: 1887

If you would like some assistance in searching PschINFO, the following videos cover some of the most important methods of searching the databases:

APA Term Finder:  This first tutorial demonstrates the Term Finder in APA PsycINFO. The Term Finder provides the controlled vocabulary for APA databases that you can use to build a precise search. The tutorial also demonstrates how to display your search results in APA Style, using the My List feature.

APA Index Terms & Keywords:  This search example demonstrates how to use the Index Terms and Keywords effectively in PsycINFO on the APA PsycNET platform. (Note that this video has sound)

APA Search Example:  This search example demonstrates how to use APA PsycNET to answer the question: Does working at home increase job satisfaction? This example uses the Term Finder to build a search. (This video also has sound)

You can access a Quick Reference Guide (in pdf) demonstrating how to search PsycINFO in Advanced Search mode at http://www.apa.org/databases/training/psycnet-qrg.pdf

Some of the most useful journal titles your instructor recommends are listed here, along with their locations in the Valley Library. These are not the only journals that may have the types of articles you are looking for, but they have been useful for previous classes.

• Psychology journals

Use online catalogs to find books (as well as journals, multimedia, maps, and other library materials) at OSU & elsewhere.

1. Start with OSU Libraries Catalog: searches for books located at Valley Library and OSU's other libraries.

2. Next try Summit Catalog: searches our partner libraries in Oregon & Washington (indicated as Held by: Summit). Also searches other library holdings throughout the world (indicated as Held by: WorldCat Libraries). If OSU does not have the item and it is located in a Summit library, you may request it be delivered to OSU (takes about 3 business days).

3. Finally, If Summit doesn't have it we'll find a library that does-just click the Request from Interlibrary Loan button.

Search tip: Summit lets you access some journal articles. But mostly you will need to find these in databases.

Other Options: Google Book Search searches within indexes and texts of books. How much of the book you see depends on the copyright status, and on how much of their copyrighted work that authors and publishers who participate in the program will allow. For many items you can click on "Find this book in a library" to see if OSU owns a copy.This is not a complete catalog, so please check OSU and Summit catalogs, too.

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGISTS AND CODE OF CONDUCT is intended to provide specific standards to cover most situations encountered by psychologists. It has as its goals the welfare and protection of the individuals and groups with whom psychologists work and the education of members, students, and the public regarding ethical standards of the discipline. Find this at:

http://www.apa.org/ethics/code2002.html

Don't forget to cite your sources using the American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines. See this handy guide from another OSU, Ohio State University, for assistance.

Many of the databases provide citation assistance. Take a look for the icon or link to "Cite this article" or "Choose a bibliographic style." These sometimes only show up when you go to print, save, or email the article, and different databases use different terminology.

Always check your references for accuracy! These citation "machines," while a great help, often get the little things wrong, so review the citation before you add it to your bibliography.

Librarians love questions! There are many ways to get help with your research. We are happy to help you in the way you're most comfortable with:

Phone, email, IM, or make an appointment to see the subject librarian. My IM box is on the left of the page, along with my email and phone number. Contact me with your more challenging problems!

For more general questions (Or if Valery is unavailable) contact the Reference Desk by phone, IM, email, or in person. Chat is available 24/7 through the L-Net statewide online service--always a librarian available to help you! Click the "ask a librarian" chat box on the library's main page, or visit http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/reference/ for more ways of contacting us.