HDF 475 - The University Libraries

HDF 475 - Research Methods

Library Spaces: Information about places in the library for individuals or groups to study or prepare for presentations

Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

These specialized books provide background information on topics and help with unfamiliar words. In the Reference Room check these call number areas: family studies (HQ call number), sociology (HM), psychology (BF), education (L).

Bibliographies at the end of each article may refer you to other useful sources.

Note the names of authors writing extensively on the subject, then try the databases to look for journal articles they may have written.

International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family

--Sample topics: marriage and family worldwide, adolescent parenthood, family planning, cohabitation, widowhood, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, codependency, and commuter marriages

Also available in print: ref. HQ 9 .E52 2003

Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society

Paula S. Fass, ed., 2004
Also available in print: ref. HQ767.84 .E53

Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health: Infancy through Adolescence

Kristine Krapp and Jeffrey Wilson, ed., 2005

Encyclopedia of Human Development

Neil J. Salkind, ed., 3 vol.

Also available in print: ref HM626 .E53 2006

Parenthood in America: an Encyclopedia
Lawrence Balter, ed. 2000
Also available in print: ref HQ755.8 .P3783 2 vol.

Child Development
Neil J. Salkind, ed.
Also available in print: ref. HQ772 .C436 2002

Nutrition and Well-being: A-Z

Delores C. S. James, ed.

Also available in print: ref RA784 .N838 2004

The Encyclopedia of Obesity and Eating Disorders

Dana Cassell and David H. Gleaves, ed., 2nd ed.

Location: ref RC552.E18 C37 2000

The Concise Dictionary of Psychology

--1,300+ entries covering basic psychology terms. Published in 1998

A Dictionary of Psychology

--10,000+ entries providing comprehensive coverage of psychology terminology. Published in 2003

Finding Articles in Journals Using Databases

The following databases are subject guides to magazines, journals, newspapers, and other materials. For additional choices go to the University Libraries home page, click on Databases then click on the starting letter of the database or a department name.

Database Searching Tips:

-When researching your topic try a variety of subject headings for the same concept e.g. self concept, self esteem, self image

-Click here for tips on using the search connectors AND, OR, and NOT in your search strategy

REMEMBER: To get to the full text of the journal article you must go through the Library's web pages. We have paid for access to the journals. You cannot go to the publisher's page to get an article. Use Journal Finder if you have the name of the journal.

PsycINFO ( EBSCO)

Some full text, mainly abstracts from about 1300 periodicals as well as book chapters, books, technical reports, and dissertations

Child Development and Adolescent Studies (EBSCO)

Indexes materials relating to the growth and development of children through the age of 21
ncludes book reviews and abstracts from hundreds of journals, and a bibliography of thousands of technical reports, books, book chapters, theses and dissertations
Covers the biomedical and social sciences worldwide
1927 +

Most widely used education database

AgeLine (EBSCO)

Covers the study of aging in psychological, health-related, social, & economic contexts
Sample topics: theories of aging, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, elder care, Alzheimer's, health care costs and policies, financial and retirement planning, fitness, nutrition, etc.
Indexes/abstracts journal articles, books and book chapters, government documents, and reports
Some full text
1978 +

EBSCO Databases

Use this link to simultaneously search any of the 20+ EBSCO databases

Family and Society Studies Worldwide (EBSCO) (Access ends 1/31/2010)

Indexes thousands of citations and abstracts drawn from over 1,000 professional journals as well as books, popular literature, conference papers, and government reports

Sample topics: family policy and practices, human ecology, human development

Considerable Australian material, much of it unavailable in the library

Comprehensive coverage of sociology and sub-disciplines including criminology, criminal justice, demography, ethnic & racial studies, gender studies, marriage & family, political sociology, religion, rural & urban sociology, social development, social psychology, social structure, social work, socio-cultural anthropology, sociological history, sociological research, sociological theory, substance abuse & other addictions, violence,etc.

Covers articles from thousands of journals and the full text of hundreds of books andthousands of conference papers

Abstracts of some of the core journals date as far back as 1895

Indexes over a thousand nursing, allied health and nutrition journals, over half of them full text

Topics such as sex education and childhood obesity have health-related viewpoints

Academic Search Premier (EBSCO)

Provides some several thousand journals
Subjects: psychology, sociology, social work, gerontology, family studies, humanities, general sciences, education, etc.
Full text from January 1990; indexing and abstracts from January 1984

Lexis-Nexis Academic

Full text articles from over 7500 journals, magazines, transcripts, newspapers, editorials, newsletters, and other sources
Covers news, business, law, medicine, government, and other types of information
Especially good for short articles on current issues and news stories of a regional interest
Dates of coverage: varies by publication

Web of Science

Indexes thousands of peer-reviewed science and social science journals
No full text but links to many of the full text articles elsewhere via Journal Finder
Especially important: cited reference search finds articles citing a previously published article or book
Includes Social Sciences Citation Index and Science Citation Index
Dates of coverage: 1955+

Looking for the full text of the article? Go to Journal Finder and enter the name of the journal.

APA Style

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 6th edn. Copies at the Reference Desk and Reserve Desk BF76.7 .P83 2010

Examples:

Text of an electronic journal article retrieved via a DOI number:

Smith, W.C. (1993). Role of early supervisory experience in supervisor performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(4), 443-449.

doi:10.1037/002-9432.76.4.482

Text of an electronic article without a DOI number, use the URL:

Painter, J. (2008). Cartographic anxiety and the search for regionality. Environment and Planning A, 40, 342-361. Retrieved from

http://www.envplan.com/epa/fulltext/a40/a38255.pdf

Article from a print or microfilm journal:

VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference elements in the selection of resources by psychology

undergraduates. Journal of Bibliographic Research, 5(2), 117-123.

APA, MLA, Turabian Citation Style Information

Tests and Measurements

Mental Measurements Yearbook

Information about and reviews of commercially available, English-language standardized measurements covering educational skills, personality, aptitude, intelligence, and related areas.
Does not have copies of the actual tests
1972+

ETS Test Locator

Descriptions of tests, citations to scholarly reviews of tests, and publisher contact information including 10,000 from the Educational Testing Service Tests in Microfiche collection, the ERIC Document Reproduction Service, or described in journal articles or book chapters.
Tests listed in the collection are not available from ERIC/AE; however, if the contact information indicates the test is archived in the Tests in Microfiche collection at the ETS, that test usually is available in Jackson Library on microfiche LB1131 .T550 under the ETS tracking number
1989 +

Directory of Unpublished Mental Measures. Bert A. Goldman and others.

Lists unpublished test instruments as they have been mentioned and used in the research articles of 37 professional psychology and education journals
Test information provided: Test name, purpose, number or items, format, reliability, validity, author, article examined, journal in which the article appeared, and related research; author and cumulative subject indexes
Arranged in 24 subject categories
Location: ref BF431 .G625
1974+

Test Critiques

Each annual volume contains approximately 100 critical reviews of commercial tests most frequently used in psychological assessment, business, and education
Information included: description of the development and applications of the test, technical data, critiques, list of references
Location: ref BF176 .T419
1984+

Useful Websites

National Institute of Mental Health

Children, Youth and Families Education and Research Network

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers & Families

National Parent Information Network

Kids Count Databook
A national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the U.S. It provides policymakers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being.

What are Scholarly Journals?

Primary vs Secondary Sources definitions and examples (UC-Berkeley). Watch this flash tutorial for help identifying primary sources

Author Info: Nancy Ryckman