Psychology: Get Started

Subject Areas:

• Music, Studio Art, Theater
• Communication
• Criminal Justice
• Sociology 
• Psychology 
• Chemistry, Biochemistry 
• Environmental Sciences
• Physics
• Geology

Don't forget to browse the stacks!

Our library uses the Library of Congress Classification system.

To get started searching our physical collection, we recommend starting here:

BF Psychology 

If you are still unsure of where to look, please visit the info desk to ask for library student assistance.

Need off-campus access?

Library Services now uses OpenAthens as a proxy server! Follow these steps:

• Use library provided link to the database you wish to use.
• You will be prompted for your Juniata username and password.
• After entering your login info, you will be authenticated as a Juniata user for the remainder of your browser session.

Best Bets: Databases

Unsure of which Databases to use for Psychology?
Here is where we recommend starting:

PsychArticles (EBSCOhost)

Find full text journals published by the American Psychological Association hosted by EBSCO.

PsychInfo (EBSCOhost) 

The PsycINFO® database, American Psychological Association’s (APA) renowned resource for abstracts of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, books, and dissertations, is the largest resource devoted to peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health.

SAGE Journals and Backfile 

Find over 600 peer-reviewed journals with deep back-file coverage in 20 disciplines. Browsing journals by discipline includes the following subjects: Health Sciences, Life & Biomedical Sciences, Materials Sciences & Engineering, Social Sciences & Humanities, etc.

Citation Format: APA

You may be wondering - what is included in a citation?

• Author
• Title of source
• Title of container
• Other contributors
• Version
• Number
• Publisher
• Publication date
• Location

So, how do you organize all of that information to ensure you're giving credit to the author(s)?

For online resources, we recommend Purdue Owl at: https://owl.purdue.edu/ to get started.

Remember - this to get started, you do not want to copy and paste! It is a tool to help you build the bones of your citation - always edit before turning your work in!

For a book or eBook, we recommend:

To get access, please search our library catalog and request through InterLibrary Loan (ILL services) - do not procrastinate using this service - it will take time to arrive.

Search Tips

Getting Started:

When searching in any search engine, (databases, library catalog, google scholar, etc.) it is best to use keywords rather than typing the full question or topic. For example, if your question is:

""

Remover the filler words such as . Break the question down into categories like this:

Next, brainstorm synonyms OR related key words. You may type words such as these in the search bar:

Advanced Search Tips:

Using Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT)

Boolean operators are used to either refine or expand your search. They are placed in between your keywords to yield more specific search results.

Visual Brainstorming:

If you prefer to draw when brainstorming, you may want to draw a concept map. You can do this on paper, a white board, or a smart board. For online resources focused on concept mapping, we recommend Canva.

Unsure if you should use a source for your research?

Have you ever wondered if the author of a source is legitimate? Or have you ever felt overwhelmed by the amount of information you collected and start to wonder if all of your sources relate to your research topic? Does the website you found information on seem outdated or sketchy?

Check out this nifty acronym - CRAAP. Oh CRAAP! I can't tell if this source is credible...

The CRAAP Test exists to help you identify credibility and relevance of source. The purpose of the test is to sort through sources and determine whether or not some choices are appropriate for your research.