Skip to Main Content
Return to the NEIU Libraries home page

Psychology Research Guide

Guide to Library Resources in Psychology and Gerontology

Introduction to Library Research in Psychology

Library Research Quick Reference

You need Classic Research
  • Copy of selected classic source article
  • Biographical information on primary author

Brief Psychological Research Report

  • One article that discusses a theme pertinent to psychology and your selected work of art

Research Strategy Meeting

  • Group appointment with librarian Lisa Wallis to discuss research topic
Resources to use
Class handout Introduction to Library Research in Psychology (PDF)

Important Links

Off campus? Use your NEIU NetID and password to login.

 

 

Classic Research

Full Text of the Classic Source Article

Search PsycINFO for the article title. For example, "On the Pathogenesis of Some Impulsions" by Pierre Janet

Search in PsycINFO for On the Pathogenesis of Some Impulsions showing the result with link to full text

Note that some results are about this work. Be sure to select the result By the primary author of interest.

Biographical Information on the Primary Author

Search Credo Reference for their full name.

Search of Credo Reference for Pierre Janet showing one encyclopedia entry

If Credo does not provide a detailed enough entry for your author, try The Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography:

Search in The Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography showing a result for Pierre Janet

Brief Psychological Research Report

Article on Psychological Theme Related to Artwork

Once you have selected a work of art, read it / view it / listen to it and identify a psychological concept related to it.

Search PsycINFO for one or more keywords related to the concept.

For example, The Cradle (1872)

Berthe Morisot 008 Berthe Morisot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The psychologically related theme in this painting might be "attachment theory".

A PsycINFO search for that phrase turns up over 8,000 results

Narrow it down by using filters like

  • Subject: Major Heading such as "mother child relations"
  • Methodology like "literature review"
  • published in the last 10 years, last 5 years, etc.

The Purdue OWL APA guide gives specific instructions about citing audiovisual media (including artwork). Be sure to check it out!

Find the Full Text of an Article

If you start your search at the NEIU Libraries homepage, the links you follow will identify you as an NEIU user. This will help simplify linking to our resources.

Once you do a search in an article database, use links like these to get the full text of the article:

Find It at NEIU  ORAccess options for the full text of an article in an EBSCOhost database search result list
 

They will link you to the NEIU Libraries catalog and let you know if we have a subscription to the article, making it available immediately via a link.

If the full text of an article is not available online, you will be directed to request a copy of the article through WorldShare interlibrary loan. Learn more about WorldShare, which you can access with your NEIU NetID and password.