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Psychology Research Guide

Guide to Library Resources in Psychology and Gerontology

Psychology Research in PsycINFO

Assignment Quick Reference

You need 7 peer-reviewed articles, 4 of which are empirical studies
Database to use PsycINFO, found on the Databases & Online Resources list
Class handout Psychology Research in PsycINFO PDF version or Word version

Important Links

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

Effective Search Strategies

Step 1: Plan Your Strategy

Don't just start typing keywords. Plan your approach first.

Break down your topic into main concepts:

  • What are the 2-3 main ideas in your research question?
  • What synonyms or related terms could you use?
  • How will you combine them?

Example Topic: Social media's impact on adolescent mental health

Step 2: Use Subject Headings (PsycINFO's Secret Weapon!)

Subject headings are official tags that psychology experts have assigned to each article.

Why subject headings matter: Instead of searching for words that just happen to appear in articles, you're searching for what psychology experts determined each article is actually about.

How to use them:

  • Start with keyword search to explore
  • Try searching using "Subjects - SU" field instead of "All Fields"
  • For age groups, use a filter instead of a subject heading (see below)

Example Subject: Major Heading filter


PsycINFO results showing full Subjects listing

Step 3: Use Additional Filters

  Your research topic is specifically about adolescents.

Where to find it in PsycINFO:  Look for the All Filters button under the search field. Then look for the "Age" options.

Using the Age filter to limit research to Adolescence

  Your assignment requires peer-reviewed articles only.

Where to find it in PsycINFO: Look for the "Scholarly (Peer-reviewed)" button under the search field.

Scholarly (Peer-reviewed) limited in EBSCOhost PsycINFO

Identifying Empirical Studies

  Your assignment requires at least 4 empirical studies (original research with data collection and analysis).

What Makes an Article "Empirical"?

Look for these keywords in the abstract:

  • Methods, methodology, procedure
  • Participants, subjects, sample (with numbers)
  • Data collection, survey, experiment, interview
  • Results, findings, analysis
  • Statistics, correlation, significant difference

What is NOT Empirical?

  • Literature reviews (summaries of other research)
  • Meta-analyses (statistical summaries of multiple studies)
  • Theoretical articles (ideas without new data)
  • Opinion pieces or editorials

Examples

EMPIRICAL Example: "This study examined the relationship between social media use and anxiety in college students. 234 participants completed surveys measuring social media usage and anxiety levels. Results showed a significant positive correlation (r=.43, p<.01)..."

NOT EMPIRICAL Example:
"This literature review examines current theories about social media's impact on mental health. Previous research suggests several potential mechanisms..."

Abstract showing highlight terms that indicate the study was empirical

Search Tips & Troubleshooting

Getting Better Results in PsycINFO

Too many results?

  • Use subject headings instead of just keywords
  • Combine multiple concepts with AND
  • Try more specific terms
  • Use filters (age groups, methodology, etc.)

Too few results?

  • Use broader, more general terms
  • Try synonyms (anxiety = stress, worry, fear) combined with OR
  • Remove some search terms
  • Check spelling

Results don't look relevant?

  • Make sure you're using psychology-specific subject headings
  • Try searching in "Subjects - SU" field instead of "All fields"
  • Look at good results and see what subject headings they use

Cite Your Sources

APA Style Required