There are several specialized encyclopedias & dictionaries in McCabe's Reference section. These sources are always a good place to get an overview of your topic as you are getting started. These are just a few examples (including 2 online resources):
Subject Portal » Psychology » Course Guides »
Need Help?
- Meg Spencer, Science Librarian (SC)
- Pamela Harris, Outreach and Instruction Librarian (SC)
Related Subjects:
Databases A-Z:
Other:
ED 121 : Child Psychology and Practice (SC)
finding definitions & background information:
AccessScience @ McGraw-Hill
The online version of Encyclopedia of Science & Technology which has good overview articles for all Science disciplines including Psychology & Psychiatry. Provides full-text access to articles, dictionary terms, biographies, research updates and links to related websites in all areas of science and technology. Covers 2000-present.
A dictionary of psychology
Online access to the 2nd edition (2006) of the Oxford Dictionary of Psychology.
Encyclopedia of cognitive science
Publisher: London ; Nature Pub. Group, 2003.
McCabe Reference BF311 .E56 2003 v. 1-4
Encyclopedia of psychology
Publisher: Washington, D.C. : American Psychological Association ; 2000.
McCabe Reference BF31 .E524 2001 v. 1-8
finding books:
Education books can be found in the L section of the library. Psychology books are mostly found in the BF section. Psychology books with a more MEDICAL slant to them may be found in the QP section of the library (both McCabe AND Cornell).
WorldCat
Provider: OCLC
A catalog of the holdings of books, journals, and other materials held by OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) member libraries. Includes manuscripts, maps, films and sound recordings. Covers works published before 1,000 BC-present.
finding articles:
CLICK on 
to get online access to the article. If Swarthmore does not have access to the online article, you will be given the option to check Tripod for print access, or it will automatically fill out an InterLibrary Loan request form for you!
If you are planning to do any research off-campus, you will need to log-in to EZ-PROXY, which is Swarthmore's proxy server. Once you have logged-in through the proxy server, your access to library resources will be allowed.
to get online access to the article. If Swarthmore does not have access to the online article, you will be given the option to check Tripod for print access, or it will automatically fill out an InterLibrary Loan request form for you!If you are planning to do any research off-campus, you will need to log-in to EZ-PROXY, which is Swarthmore's proxy server. Once you have logged-in through the proxy server, your access to library resources will be allowed.
PsycINFO
Provider: CSA
The best starting point for finding scholarly resources in psychology, including journal articles, books, and book chapters. Covers 1887-present.
To retrieve recent journal articles in English:
Use to see if the article is available online, in print, or if you'll need to request it via Interlibrary Loan.
To retrieve recent journal articles in English:
- Find the Limit Search To box on the right and select MORE.
- Click the More button under the Limit Search To box on the right
- Click Methodology on the left, then select Empirical Study.
- Use the Thesaurus to determine the “descriptors” (subject headings) used in this database for your concept. Search for terms, click the checkboxes next to the terms you want to search, and then click Search Marked near the top of that window.
- Try several synonyms, connected with OR, to find the maximum number of articles on your topic. (Example: teenagers OR adolescents)
- If you have a term with several possible endings, use an asterisk to stand for the different endings. (Example: child* = child, children, childhood, etc.)
- If you are getting too many results, search for your terms in the DE (descriptor fields) or AB (abstract) instead of the default, “terms anywhere”.
Use
to see if the article is available online, in print, or if you'll need to request it via Interlibrary Loan.
Web of Science
This multidisciplinary database can be searched by subject, author, and journal title. Articles that CITE a known author or work can also be searched. Cited reference searching helps identify more recent articles on the same topic. Coverage for the Social Sciences Citation Index in WofS goes back to 1956. Use this database if your thesis topic has a sociological slant.
ERIC
Provider: CSA
Provides abstracts to journal articles and ERIC Digest records on all aspects of education. Many digest records are in full-text. Covers 1966-present.
finding online resources:
CogNet library
A searchable collection of journals, books, reference works, and conference materials in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Some materials are in full-text.
CogPrints
An electronic archive of papers related to the study of cognition, including such areas as psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, many areas of computer science, philosophy, biology, medicine, and anthropology.
JSTOR
Provides full-text and page images from many of the top journals in most academic disciplines. Coverage is from the inception of the journal through three to five years ago. There is a collection of Psychology journals in JSTOR.
PubMed central
Provides full-text access to life sciences journal literature. Sponsored by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Coverage dates vary by journal.
Bryn Mawr College Librarians have created an excellent Research Guide which provides access to many Psych tools.
format your bibliography:
Publication manual of the American Psychological Association.
Publisher: Washington, DC : American Psychological Association, c2001.
An IN-TEXT citation would look like this:
Dean (2000) compared aliens
In a recent study of aliens (Dean, 2000)
This is an example of a BOOK citation in your reference list:
Dean, J. (1998). Aliens in America : conspiracy cultures from outerspace to cyberspace.
Ithaca, NewYork: Cornell University Press.
This is an example of a JOURNAL citation:
Hawkins, J. (2004). Mothership and celebrity: scientology in Hollywood. Journal of
Paranormal Psychology, 2, 216-231.
EXAMPLE APA REFERENCE LIST
Dean, J. (1998). Aliens in America : conspiracy cultures from outerspace to cyberspace.
Ithaca, NewYork: Cornell University Press.
Hawkins, J. (2004). Mothership and celebrity: scientology in Hollywood. Journal of
Paranormal Psychology, 2, 216-231.
Mack, J. E. (1999). Passport to the cosmos : human transformation and alien encourters
(1st ed.). New York: Crown Publishers.
Stephens, W. (2002). Demon lovers : witchcraft, sex, and the crisis of belief. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press.
The pocket handbook for psychology
Publisher: Boston, Mass. : Heinle ; c2004.
McCabe Reference BF76 .7 .K57 2004
Duke University Citation Guide
This online citation guide provides good information on how to cite all types of resources, including APA. (Although if you end up using Endnote Web to format your bibliography, you won't have to worry about this!)
interlibrary loan:
While Swarthmore has a really good library, obviously there will be times when we don't actually own something you've located in your research. That is when you'll need to borrow from other libraries and to do this you will need InterLibrary Loan (ILL).
BOOKS: For books NOT available in Tripod, try E-Z Borrow and request books directly from nearby Pennsylvania & NJ libraries. Books usually arrive within a few days. If the book is not available via EZ Borrow, try Interlibrary Loan.
JOURNAL ARTICLES: For journal article requests, fill out the article request form on the Interlibrary Loan page.
getting more help:
Pamela Harris, pharris1, x2056
If you need research assistance, I am at the Reference Desk on Monday evenings 7:00-10:00 pm. You can also make an appointment to meet in my office, McCabe Level 1, to the right of the French Dictionaries!
Meg Spencer, mspence1, x7685
I am the Science Librarian and can be found in Cornell Science Library, or at the McCabe Reference Desk on Wednesday mornings, 10:00 am - 12:30 pm.