Introduction to literature searching - PSY1011

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Today we are going to cover...• Choosing resources

• Using a few different databases

• Searching effectively for journal articles

• Evaluating information

• Using information ethically (citing and referencing)

• Start these things now and your life will be much easier!!

What do I need to use?

• Tip - Find general background information before using more specific and recent resources – don’t confuse yourself!

• Consider how you are assessed - what is the question? Is it general or very specific?

• Does it require latest research?

• Example this module – short essays, very general questions, definitions of topic

Your essay questions PSY1011 • Essay 2: Developmental psychology

• What is the difference between sex and gender? How does �the latter develop?

• Many psychologists believe child development occurs in �discrete stages. Consider at least two theories which put forward this position and outline the evidence for and against them.

• How does psychological development continue in adolescence �and adulthood?

Getting into the databases...

REMEMBER! Always use MyUniHub as a gateway to library

resources

Summon• Simple database useful for your first year

• Will cross search library resources: books, journal databases, newspaper articles

• Remember - NOT subject specific

Your essay questions PSY1011 • Essay 2: Developmental psychology

• What is the difference between sex and gender? How does �the latter develop?

• Many psychologists believe child development occurs in �discrete stages. Consider at least two theories which put forward this position and outline the evidence for and against them.

• How does psychological development continue in adolescence �and adulthood?

Exercise 1

• Do a search on Summon for one of the other questions and play around with the search limits at the side.

• Find the 1 or 2 resource(s) you think most useful from your search results . Think about the activity we did last session regarding what each resource is good for.

• Is it a book or journal?

• How did you find it – are there other words you could use?

Your essay questions PSY1011 • Essay 2: Developmental psychology

• What is the difference between sex and gender? How does �the latter develop?

• Many psychologists believe child development occurs in �discrete stages. Consider at least two theories which put forward this position and outline the evidence for and against them.

• How does psychological development continue in adolescence �and adulthood?

PsycINFO • Specific psychology database - subject specific information

unlike other databases like Summon (searches all subjects) or Web of Knowledge (search broadly across sciences or social sciences)

• Articles are tagged with psychology subject headings when indexed – useful for searching

• Not completely full text but can limit results to full text • Run by APA • Worth noting US bias – if being comprehensive in search

would have to take this into account and use other resources as well

Getting into the databases...

REMEMBER! Always use MyUniHub as a gateway to library

resources

Searching PsycINFO for....

Postpartum depression and the effect on children’s mental development and well being

What are the important concepts in the question?

Are there other terms for the same ideas?

Example search ...

Limiting results ...

Exercise 2• Question: Evaluate two studies looking at

teenage drug use and mental health

• Keywords and concepts

• Synonyms > narrower terms (if we get too many results)

• Elements we could add to focus the search

Exercise 2Drugs

Synonyms:

Medicationsubstance

Narrower terms:

Prozac Cannabisheroine

Mental health

Synonyms:

Cognitive development Well being Psychosocial development

Narrower terms:

SchizophreniaDepressionpsychosis

Teenagers

Synonyms:

YouthsAdolescentsYoung people

Narrower terms:

Specific age groups

Evaluating what you’ve found

Is it what you need and is it trustworthy?

What criteria would you use to assess the relevance and quality of the information?

• Currency How old is this information? When was it last updated?

• Authority Who is the author? Site creator, organisation, scholarly / peer reviewed journals etc?

• Intent What is the purpose of the website / information? e.g. financial gain, academic

• Relevance Is this what I need? Will it answer my question? Is it at the right level?

• Objectivity Balanced view? Opposing views represented? References?

Exercise 3• Work in groups

• 4 resources and evaluation sheet

• For each resource, decide as a group if it meets the criteria.

• No need to read the whole thing!

Referencing• Is very important• Acknowledges other people’s work (avoids

plagiarism)• Shows you’ve read around the subject• Supports your discussion and arguments• Gets you better marks!• Enables others to find your references

Referencinghttp://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/plagiarismreferencing

Citing & Referencing style guide

Need help?

• Librarians in the Specialist Zone (1st floor) 11-3 Monday - Friday

• Ask a Librarian http://askalibrarian.mdx.ac.uk/• Psychology Library Subject Guide

http://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/psy