Counselor Education, Counseling Psychology & Rehabilitation Services
Carol Wright, Education Librarian
caw4@psu.edu ~ 814-865-0666 502 Paterno Library
Common Search Tips for using Electronic Databases
Vocabulary |
Use the appropriate search terms used by each database. Terms may vary, and will significantly affect the results of your search. Note the difference between keywords and subject headings. Subject headings are 'official' terms used to categorize titles under a common topic.Use of each of these commands will yield significantly different results. |
Combining terms |
and [so that both terms are retrieved] .... or [so that either term is retrieved] ....... not [so that one term is eliminated] ........ |
Truncation |
The LIAS symbol to truncate for variant endings is $ . For example, the search: k chil$ retrieves: childhood, Chilcott, etc. This symbol varies among databases. Internet search engines often use * |
Limit |
Limit by date, language, etc. See CAT ‘help’ for more information. |
A. Indexes /Abstracts in Education / Psychology / Behavioral Sciences
See http://www.libraries.psu.edu/instruction/subject/masterlistresgd.htm to find lists of databases for specific topics.The most commonly used ones for your topic are listed here, and are on the E-Resource List [A-Z], at http://www.lias.psu.edu:80/alall.html
ERIC -- Educational Resources Information Center
ERIC, (Education Resources Information Center), is a premier database of journal and non-journal education literature, with more than 1.1 million citations since 1966. Sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Dept. of Education.
ERIC covers two types of literature:
Journals [over 1000 scholarly, professional and practitioner journals]
ERIC Documents [non-journal literature, such as conference papers, standards reports, etc. Not peer-reviewed].
The recommended ERIC search interface for PSU users is Cambridge Scientific Abstracts.
What Works Clearinghouse
Created in 2002, the goal of the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) is to identify findings of scientific evidence. The WWC collects, screens, and identifies studies of the effectiveness of educational interventions (programs, products, practices, and policies); reviews studies that have the strongest design; and reports on the strengths and weaknesses of those studies against the WWC Evidence Standards. Study reports [ratings of individual studies and designs for reliability]; intervention reports [findings that meet WWC Evidence Standards for a particular intervention]; topic reports [description of topic and each intervention that the WWC reviewed]
http://www.w-w-c.org/
Professional
Development Collection
Over 515 full text journals, including nearly 350 peer-reviewed
titles, with some full text as far back as 1965; full text for
selected education pamphlets, and a searchable images database.
Education
Abstracts Full Text [Wilson]
Over 625 periodicals, with indexing from 1983; full text for many
since 1994.
PsycINFO
Comprehensive international database for psychology: journals,
book chapters, literature reviews, etc. Many in full text, including APA journals.
Of Related Subject Interest:
CQ
Researcher
Weekly "magazine" that explores in-depth a single
"hot issue" currently being discussed in the news.
Topics include social issues, politics, economics, the environment,
education, science, and more. Each issue includes an essay outlining
the issue, a pro-con feature, a chronology, and a bibliography.
ABI
Inform
business-oriented; for subjects such as marketing, company information,
industry trends, human resources, economic policy, health care,
consumer
products and services.
Academic
Universe /Lexis Nexis
Wide range of news, business, legal, and reference information.
Covers many
news sources for 20 years; Court cases and statutes from all
federal and state
jurisdictions.
Ethnic
NewsWatch
comprehensive full text of the newspapers, magazines and journals
of the
ethnic, minority and native press.
Policy
File
public policy and analysis from public policy think tanks, university
research
programs, research organizations and publishers.
Sociological
Abstracts
sociology, social work, and other social sciences
Higher
Education Abstracts
Multicultural Education Abstracts
Opposing
Viewpoints Resource Center
Provides research and background information on social issues,
including essays, statistics, primary documents, links to websites,
and full-text magazine and newspaper articles.
B. Government Documents
Congressional and Legislative Resources
Link from E-Resource
List [A-Z], http://www.lias.psu.edu/alall.html
The Social Sciences Library [2nd floor Paterno] is the prime location for government publications. That library’s web site http://www.libraries.psu.edu/socialsciences/ has many important links, including guides to research.
C. Citation indexes [Cited Reference Searching]
On E-Resource List [A-Z], select Web of Science, or Social Science Citation Index / Science Citation Index / Arts and Humanities Citation Index
Cited Reference Searching is useful to determine what newer works have cited an older work in their bibliographies. If you know that Smith’s 1991 work is seminal in the field, you are likely interested in who else has cited that 1991 work in more recent articles. Cited Reference Searching lets your searching move forward in time, rather than the typical retrospective search. See http://scientific.thomson.com/tutorials/citedreference/crsmenu.htm for a demonstration.
D. Statistical Sources
For background, read Statistics Every Writer Should Know - http://www.robertniles.com/stats/
CAT subject search
Combine the subdivision '-statistics' with major subject headings
Statistics Resources
on the Education and Behavioral Sciences Library
http://www.libraries.psu.edu/ebsl/howdoi/statistics.htm
NationalCenter for Education Statistics
www.nces.ed.gov
Includes the Encyclopedia of ED Stats http://www.nces.ed.gov/edstats/ , Digest of Education Statistics, Condition of Education Statistics, Projections of Education Statistics to 2008, Education Indicators: An International Perspective, and Youth Indicators 1996
Statistical Universe [on E-Resource List A-Z]
Index to statistical data in federal agency government publications;
many full text.
Statistical Abstracts of the US
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/
The National Data Book, it contains a collection of statistics
on social and economic conditions in
the US;
selected international data.
go to top
E. Selected Background / Overview resources
Concise encyclopedia of special education : a reference for the education of the handicapped and other exceptional children and adults 2nd ed.
EBSL Ref LC4007.E53 2002
Comprehensive
Handbook of Multicultural School Psychology
LB1027.55.C655 2005 5th Floor Paterno
The
Concise Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science 3rd ed.
EBSL Ref BF31.E52 2004
Counselor
Preparation: Programs, Faculty, Trends 11th ed.
BF637.C6C687 2004 5th Floor Paterno
Encyclopedia
of Applied Developmental Science
EBSL Ref HQ767.84.E52 2005
Encyclopedia
of Applied Psychology
EBSL Ref
BF636.E529 2004
Fifty
Key Thinkers in Psychology
BF109.A1S49
2004 5th Floor Paterno
Group
Counseling in K-12 Schools: A Handbook for School Counselors
LB1027.5.G735 2003 5th Floor Paterno
The
Handbook of Chicana/o Psychology and Mental Health
RC451.5.M48H36 2004 4th Floor Paterno
Handbook
of Couples Therapy
RC488.5.H3263 2005 4th Floor Paterno
Handbook
of Interventions that Work with Children and Adolescents: Prevention
and Treatment
RJ499.3.H363 2004 4th Floor Paterno
Handbook
of Pediatric Psychology in School Settings
LB1027.55.H36 2004 5th Floor Paterno
International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences
on the A-Z List http://www.lias.psu.edu/alall.html
Professional
School Counseling: A Handbook of Theories, Programs & Practices
LB1027.5.P6593
2004 5th Floor Paterno
Reproductive
Issues in America: A Reference Handbook
RG133.5.M47 2003 4th Floor Paterno
Student
Services: A Handbook for the Profession 4th ed.
LB2342.92.K65 Mont Alto
How
to Prepare a Dissertation Proposal: Suggestions for Students in Education
and the Social and Behavioral Sciences
LB2369.K723 2005 5th Floor Paterno
F. Methodology
Completing
Your Thesis or Dissertation: Professors Share Their Techniques and
Strategies
LB2369.C64
2000 5th Floor Paterno
Educational
Research, Methodology and Measurement :
an International Handbook 2nd ed. Pergamon, c1997.
LB1028.E3184
1997 5th Floor Paterno
Designing & Conducting Research: Inquiry in Education & Social Science
BF76.5.D68996 5th Floor Paterno
First
Steps in Research and Statistics: A Practical Workbook for Psychology
Students
BF76.5.H69
5th Floor Paterno
How
to Design and Evaluate Research in Education
EBSL Ref LB1028.F665
Interpreting
Educational Research: An Introduction for Consumers of Research
3rd ed.
LB1028.H537
2002 5th Floor Paterno
Research
Methods in Psychology 2nd ed.
BF76.5.R466
2000 5th Floor Paterno
G. Data Sets for Research
Web site designed to support the acquisition and use of secondary datasets which are available for research. PSU is a member of ICPSR, providing downloadable datasets and codebooks from their website. The Libraries also subscribes to Sociometrics, and the Roper Institute iPoll, among others.
H. Images
CAMIO (Catalog of Art Museum Images Online)
CAMIO (Catalog of Art Museum Images Online) offers rights-cleared, high-quality art images for class projects, art history and studio art programs, course Web sites, lectures, presentations, and research resources.
http://www.lias.psu.edu/entry/camio.html
Newspaper
Photos (AccuNet/AP Photo Archive)
An average of 800 state, regional, national and international photos
added daily; after a year, approximately 200 of the best daily photos
are retained permanently.
http://www.lias.psu.edu/dball.html#PHOTOARCHIVE
I. Associations
Associations
Unlimited
More than 158,000 detailed listings for local
/ national organizations all over the world.
http://www.lias.psu.edu/dball.html#EA
J. Citing Your Sources
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
[APA Style Manual] 5th ed,
2001. BF76.7.A46 at all reference desks in Paterno
Library [2nd, 3rd, 4th floors]
The APA [American
Psychological Association] Electronic Reference Formats
recommended by the American Psychological Association
Includes email communications web sites, articles and abstracts
from electronic databases, and weB citations in text. http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html
Also, see sample citations provided at http://www.libraries.psu.edu/instruction/infolit/andyou/mod8/mod8main.htm
K. Materials in Other Libraries
Virtual
Electronic Library (CIC)
The CIC Virtual Electronic Library (VEL) allows students
and faculty of the CIC-Big 10 to access and use any information
resources owned or licensed by the CIC Universities.
WorldCAT
A databaseof over 24 million volumes. At
each record screen, click the button "Libraries with this item."
PSU Interlibrary
Loan (http://www.libraries.psu.edu/tas/ill/)
Request materials not owned by PSU Libraries.
L. Presentation
Career
Advancement Portfolio
LB1775.2.I72
20005th Floor Paterno
Portfolio
Guidebook: Implementing Quality in an Age of Standards.
2000.
LB1029.P67K62
Synthesizing
Research: A Guide for Literature Reviews 3rd Ed. c1998
H62.C5859
1998 3rd Floor Paterno
Writing
Empirical Research Reports: A Basic Guide for Students of Social
and Behavioral Sciences 3rd Ed.
LB2369.P97
5th Floor Paterno
Writing
Literature Reviews: A Guide for Students of the Social and Behavioral
Sciences 1999
H61.8.G3
1999 3rd Floor Paterno
Career Advancement Portfolio 2000.LB1775.2.I72 2000
Please send comments or suggestions to Carol Wright, Education & Behavioral Sciences Library, Penn State University.