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Searching PsycInfo on CSA

Open PsycInfo

  1. From the Library Home Page, click on e-Resources in the column on the left or choose the Databases tab on the right. Select PsycInfo from the alphabetical pulldown list or from the Social Sciences section of the e-Resources page.

Search for Citations

Sample Topic: What are the effects of television on teenagers?

  1. In the search box, type words connected with operators or type a phrase.
  2. Click Search.

    Search string

Options:
  • Connect keywords with operators: AND (narrows your search), OR (broadens your search), NOT (excludes certain records).
  • Use an asterisk to retrieve an unlimited number of characters at the end of a search term.
  • To search with more than one operator, do a nested search. Use parentheses to group related words separated by the operator OR: television and (youth or teen* or adolescen*)

View Results and Check Descriptors

After clicking Search you will be presented with a results list. Click View Record to see the full record. Notice the terms used to describe the record - aggresiveness, mass media, etc.; these terms are called Descriptors (DE).

Results

References and Cited by...

Most records will contain lists of "References" -- publications that have been cited by authors of the current article. These references can be a rich source of information and are often a quick way to find related articles.

"Cited by..." indicates that other authors have found the current article worth citing. These articles may be worth tracking down as well.

References

Use the Thesaurus to Focus Search

Descriptors can be used as starting points for searching a database's thesaurus. A thesaurus indicates which terms to use to retrieve the maximum number of relevant records.
  1. Choose Thesaurus from the Search Tools tab at the top of the page.
  2. Type the descriptor, choose the display option then click Display.

    A thesaurus search for "Television" using the Alphabetical Index:

    Thesaurus search

Given the sample topic of the effects of television on teens, Television Viewing is the most relevant descriptor listed.

Search for Authors

Searching for author names can be tricky. Sometimes an author's first name is included and sometimes only the first initial. The best approach for author searching is to use the author index.
  1. Click on the Search Tools tab, then the Indexes tab found at the top.
  2. Select "Author Index" from the pulldown menu.
  3. In the Search Index box, type the last name or last name and first initial of the author and click Go.
  4. Check the boxes beside your choice(s) and click Go on the left side.

Use the Advanced Search to Refine Results

The Advanced Search option provides a template of search fields for refining queries.

Using the "television viewing" and "adolescence" descriptors, do the following:

  1. Choose the Advanced Search tab at the top of the page.
  2. Type the descriptors and change the fields accordingly.
  3. Click Search.

    Advanced search box

Other fields of interest

PT= Publication type allows you to specify if you want to retrieve a Journal Article or Chapter or Conference Proceedings or...

PO= Population allows you to specify the group being discussed in the work, e.g., School Age (6-12 yrs), Adolescence (13-17 yrs), Adulthood (18 yrs & older), Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs).

Mark Records

You may not want all of your results. You can mark specific records for printing, saving or emailing by clicking the box of the desired record. Click the box again to unmark a record.

Marking records

Print, Save or Email Records

From the results list click on the Save/Print/Email button.

  • Printing: click the Print Preview button to display your records, then use the browser's print function.
  • Saving: select the type of computer you are using, then click the Save button to display your records, then use the browser's "save as" function. The file is saved as a text file (by default, csaresults.txt) which can be opened in any word-processing program.
  • Emailing: you must enter your email address in the To: and From: boxes.

    Use the Return to Results link at the top to go back to your search.

RefWorks

RefWorks is a web-based bibliographic citation manager. This tool will help you download, organize, and format all those citations according to the style guide you choose.

When you use RefWorks for the first time, you'll need to create an account. Then you can download references from library catalogs and other online databases. Once downloaded, you can organize references in folders, edit them, and with the click of the mouse, format them in the style you choose.

If you need help using RefWorks, ask a Reference Librarian.

Revised 2-February-2011
reference@lawrence.edu