Professors Mija Van Der Wege and Sharon Akimoto

Spring 2009

The research process…

Research is not a linear process; it is a matter of trying something, evaluating and learning from the results, refining your strategy, trying something else, and exploring. It should fun - finding new information and thinking about what that might mean for your topic.  This list is not meant to be taken literally as a strict procedure; instead these are questions to keep in mind as you do your research. 

…remember also that the librarians are here to help.

1.  What discipline or disciplines am I working in?

• Subject research guides: Library site -> Find -> Subject Research Guide
• Databases by subject: Library site -> Find -> Electronic Resources: Full list by subject

2.  What sources do I already have?

• Do they mention other sources of information or data (bibliography)?
• Do they use specific terminology or wording?

3.  What type of literature or information do I need?

4.  How and where will I search for the information I need?

• Some places you may want to start:
  • Reference sources - for overviews of a broad topic, definitions of terms, and background information.
    
  • PsycInfo - abstracts for more than 1,700 leading psychological, psychiatric, and related publications.  Links to the full text of many of the articles.  Many others are available in print.
    
  • Web of Science - a citation index of more the world's leading scholarly journals.  Great for finding articles based on who has cited an article, or for finding articles in interdisciplinary fields.
  • Annual Reviews - reviews of significant primary research.  Titles include Reviews in Psychology, Neuroscience, Clinical Psychology
  • Animal behavior Abstracts
  • Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts
  • CSA Neuroscience Abstracts
    

5.  What keywords or terms could be used to describe my topic?

6.  After running a few searches: What results am I getting?  Am I getting too many results?  Too few?

7.  What refinements should I make to my search in light of those results?

8.  How will I use the results that I’ve found?

9.  What information am I still missing?

Selected Reference Works

Begin your research with reference works to find background information, locate statistics and facts, and build a bibliography.

A Dictionary of Psychology
2009, Oxford Reference Online - A quick way to find authoritative definitions of terms in psychology.

Encyclopedia Of Psychology
Ref BF31 .E52 2000
This eight-volume encyclopedia is international in scope and provides comprehensive coverage of theory, research, and practice in the field of psychology. Articles (which include 400 biographies) are arranged alphabetically and extensive bibliographies accompany each article.

Encyclopedia of Neuroscience
2009, Elsevier - Contains entries on neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry and other related areas of neuroscience.  Each article has a glossary and bibliography.

Encyclopedia of the Cognitive Science
Ref BF311 .E53 2003
This 4-volume encyclopedia contains longer articles, each written by a leading researcher on the topic and followed by a list of references and suggestions for further readings.

Encyclopedia of Human Intelligence
Ref BF431 .E59 1994
This two-volume encyclopedia contains over 250 cross-referenced articles on all aspects of human intelligence. A bibliography appears at the end of each entry and there are some illustrations and tables.

Dictionary of Statistics & Methodology: A Nontechnical Guide for the Social Sciences
Ref HA17 .V64 1999
Definitions for roughly 2,000 statistical concepts and methodological terms comprise this dictionary. No mathematical formulas are given, however.

Style Guide: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
Ref BF76.7 .P83 2001
Using the proper citation format in your bibliography is important, so consult the APA's official style guide. Subject Encyclopedias and Dictionaries:

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Finding Books

Bridge - the joint catalog for Carleton and St. Olaf libraries, an access point for all of the books, periodicals, government documents, and electronic resources available at the two colleges.  Library of Congress Subject Headings are the words and phrases you can use to do a subject search in Bridge (as opposed to a word search, where you may use any words you like). The term Depression is not a complete subject heading. By using the proper subject heading (Depression, Mental) you avoid getting results like The History of Banking in America.

Call Numbers

Browsing the stacks can help you evaluate the library's collection in a given field of study. The following call number ranges contain works relevant to psychology:

• BF1-37 - Psychology (general works)
• BF173-175.5 - Psychoanalysis
• BF176-198.7 - Psychological tests and experimental psychology
• BF199 - Behaviorism
• BF203 - Gestalt psychology
• BF207-209 - Psychotropic drugs and other substances
• BF231-299 - Sensation
• BF309-499 - Consciousness and cognition
• BF501-505 - Motivation
• BF511-593 - Affection, feeling, and emotion
• BF608-635 - Will, volition, choice, and control
• BF636-637 - Applied psychology
• BF660-685 - Comparative psychology, animal and human psychology
• BF692-692.5 - Psychology of sex and sexual behavior
• BF697-697.5 - Differential psychology, individuality, and self
• BF698-698.9 - Personality
• BF712-724.85 - Developmental psychology
• QP351-495 - Neurophysiology and neuropsychology
• RC321-571 - Neurosciences, biological psychiatry, and neuropsychiatry
• RM300-666 - Drugs and their actions

WorldCat
Search WorldCat, an online catalog for libraries throughout the world, to find books that Carleton and St. Olaf don't have. If you find a book through WorldCat that is not at Carleton or St. Olaf libraries, you will need to order the book through InterLibrary Loan.

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