Research Methods in Psychology Library Workshop Spring 2015
Jan 21, 2016
Research Methods in PsychologyLibrary Workshop
Spring 2015
Workshop Goals
Website overview Background research Finding articles with PsycINFO Managing citations Activity
Locate 3 articles required for course readings
Click here to order books/articles the library does not own
http://library.villanova.edu
Preparing to Search Investigate your topic
What do you? What don’t you know?
Think about your topic in terms of key concepts Jot down a list of key words (2-3 similar words
for each key concept) to develop into search terms
Think about it differently = synonyms Develop a search strategy for finding scholarly
articles related to your topic Choose a database to search
http://library.villanova.edu/research/ereference/psych/
E-reference is a great place for background info.
Library Homepage < Guides < E-Reference Resources < Psychology
Psychology Subject Guide
Psychology Subject Guide
Research Methods Course Guide
What is a scholarly article? Scholarly articles have undergone a peer review process
prior to being published in a reputable journal. According to the Encyclopedia of Evaluation, peer review is:
Peer review refers generally to the evaluation of professional performance or products by other professionals and, more specifically, to a set of procedures for evaluating grant proposals and manuscripts submitted for publication. For peer-reviewed journals, content-matter specialists are asked to judge a manuscript, often using specified criteria and blinded to the author's identity. The journal editor considers reviewers' comments and decides whether the paper should be published, rejected, or revised and resubmitted. Similar procedures are used to review grant applications. Critiques of the peer review process focus on the low reliability of reviewers' recommendations, but the goal of peer review is to make good and defensible judgments rather than to have high reliability. Peer review is an example of an expertise-oriented approach to evaluation.
Parts of a Scholarly Article Author name and affiliation Abstract Introduction & literature review Method Procedure Results Discussion
Limitations Future Considerations
References Example Citation:Author, A.B., & Writer, C.D. (YEAR). Title of the article. Title
of the Journal, Volume#, begin page – end page. doi: 1053/45614-5643
What is a database?
From the Encyclopedia of Health Care Management A database is an organized collection of data that can be manipulated to
produce information specific to a user's needs. Conceptually, a database is an electronic filing system with an indexing structure linking to specific data elements. …The basic element of a database is a field, or variable. Each field in a database is specified as a fixed (maximum) number of characters, each equivalent to a byte of data. The data elements may be text, such as a patient name, or numeric, such as a birth date…A group of related fields is called a record.
PsycINFO
Truncation: an * placed at the end of a root tells the computer to search for all words containing that stem.Example: disab*=disability, disabled, disable, disabilities
Or, start at the Advanced Search screen.
Scroll all the way down to edit your search. Narrow by language, subject population, subject age, etc.
Results
Narrow your search
Mark the record for later; Save, Print, Email (and export to Refworks), or FindIt in full text.
Request items the library does not own.
Journal Finder: Known-Item Search
Journal Finder: Known-Item Search
Mining resources Once you have found a relevant article, review
the bibliography carefully. The resources used to write that paper will also be relevant to your research. This is looking into the past research.
We can look forward and see what subsequent studies have used your articles (i.e. – Your article A was written in 2005. In 2007, article B was written and used article A as a reference.).
Class Activity
Find the course-required articles using the following references:
Tulving, E. (1966). Subjective organization and effects of repetition in multi-trial free recall learning. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 5(2), 193-197. Kelly, D.R. & Bartone, P.T. (2014). Grit and hardiness as predictors of performance among West Point cadets. Military Psychology, 26(4), 327-342. Kinzel, A.F. (1970). Body-buffer zone in violent prisoners. American Journal of Psychiatry, 127(1), 59-64.
Cite Your Article...Why?
In scholarly research, readers must be able to go to the original source to verify the ideas and facts that you rely upon to make your argument.
Academic Integrity & Plagiarism
Your ideas supported by the research of others Paraphrase or direct
quote Always cite ideas of
others Readers can easily find
ideas or facts referenced in your paper
Copy & paste writing of others Weak paraphrasing does
not alter the original author’s writing sufficiently
Too many direct quotations No citations to ideas of
others Improper citations Readers are unable to
verify facts or ideas presented in your paper
Scholarly Research Plagiarism
Reference List: Formatting
List references in alphabetical order. Include only works that have been cited in the text of your
paper. Space evenly throughout. The first line of a citation should be flush left
Indent all subsequent lines (5 spaces).
References
Berelson, B. (1966). Content analysis in communication research. In
B. Berelson, and M. Janowitz (Eds.), Reader in Public Opinion and
Communication (2nd ed.), pp.260-266. New York, NY: Free Press.
Severin, W. J., and Tankard, J. W. (2001). Communication Theories:
Origins, Methods, and Uses in the Mass Media. New York, NY:
Addison Wesley Longman.
Shyles, L. (2002). Deciphering Cyberspace. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
Example of APA citation styleBrenson N., & Thomas O. (2011). International classification of function, disabilities, and health implications for school psychologist. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 26, 3-17. doi: 10.111/j.1467- 721.2011.01605.x
APA Citation Tips Use your APA Style guide Take advantage of the APA Style Topic
Guide The rules for writing author names
changes depending on the number of authors (1, 2, 3-7, more than 7)
Where is your ampersand? Is there a comma before it?
Did you include a DOI for electronic articles? Required by APA Style 6th Edition.
http://ezproxy.villanova.edu/login?URL=http://www.refworks.com/refworks
Need Help? Email: [email protected] Phone: 610-519-8845 Chat: Stop by: Falvey Learning Commons, 2nd floor, Room 227 Make an appointment on the subject guide. Please ask! Librarians are here to help you get what you
need.
t any stag of the research