PSY 1000 - Introduction to Psychology (Shaw)

MackSearch

Think of MackSearch like Google, but created specifically for McQuade- easy searching but with more credible results. MackSearch does a combination search of the NOBLE Catalog as well as most of our databases, so typically you'll get a lot a results back. This can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, but fortunately, you have several options to refine and limit your results list to find exactly what you're looking for. In MackSearch you'll find books, e-books, journal articles, streaming media, news briefs, and more.

Finding Peer-Reviewd Articles in MACKsearch

1. Enter the keywords (the main points of the research) into the search boxes 
2. After the initial search, you'll want to use the limiters on the left-hand side 
3. Select "Full-Text" and "Peer-Reviewed."
4. Set the date range- usually looking at the last 10 years is a good starting point 
5. Select "Academic Journals"
6. Take a look at your results list. Click on titles that stand out to you and read the abstract. If the article seems promising, consider reading the full text (which will be linked in the left-hand side of the record page).

• If your not finding articles that support your research, try changing up the keywords by thinking of synonyms or alternate terms, as well as different aspects of your topic. Depending on what keywords you use, you'll get different results back.

Finding News Articles in MACKsearch

1. Enter the keywords (the main points of the research) into the search boxes 
2. After the initial search, you'll want to use the limiters on the left-hand side 
3. Select "Full-Text" 
4. Set the date range- usually looking at the last 10 years is a good starting point 
5. Select "News"
6. Take a look at your results list. Click on titles that stand out to you and read the abstract. If the article seems promising, consider reading the full text (which will be linked in the left-hand side of the record page).

• If your not finding articles that support your research, try changing up the keywords by thinking of synonyms or alternate terms, as well as different aspects of your topic. Depending on what keywords you use, you'll get different results back.

Additional Information About MACKsearch:

• When you click on a title from your results list, you'll be brought to the record page. Here you find all of the bibliographic information needed for the citation, as well as an abstract (summary) that can help you determine if you'd like to pursue the full text. 
• PDF of the full-text is linked on the left-hand side of the record page
• To print an article, save it to Google drive, or to email the article, go to the Tools on the right-hand side of the record page. 
• Citations can also be found in the Tools on the right-hand side of the record page.

PsycINFO

Use PsycINFO to explore the full breadth of research in the behavioral and social sciences. Focused on the interdisciplinary aspects of the worldwide behavioral and social science research and literature, PsycINFO is unmatched as a resource for locating scholarly research findings in psychology and related fields. In PsycINFO you'll find peer-reviewed journal articles, dissertations, historical records, book chapters, and more! 

Finding Peer-Reviewd Articles in PsycINFO

1. Enter the keywords (the main points of the research) into the search boxes 
2. After the initial search, you'll want to use the limiters on the left-hand side 
3. Select "Linked to Full-Text" and "Peer-Reviewed."
4. Set the date range- usually looking at the last 3-5 years is a good starting point 
5. Select "Academic Journals"
6. Take a look at your results list. Click on titles that stand out to you and read the abstract. If the article seems promising, consider reading the full text (which will be linked in the left-hand side of the record page).

• If your not finding articles that support your research, try changing up the keywords by thinking of synonyms or alternate terms, as well as different aspects of your topic. Depending on what keywords you use, you'll get different results back.
• Keep in mind that each article in its entirety may not directly relate to your topic, however parts of each might. It may be necessary to pull what you can and bridge that gap yourself by examining articles that are loosely related to your topic. This includes reviewing articles that may be about a specific aspect that relates to your topic, and pulling out the more general information or relating it to your topic as a whole.

Additional Information About the PsycINFO Database

• When you click on a title from your results list, you'll be brought to the record page. Here you find all of the bibliographic information needed for the citation, as well as an abstract (summary) that can help you determine if you'd like to pursue the full text. 
• PDF of the full-text is linked on the left-hand side of the record page
• To print an article, save it to Google drive, or to email the article, go to the Tools on the right-hand side of the record page. 
• Citations can also be found in the Tools on the right-hand side of the record page.

LIMITERS:

• Full Text
• Peer-Reviewed
• Source Types
• Publication (Do you want a study that was published in a specific journal?)
• Age
• Gender
• Methodology (What type of study are you looking for- empirical, quantitative, qualitative, longitudinal, etc.)
• Tests & Measures (Are you looking for a study that uses a specific psychological test?)

THESURAUS :

• Many databases, including PsychINFO, use a controlled vocabulary. 
• This is a highly structured list of descriptors that reflects the discipline of psychology. Use this to think of synonyms or alternate terms to use in your search.

CITED REFERENCES:

• The basis of the Cited References feature is a linked list of all works cited in the primary document, including journal articles, books/chapters, and published conference papers.
• You can pull up related articles with one click, or you can click to find all the articles in the databases that cited the work. 
• "Times cited in a database" helps you to find pivotal works.

For the complete list of Databases, check out the A - Z List.