Subject Guides - Psychology

Psychology

Welcome to the Psychology Subject Guide

The StMU Library is here to support you with your academic research needs. These subject guides are curated to provide you with the information you need to get started in your course.

Credible. Reliable. Curated.

This guide is an excellent starting point for research, but please contact us if you can't find what you are looking for. We're happy to assist you by email, phone a virtual meeting or, if you're near the Library, stop by for a visit.

KEEP INFORMED

Stay on top of the latest research from your favourite journals and databases with email alerts.

FIND EVIDENCE

Books, journals, and databases help you locate background information, peer-reviewed articles and reference resources.

USING GOOGLE

The web is a goldmine if you know where to look. We've done the mining for you to compile online resources that will make your work easier.

Below are some suggested databases for Psychology.

Databases

Databases allow you to search collections of journals, articles, books, topic reviews, evidence-based summaries and drug information. StMU databases include Core Databases which are curated collections focusing on a specific subject area and Multidisciplinary Databases which provide broad subject coverage in all areas of undergraduate study.

Core Databases

APA PsychArticles (EBSCO)

APA PsycArticles®, from the American Psychological Association (APA), is a definitive source of full text, peer-reviewed scholarly and scientific articles in psychology.
 

APA PsycInfo (EBSCO)

Scholarly psychological journal articles, conference papers, citations, and abstracts.
 

Gale OneFile: Psychology

This database provides access to authoritative periodical content supporting research in all fields of psychology— abnormal, biological, cognitive, comparative, developmental, personality, quantitative, social and all areas of applied psychology.
 

JSTOR Arts & Sciences 4

This collection expands JSTOR’s coverage in economics, law, education, sociology, psychology, and public policy and administration. It includes noteworthy student-run law reviews, featuring more than a century of top legal scholarship.
 

Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection (EBSCO)

Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection is an essential full-text database for psychologists, counsellors, researchers and students. It provides hundreds of full-text psychology journals, including many indexed in APA PsycInfo. It offers particularly strong coverage in child and adolescent psychology and counselling
 

Psychology Database (ProQuest)

The Psychology Database is ProQuest’s highly accessible full-text resource for students, teachers, and researchers. The database encompasses a wide range of topics from leading psychological and psychosomatic publications. In addition to clinical and social psychology, it also provides coverage of related disciplines including genetics, psychology of business and economics, communication, criminology, addiction, neurology, social welfare, and more.
 

PubMed

The PubMed database contains more than 32 million citations and abstracts of biomedical literature. It does not include full text journal articles; however, links to the full text are often present when available from other sources, such as the publisher’s website or PubMed Central (PMC).
 

SocINDEX (EBSCO)

SocINDEX with Full Text is the world’s most comprehensive and highest quality sociology research database. The database features more than 2.1 million records with subject headings from a 20,000+ term sociological thesaurus designed by subject experts and expert lexicographers.

Multidisciplinary Databases

EBSCOhost Academic Search Elite

Covering all major academic disciplines, Academic Search Elite is a rich resource spanning a broad stretch of academic subjects with thousands of full-text journals and abstracted and indexed journals.
 

Project Muse Premium Collection

The Premium Collection is MUSE’s foremost collection of high quality, peer reviewed, interdisciplinary journals in the humanities and social sciences.

Streaming Resources

Films on Demand (Infobase)

Films On Demand is a streaming video service containing outstanding educational programs. Many programs from the History Channel, Biography Channel, BBC, PBS and other news channels are included in this collection.
 

National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

This collection includes documentaries, animations, experimental films, fiction and interactive works. It showcases films that take a stand on issues of global importance that matter to Canadians—stories about the environment, human rights, international conflict, the arts and more.

Library Databases vs the Internet

There is nothing wrong with using the internet. You can find very helpful resources on the web but you should know where and when is the right time to use the internet versus a Library database.

LIBRARY DATABASES
  • Free access is provided to all StMU faculty, staff and students through subscriptions.
  • Credible, reliable and evidence-based information which is most often peer-reviewed.
  • Databases use subject headings and filters to organize their content, allowing for precise searching.
  • Save your results to easily cite and organize your research.
THE INTERNET
  • The internet provides access to vast amounts of information, much of which can be misleading and irrelevant.
  • It is not always clear who authored the information you are reading. Hint: Focus on reputable sources like government and non-profit organizations or authorities in your field like professional associations and subject experts whose credentials and institutional affiliations are clearly stated and easily verifiable.
  • Predatory journals can be very tricky to identify and are not reputable. For tips on how to assess whether or not a journal is scholarly and peer reviewed check out our tutorial on evaluating information.
  • Some information is free but not all. If you are asked to pay for an article, don't. Fill out an ILL Request and we will get it for you for FREE.
NEED HELP

Don't hesitate to ask We're happy to assist you in person, by phone, or by MS Teams.

OFFSITE ACCESS

Anytime, anywhere StMU students, staff, and faculty have access to all of the online resources offsite. Simply enter your credentials.

Having problems with offsite access? Make sure you're selecting OpenAthens when given an option. Check out our guide on OpenAthens External Authentication for detailed support.

Journals

The StMU Library provides access to hundreds of scholarly journals to keep you up to date with the latest evidence, research, and discussion in your field. If we don't have access to the article you're looking for, fill out an ILL Request and we'll bring in a copy for free. Below you will find links to core, full-text Education journals as well as information about assessing articles found on the web.

eJOURNALS

Immediate online access
Browse the A-Z listing of all journals available to the StMU community.

NOT A STUDENT?

No problems
Full-text access is available on campus.

STAY CURRENT

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The catalogue is designed with busy researchers in mind. Save searches and receive notifications when new resources become available.

Core Journals

Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology

Publishes original research papers that advance understanding of the broad field of general experimental psychology. This includes, but is not restricted to, cognition, perception, sensorimotor processes, memory, learning, language, decision making, development, and neuroscience.
 

Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice

Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice presents cutting-edge developments in the science and practice of clinical psychology and related mental health fields. This is accomplished by publishing scholarly articles, primarily involving narrative and systematic reviews, as well as meta-analyses, related to assessment, intervention, and service delivery. The journal also publishes invited commentaries that provide additional perspectives regarding the topics of such reviews. It is the official publication of APA Division 12, the Society of Clinical Psychology.

Developmental Psychology

Developmental Psychology publishes articles that significantly advance knowledge and theory about development across the lifespan. The journal focuses on seminal empirical contributions. The journal occasionally publishes exceptionally strong scholarly reviews and theoretical or methodological articles. Studies of any aspect of psychological development are appropriate, as are studies of the biological, social, and cultural factors that affect development.

Evolutionary Psychology: An International Journal of Evolutionary Approaches to Psychology and Behavior

Evolutionary Psychology (EVP) is an open access, peer-reviewed journal which focuses on original, empirical research addressing human psychology guided by an evolutionary perspective. Please see the Aims and Scope tab for further information.

Journal of Applied Psychology

The Journal of Applied Psychology emphasizes the publication of original investigations that contribute new knowledge and understanding to fields of applied psychology (other than clinical and applied experimental or human factors, which are more appropriate for other APA journals).

Psychological Review

Psychological Review publishes articles that make important theoretical contributions to any area of scientific psychology, including systematic evaluation of alternative theories. Papers mainly focused on surveys of the literature, problems of method and design, or reports of empirical findings are not appropriate.
 



Using Journals Through the Catalogue vs. Journals Found on the Internet

There is nothing wrong with using journal articles you've found on the internet, there's plenty of high quality information out there. But, there are a few things you should know about Academic, Open Access, and Predatory journals before you start.

SCHOLARLY, ACADEMIC, AND PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS
  • Scholarly, academic, and peer-reviewed journals contain articles written by and for faculty, researchers, and scholars in a particular field.
  • These resources are typically published by academic organizations, utilize specialist or scholarly language, and adhere to strict standards of referencing throughout.
  • Not all scholarly and academic journals are peer-reviewed.
  • To see if a print journal is peer-reviewed, check the 'publication information' at the front of the journal.
  • For electronic journals, information regarding the peer-review process can usually be found on the 'About the Journal' or 'Notes for Authors' page of the journal's website.
  • Peer reviewed articles are identified in the Library catalogue.
  • Streamline your search process by limiting searches to limit results to include only peer-reviewed journals and articles.
JOURNALS & ARTICLES ON THE INTERNET
  • The internet provides access to vast amounts of information, much of which can be misleading, irrelevant, or fails to meet the standards of academic rigour.
  • It is not always clear who authored the information you are reading. Before using articles found on the web. be sure to verify the credentials and institutional affiliation of the author.
  • Focus on Open Access journals published by reputable sources such as academic institutions and professional organizations.
  • Predatory journals can be very tricky to identify and are not reputable. For tips on how to assess whether or not a journal is scholarly and peer reviewed check our tutorial on evaluating information sources
  • Some information is free but not all. If you are asked to pay for an article, don't. Fill out an ILL Request and we will get it for you for FREE.

Reference Resources

Handbooks

APA handbook of behaviour analysis

Print resource: REF BF199 .A67 2013
 

APA handbook of trauma psychology

Print resource: Oversize RC552 .T7 A63 2017
 

The Cambridge Handbook of Consciousness

Print resource: B808.9 .C36 2007
 

The Cambridge Handbook of Personality Psychology

Print resource: BF698 .C36 2009
 

Handbook of positive psychology in schools

Print resource: LB1027.55 .H36 2014
 

Handbook of psychology

Print resource: REF BF121 .H36 2013
 

Handbook of social psychology

Print resource: REF HM1033 .H37 2010
 

The Oxford guide to the mind

Print resources: REF BF311 .O94 2001
 

The Oxford handbook of developmental psychology

Print resource: BF713 .O94 2013 v.1
 

The Oxford handbook of health psychology

Print resource: R726.7 .O94 2014
 

The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Family Psychology

Print resource: RC488.5 .W55 2009
 

The SAGE handbook of applied social psychology

Print resource: HM1033 .S24 2019
 

Handbook of child psychology

Print resource: Oversize   BF721 .H37 2006
 

Books

Libraries are filled with books! Many prefer holding a hard copy book instead of an electronic version. Don't worry, we have both available depending on what you like best.

Books are ideal information sources to consult when looking for a comprehensive overview of your topic. Don't see what you are looking for? Ask us about InterLibrary Loans to find a book from another library.

Physical Collections

  • BF 1-990: Psychology, including:
  • BF 309-499: Cognition
  • BF 501-505: Motivation
  • BF 511-593: Emotion
  • BF 692-692.5: Sexual behaviour
  • BF 698-698.9: Personality
  • BF 712-724.85: Developmental psychology
  • HM 1001-1281: Social psychology
  • HV 1-9960: Social pathology; Criminology, including:
  • HV 5001-5840: Drugs & alcohol
  • HV 6001-7220.5: Criminolog
  • HV 7231-9960: Criminal justice administratio
  • QP 351-495: Neuropsycholog
  • RC 435-571: Psychiatr
  • RJ 499-507: Child psychiatry

Subjects

  • Identification (Psychology)–Social aspects 
  • Psychology, Clinical — Methods
  • Interpersonal relations 
  • Behavioural assessmen
  • College students — family relationships

Keywords:

  • Experimental psycholog
  • Cognitive psycholog
  • Developmental psycholog
  • Social psycholog
  • Groupthink
  • Psychological disorder

Libraries are filled with books! Many prefer holding a hard copy book instead of an electronic version. Don't worry, we have both available depending on what you like best.

Books are ideal information sources to consult when looking for a comprehensive overview of your topic. Don't see what you are looking for? Ask us about InterLibrary Loans to find a book from another library.

eBOOKS

Click and read Immediate access anytime, anywhere.

PRINT BOOKS

Available to all Place a Request in the catalogue for quick pickup or visit the library to browse the stacks. .

OTHER LIBRARIES

You can borrow from them too Search and Request books from our SAIL partners (U of C, AU, and BVC) from within the STMU catalogue.

Web Resources

The internet has a wealth of information. Explore grey literature, Open Education Resources and digital repositories to discover information about your subject from all over the world. Below you will find a curated list of web resources.

Below you will find a curated list of web resources.

NIH Neuroscience Videocasts

A collection of videos from the National Institute of Health covering a range of topics in Neuroscience.
 

Discovering Psychology Series

Highlighting major new developments in the field, this updated edition of Discovering Psychology offers high school and college students, and teachers of psychology at all levels, an overview of historic and current theories of human behaviour.

GREY LITERATURE

It's not always black and whiteGrey literature falls into a 'grey area' of materials produced outside traditional publishing channels. Learn more about grey literature in the Research Tips tab.

NEVER PAY

Request and you shall receive If you have located an article online that the StMU Library does not have access to through our databases and journals, submit an ILL request and we'll locate a copy at no charge.

Databases

Databases allow you to search collections of journals, articles, books, topic reviews, evidence-based summaries and drug information. StMU databases include Core Databases which are curated collections focusing on a specific subject area and Multidisciplinary Databases which provide broad subject coverage in all areas of undergraduate study.

Citation Styles

APS (American Physical Society)

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk.
 

Council of Science Editors Style Guide

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk.
 

Chicago/Turabian

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk.
 

IEEE Style Manual (PDF)

This style is commonly used for Electrical and Computer Engineering.
 

MLA (Modern Language Association)

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk. 

Writing Resources for Subject

A short guide to writing about psychology

Print resource: General Reserves BF76.8 .D86 2008
 

Essay do's and don'ts : a practical guide to essay writing

Print resource: General Reserves PE1408 .E54 2017
 

Making sense : life sciences : a student's guide to research and writing

Print resource: General Reserves QH304 .N67 2011
 

Making sense : psychology : a student's guide to research and writing

Print resource: General Reserves BF76.7 .N67 2012
 

Writing for psychology

Print resource: General Reserves   BF76.7 .M58 2013
 

Other Resources

The Purdue Online Writing Lab

The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects.

Library Databases vs the Internet

There is nothing wrong with using the internet. You can find very helpful resources on the web but you should know where and when is the right time to use the internet versus a Library database.

LIBRARY DATABASES
  • Free access is provided to all StMU faculty, staff and students through subscriptions.
  • Credible, reliable and evidence-based information which is most often peer-reviewed.
  • Databases use subject headings and filters to organize their content, allowing for precise searching.
  • Save your results to easily cite and organize your research.
THE INTERNET
  • The internet provides access to vast amounts of information, much of which can be misleading and irrelevant.
  • It is not always clear who authored the information you are reading. Hint: Focus on reputable sources like government and non-profit organizations or authorities in your field like professional associations and subject experts whose credentials and institutional affiliations are clearly stated and easily verifiable.
  • Predatory journals can be very tricky to identify and are not reputable. For tips on how to assess whether or not a journal is scholarly and peer reviewed check out our tutorial on evaluating information.
  • Some information is free but not all. If you are asked to pay for an article, don't. Fill out an ILL Request and we will get it for you for FREE.
NEED HELP

Don't hesitate to ask We're happy to assist you in person, by phone, or by MS Teams.

OFFSITE ACCESS

Anytime, anywhere StMU students, staff, and faculty have access to all of the online resources offsite. Simply enter your credentials.

Having problems with offsite access? Make sure you're selecting OpenAthens when given an option. Check out our guide on OpenAthens External Authentication for detailed support.

Research Tips

Primary Articles

Original Research Articles

These are articles reporting on original research and include elements such as a hypothesis, background studies, literature reviews, detailed methodologies, results, interpretations of findings, and discussions on possible implications and future research. Original research articles are typically longer, ranging from 3, 000 – 12, 000 words. These articles are peer reviewed and cite relevant publications from other authors that relate to the research being conducted.

Case Studies

These articles report on the in-depth study of a specific person, group, or event. They are used in a variety of fields such as psychology, medicine, education, political science, and social work in order to seek patterns and causes of behaviour.

Secondary Articles

Literature Reviews

A literature review is a systematic summary and synthesis of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. They frequently convey what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, as well as critically assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the field. They will often lack a ‘Methods’ section, though they are often peer reviewed. 
 

Systematic Reviews

These reviews are often designed to provide an exhaustive summary of current evidence in relation to a specific research question, synthesize findings qualitatively or quantitatively, and critically appraise research studies. Systematic reviews use rigorous and transparent review methodologies with the aim of assessing and minimizing bias in the findings.
 

Meta-analyses

A meta-analysis is a statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple scientific studies addressing the same question. The primary aim is to use statistical analyses to determine common truths. Meta-analyses can be part of a broader systematic review.
 

Special Articles

Including letters to the editor, correspondences, short communications, editorials, pictorial essays

Tertiary/ Gray Literature

Broadly speaking, gray literature is information produced outside of the traditional academic publishing and distribution systems such as academic journals and monographs. Gray literature can include reports, policies, working papers, newsletters, speeches, government documents, and more.

As grey literature is produced directly by an individual or organization, for their own either use or wider sharing, it is often more current than academic publications as it is not subject to the delays found in traditional publishing processes.

As grey literature does not go through a rigorous peer review process the quality can vary significantly, and it is recommended that these sources be critically evaluated.

Technical reports

These can include scientific studies conducted by Government agencies and NGO which are often not peer reviewed. These types of reports can be found in both scholarly databases and freely on the web.