LibGuides: Psychology: Articles & Databases

Psychology Databases

Academic
Freely Accessible

Recommended

PsycINFO This link opens in a new window Provides indexing and abstracts of international psychological literature from the 1800s to present. Includes journals, articles, books, and dissertations. Subjects covered include: communication systems, applied, developmental, educational, experimental and animal psychology, personality, physiological psychology and neuroscience, professional personnel and issues, and psychometrics and statistics. Scope: Worldwide. Dates: 1806 to present.
PubMed This link opens in a new window Access 27 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books from the United States and over 80 countries. Citations may include link to full-text content from PubMed Central (PMC) and publisher websites. Scope: Worldwide. Dates: Varies
PsycNET This link opens in a new window Full text access to journals published by the American Psychological Association (APA) and affiliated journals. Subject areas covered in this database include: psychology, health, social psychology, psychological theory and more. Users can search by keyword and citation and view cited references from articles. Scope: Worldwide. Dates: Varies.
Psychology Journals (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window Provides abstracting and indexing for over 640 titles, with over 540 titles available in full text. Users can also search through 4,000 full text dissertations. Coverage includes information on behavioral, clinical, cognitive, developmental, experimental, industrial, and social psychology, in addition to personality, psychobiology, and psychometrics. Scope: Worldwide. Dates: Varies

Additional Databases

Science Direct This link opens in a new window Full-text access to more than 3.800 journals and 35,000 books in the sciences. Search for articles in all fields relating to the sciences including: chemistry and chemical engineering, computer science, earth and planetary sciences, engineering, energy and technology, life sciences, mathematics, physics and astronomy. Scope: Worldwide. Dates: Varies.
PTSDpubs This link opens in a new window Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, this database provides citations and abstracts to the international literature on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental-health issues related to traumatic events. Scope: Worldwide. Dates: 1871 to present.

Psychology:

American Psychological Association (APA) APA works to "advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives." This site offers information on their work and also links to some of their publications, grey literature, and more. Keep in mind not all resources listed here will be free.

Health Sciences (Mental Health):

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Evidence based tools and research that are compiled to keep healthcare providers better informed on various health topics.
CDC: Mental Health The Center for Disease Control's Mental Health page offers basic public health information on mental health.

MedlinePlus This link opens in a new window National Institute of Healths website for patients and caregivers produced by the National Library of Medicine containing information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues. Includes a medical dictionary and encyclopedia, health information in Spanish, and information on prescription drugs and clinical trials. See “Videos and Tools” to see health surgery videos, tutorials, and more. Scope: Worldwide. Dates: Varies. Updated regularly.

MentalHealth.gov From the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services this webpage is intended as a resource to help promote the discussion of mental health disorders and help those living with them.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Resources supplied by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. This includes access to program & services information, an A-Z Index of topics, and access to resources like the FDA and Office of The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation reports.
World Health Organization (WHO) Find publications, reports, data, and more that have been released from the World Health Organization on health and mental health.

Can't Find the Full Text?

If a database doesn't have the full text of an article you are looking for, you can copy and paste the title of the article into our catalog to see if we might have that item here. If we don't have it, request it through Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

Learn More

American Psychological Association (APA) Databases Methodology Field Value
NYC Health: Health Topics A curated list of health topics, with links to information on and publications, from the NYC Health Department.
Organizations by Topic from MedlinePlus MedlinePlus curates this list of organizations by health topic with links to the organizations' page. These pages can be a great place to find data and statistics on those topics.

Trying to find information about a specific topic, condition, or field? Find an organization or school dedicated to the study and research of that particular topic. One way to do this is to Google the subject you are interested in.

Another great option is to look for a lecture or series on your topic. Many schools and institutions working with Mental Health issues will post such videos online.

Can't find what you are looking for? Ask a librarian for more help!

Keywords	Subjects
Natural language words that describe your topic	Pre-defined "controlled vocabulary" that describe what an item is about
More flexible search - looks for anywhere the words appear in the record	Less flexible search - only the subject fields will be searched
Broader search, but may yield irrelevant results	Targeted search; results are usually more relevant to the topic, but may miss some variations

Keyword searching is how we normally start a search. Pull out important words or phrases from your topic.

Subject Terms and/or Headings are pre-defined terms that are used to describe the content of an item. These terms are a controlled vocabulary and function similarly to hashtags on social media.

We are indebted to the MIT What are subject headings and keywords? box for some concepts displayed here.

In the Catalog, subject headings are displayed under "Description" in the record of an item. Click on the arrow to the left of "Description" and then scroll down to the section called "Subjects."

In the Databases, subject headings may be listed as Descriptors, Subjects and/or Subject Headings and are typically located in the Abstract and/or Details of an article.

Google and Academic Databases

Google, and more appropriately Google Scholar, can be valid places to search for articles and organizations. However, subject specific databases will have more advanced search options and articles. Here are some key differences between databases and Google.

	Library Databases	Google	Google Scholar
Types of Information You Can Find	Scholarly journal articles Newspaper articles Reviews Theses & dissertations Empirical evidence	Popular, commercial, educational websites Organization websites Directories Current news & events Few free journal articles & books (many academic publications are not free)	Educational websites Theses & dissertations Conference publications & presentations Scholarly journal articles (but access will be restricted to free resources, see below for how to set up SLC links)
Credibility & Review	Subject specific books and articles Evaluated for accuracy and credibility	Lack of control allows anyone to publish material Usually not evaluated for accuracy & credibility	Some resources evaluated for accuracy & credibility, but not through Google, so need to verify review process for each publication
Discovery	Database functionalities allow users to search for & find more relevant results	Less ability to search for & retrieve precise results Not releasing information on algorithms, paid products can float to the top	Less ability to search for & retrieve precise results Not releasing information on algorithms, therefore it is not known why results float to the top

Setting Up Google Scholar for Off-Campus Access to SLC Resources

Quick Tip

Be sure to use commands, called Boolean Operators, to further specify your search.

Related Guides

Using PsycINFO
Use this box to learn how to navigate PsycINFO and utilize subjects within it.
Using PubMed Use this guide to learn how to navigate PubMed and utilize all of its advanced features.

Filtering Your Results

Most databases have Filters/Limits - use these to narrow down your search to the specific dates, article type, or population that you are researching.

Here is an example of limits in a database, all databases look slightly different but most have these options.

Have Questions?

Book a research consultation with a librarian

Email us at reference@sarahlawrence.edu