Northwest Missouri State University B.D. Owens Library

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[ PsycINFO Guide ]

Connect to the PsycINFO database:
  • From the Owens Library Home Page, click Search for Articles
  • Under Jump to Databases by Department, sroll down and click Psychology/Counseling
  • Click PsycINFO

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Look for articles on your topic:
  • Click in the Find: entry box and type in your search statement including Boolean operators (and, or, not)
    SAMPLE SEARCH: personality and disorder
  • Enclose synonyms in parentheses and connect them with the Boolean operator "or"
    SAMPLE SEARCH: (homosexual or gay or lesbian) and cause
  • If you want variant endings for a word, use the wild card *
    SAMPLE SEARCH: child abuse and famil*
                                         famil* retrieves family or families
  • Click [ Search Button ]

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Search by subject:        
  • Click [Thesaurus Button] in the top bar
  • Click in the Browse for: entry box and type your subject
  • Click [Browse Button]
  • Once you have identified the subject you would like to search, click in the check box next to the subject & then click [Add Button] to add the subject to your search

      NOTE: There are two columns to the right of the list of search terms which sometimes include check boxes:

      1. Clicking in a check box under Explode will expand a search to include narrow subjects related to this topic, e.g., exploding the search term mental retardation will also search for Downs Syndrome
      2. Clicking in a check box under Major Concept will only retrieve articles that are focused on the search term mental retardation
  • Click on the Find entry box and type and
  • Type any other terms you wish to add to the search in the Find: entry box (after the word "and") & click [Search Button]
  • Click Thesaurus Searching in PsycINFO to view an online tutorial on using the thesaurus.

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Limit to Peer Reviewed Articles:        
  • From any list of results, click the [Refine Search Button]
  • Click in the check box next to Peer Reviewed
  • Click [Search Button]

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Mark to print, e-mail, or save specific records in your search results:
  • Click [Add Button] next to the citation so that it changes to [Added Button]
  • Click the folder link (e.g. [Folder Link]) located above the results
  • Click one of the [Print, E-mail, Save to Disk Button} buttons and follow instructions

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Limit a search to all articles found in a specific journal:
EXAMPLE: You want to find articles only in Psychological Review
  • Scroll down until you see the Magazine entry box
  • Type the full title of the journal (e.g. Psychological Review)
  • Scroll up and click [Search Button]

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Find articles in a specific journal about a specific topic:
EXAMPLE: You want to find articles in the journal Psychological Review about personality
  • Enter the your topic (e.g. personality) in the Find: entry box
  • Scroll down until you see the Magazine entry box
  • Type the full title of the journal (e.g. Psychological Review)
  • Scroll up and click [Search Button]

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Retrieve only journal articles:
  • Click[Advanced Search]
  • Type your search statement in the Find: entry box or boxes
  • Scroll down until you see the Publication Type scroll box
  • Click the drop down arrow and click Journal Article
  • Scroll up and click [Search Button]

Return to Search for Articles

Revised (April 6, 2007)
Created (January 2003)
Current Author: Connie Ury
Revised (April 6, 2007)
Links Verified (June 2004)
Adapted from a print guide coauthored by Connie Ury and Lori Mardis