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Psychology: Journals & Databases

Recommended Databases

Start with these psychology databases to locate literature sources for your topic.

PsycINFO (OVID)

Select the APA PsycInfo date range you want to search, and click OK.

NB: If you want to make use of the subject headings, you can only search one database at a time, even though the Ovid platform allows you to select more than one.

Click here to access an OVID video tutorial

Psychology Database (ProQuest)

Click here to access video tutorials on searching using the ProQuest database, created by the ProQuest training team.

Medline (OVID)

Select one of the Ovid MEDLINE(R) options by date range and publication stage.

NB: If you want to make best use of the subject headings, search one database at a time.

Click here to access a tutorial created by the University of Otago Librarians on searching the MEDLINE database on the Ovid platform.

PubMed

Click here to access a tutorial created by the University of Otago Librarians on searching the PubMed database.

More psychology databases

These databases are great for multidisciplinary research as well as a good place to start for a new topic. Scopus and Web of Science are particularly good for citation tracking.

Assess your findings

Evaluating and thinking critically about sources of information are important skills to develop and apply while undertaking research.

Not all information is reliable and appropriate for academic work, and not all information is relevant to your particular topic.

You should challenge and reflect on information that you find; don’t just accept everything you read.

Work through this tutorial to develop your skills in evaluating information that you find online:

TRAAP Test

Or apply these terms to assess if the information you have found answers your research question.

Timeliness

Relevance

Authority

Accuracy

Purpose

Download the TRAAP Test Questions

Work through this tutorial to develop your skills in evaluating information that you find online:

SIFT - Evaluating Information Tutorial

Even though the library databases are good sources of information, we still need to evaluate that information before we decide to use it. You can do this by asking the following questions:

  • Is the information relevant to your topic?​
  • Who are the authors, are they experts in the field? Who do they work for? What else have they written?​
  • What evidence is given, what references are given, and what methodology is used?​
  • How is the study funded? Is there a bias?​
  • When was the information written, is it still relevant? Has it been updated or amended in light of new evidence?

 

For more information and resources, check out the ‘Evaluating information: additional resources’ box at the bottom of this page.

Here are some resources to help develop your evaluating skills:

  • For a simple 'commonsense' approach to evaluating claims made by the news media, read this short article by Doug Specht & Julio Gimenez from the University of Westminster, and pay close attention to the 6 'steps for reading like a scientist'.
  • If you need to verify a claim, you can check it on a fact-checking website. Check out this guide to Fact Checkers, curated by the University of California Berkley Library, for ideas on what websites to use if you are not sure.
  • Work through this excellent module on 'evaluating information and critical thinking' created by The University of Sheffield Library.