Library -- Guide to PsycInfo (SilverPlatter version)

Westfield State College Ely Library

PsycINFO
PsycINFO provides references to materials covering all aspects of psychology, counseling, and psychiatry. Journals, books, dissertations, and unpublished papers in many languages are indexed. To access PsycINFO from the Ely Library Home page at: http://www.lib.wsc.ma.edu, click on Quick Links then PsycInfo or use the Off Campus link if you are not at the college. This database covers records from 1887 to the present. To search a smaller file or more than one database at a time, click on the Databases button on the PsyInfo navigation bar to your right. On the Database Selection Page, click in any of the boxes next to the databases you would like to search, then click Open Selected Databases.

**Page Contents**
To Construct a Search	Results Page:	To Mark Records	To Change Display Options
Valid Search Statements		To Print Records	To Identify Document Types
Combining Previous Searches		To Email Records	If You Are Timed Out
Limit Fields		To Save to Disk	Help
Using the Thesaurus	To Search Cited References
	Continue through the Guide or Start Searching.

Basic Search Guide

To Construct a Search:

Select one or more fields in which to search, or leave the selection as the default, "Words Anywhere". Searching by Title, Author, and Subject are available from this search screen.
Select the language of records you would like to retrieve.
If desired, further narrow your search by using the Limit Your Search option. Fields will be specific to PsycInfo.
Type a word or phrase in the text entry area. Make use of the Suggest or Thesaurus options to focus your search. Searching with Thesaurus terms usually produces the most relevant results.
Click Start Search. WebSPIRS performs the search and indicates how many records it finds.

Example of the Basic Search Screen:

Valid Search Statements

Below are the types of searches you can create in the Search page. You can also use the Search Builder to identify specific fields for your terms (Author, Title, Journal Name, etc.).

A search like this:	Finds records containing:
dyslexia	the word "dyslexia" in any field
dyslexia AND child	both terms in the same record in any field
depression OR anxiety	either or both terms in any field
dyslexia NEAR treatment	"dyslexia" and "treatment" appear in the same sentence
dyslexia ADJ treatments	the phrase "dyslexia treatments" in that order in any field
trauma* (truncation)	trauma, traumas, traumatic, and so on
wom?n (wildcard)	woman or women
freud in au	Freud in the author field (au)
#3	a previous search request

Combining Previous Searches:

You will have the option to combine previous searches in this system. To do so,

Click on the right hand button, Searches, to see your Search History for a complete list of previous searches.
Click the box beside the searches you want combined. Select "AND" or "OR". Click Combine Checked. Keep in mind that any searches with a small number of results will come out even smaller (often "0") when combined using "AND".
If you want to revise a previous search without typing it over, check it and click on Re-type Checked.

Example of Search History page:

To Limit Your Search

Limit your search in the following areas by clicking the Limit Search button on the main search screen. You can also apply certain limits when you type your search request in the Find field on the Search page (see below).

PT - Publication Type You can use the Publication Type Field to limit your search to peer-reviewed journal articles, books, edited books, etc.
DT - Document Type You can use this field to limit your search to Bibliography, Editorial, Chapter, Journal Article, Review-Book, etc.
LA - Language (This is easiest to do from the basic search screen)
PY - Publication Year
SO - Source (This includes Journal Name OR Book Publisher)
MD - Methodology

Examples:

Empirical-Study	Literature-Review	Longitudinal-Study
Followup-Study	Qualitative-Study	Quantitative-Study

AG - Age Group Examples: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, aged, etc.
PO - Population Examples: human, animal, female, male, inpatient, outpatient

NOTE:

the Limit Search button on the main search screen.

**Typing Limit Fields in Your Search**
How To Find...	Search Statement
...records for journal articles on stress:	stress AND PT=peer-reviewed-journal
...records for book chapters on counseling:	counseling AND chapter in DT
...everything on violence EXCEPT dissertations:	violence NOT PT=dissertation-abstract
...materials on prisons published after 1996	prisons AND py>1996

NOTE: Both Upper or Lower case will work.

**Publication Types**
For tips, see Typing Limit Fields in Your Search
pt=peer-reviewed-journal	pt=book	pt=dissertation-abstract	pt=edited-book
For a complete list of Publication and Document Types, click the Limit Search button on the main search screen.

Using the Thesaurus

Searching in the Thesaurus:

Use the online thesaurus to select the preferred indexing terms for your search. This usually results in more relevant searches.

Type a term or phrase in the main search box.
Click on the Thesaurus button on the bar to the right of your search screen.
The Thesaurus Subject List will be displayed with terms from the thesaurus that include your first word.
You may select more than one term from this list to search or you can see details for a particular term by clicking on it. These details may include a Scope Note (definition), More Specific(narrower), More General (broader), and/or Related terms.
To search the term you have selected, click on search subject at the top of your screen.
To select a different search term from the thesaurus, click on it, then click on search subject at the top of your screen.
A results list from your selected thesaurus terms will be retrieved.

Example of a Thesaurus Subject List: Example of a Thesaurus Search

Back to Construct a Search.

Suggest a Search Term:
Type a possible subject and click Suggest on the right bar of your search screen to see subject terms from the Thesaurus that might result in a better search. From the list of suggested subject terms select one to learn more about it from the Thesaurus and to start searching.

See separate page for Searching Cited References
Use this technique to find out who an author has cited in their work and who has since cited that same author.

Results Page

The Results page allows you to mark, print, save, and mail the records retrieved by the current search. In this database, terms of certain fields are linked. If you click on a linked Index term, WebSPIRS searches for the term. Return to Searches to combine the new subject with any other search terms used previously.

To mark records:

Click in the box next to the record number, such as Record 1 of 235, for any record that you want to mark.
To show only records you have marked, click Show Marked Records (right-hand bar of screen). WebSPIRS displays your marked records.

To print PsycInfo records: After marking records of interest, click the Print button above the citation screen. WebSPIRS displays the Print Records page, which allows you to select and format records for printing. Click Print Records at the top right of your screen. A print box will come up. Click OK to print records you have marked. Note: You will not see what you are printing--but it will be from your search. You will be prompted to clear marked records after printing.

To save records: Click the Save button in the citation screen. WebSPIRS displays the Save Records page, which allows you to select and format records for saving to a disk. Insert a formatted disk in the floppy drive. Click on Save Records, enter a name for your file, and click on Save. You will be prompted to clear marked records after saving.

To mail records: Click E-mail. WebSPIRS displays the Mail Records page, which allows you to select and format records to mail to an e-mail address. Be sure to include your full address: username@foma.wsc.ma.edu. Click on the Close button after mailing. You will be prompted to clear marked records after e-mailing. Display Options:

To change display options, click Change Display button under the search box or at the top of your results screen.
Select how field names are displayed, how records are sorted, and which fields are displayed.
At the top of your screen, click on Confirm Changes.
Any changes you make will remain in effect until you log off the system, or change them again.

Document Types and Subjects (Index Terms):

To quickly determine what type of document you are looking at, find the DT field in any record.
For subjects you might find helpful to use in another search, look for the MJ (Major Index Terms) or MN (Minor Index Terms) fields.

Help

If You Are Timed Out:

A message Please Select Another Database will pop up. Click on OK.
The Select Databases screen will load. Chose your database and begin searching.

To search more than one database at a time, click on the Databases button on the navigation bar to your right. On the Database Selection Page, click in any of the boxes next to the databases you would like to search, then click Open Selected Databases.
For online help once logged into PsycInfo, click on the HELP button on the right-hand bar on your PsycInfo screen. There you will find information about the specific task you are performing, as well as links to Help Contents.
Help is also available at the Reference Desk.

Please Log Out when you are finished with your search

URL: http://www.lib.wsc.ma.edu/sp/psycinfo.htm

Page maintained by Corinne Ebbs

Last updated February 3, 2008