GOALS: Introduce a few searching techniques that will help students perform effective searches in PsycINFO, MEDLINE and SCOPUS, as well as other research databases.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Students will be able to . . .

• Break apart a research topic into major concepts in order to formulate a search strategy

• Brainstorm a number of different synonyms to represent various concepts

• Use AND, OR, NOT effectively in their search strategies

• Understand the difference between a subject heading and keyword search

• Use thesauri to determine the correct subject headings for different databases

• Apply these searching techniques to effectively perform searches in PsycINFO, MEDLINE and SCOPUS

GETTING STARTED:

In order to learn more about Behavioral Research Methods, consult the call number section BF 76.5 on the third floor in Milne Library and browse through the books.

FORMING A RESEARCH STATEMENT

Breaking a research topic down

Research example

DATABASES:

PsycINFO

MEDLINE

SCOPUS

* Finding out whether Milne Library owns the necessary journals

* For hints on effective searching and where to find the articles you have accessed, go to Tips for Using GLOCAT and Periodical Indexes.

 For any unanswered questions, please ask a reference librarian for help!