PSYC 395: Community Internship

Using publication date limiters

Since you're looking for current issues in your field, it's critical that your information is recent. Avoid using sources that are more than 10 years old unless you're using them for historical context.

When searching databases like PsycInfo, you can easily limit your search to bring back only articles published within the past 10 years.

Limiting publication date from the search bar

On the PsycInfo advanced search screen, you'll find a drop-down menu labeled "Publication date". By selecting an option from the menu, you're telling the database to only find sources published within the dates you've identified.

Limiting publication date from the results page

On the PsycInfo results page, you'll find a side bar with limiters for everything from source type to methodology. The second one on the list is publication date, and it shows a chart of how the results are distributed across the decades. You can move the sliders at the bottom of the chart around to encompass a date range, or click on one of the bars to see only a specific decade.

Evaluating web sources

For this assignment, you may use Google to find sources as part of your research. The main thing to keep in mind is that you need to evaluate any website you find for credibility. One way to do this is the CRAAP test. CRAAP is an acronym, and stands for

• Currency
• Relevance
• Authority
• Accuracy
• Purpose

As you're looking through websites and deciding what information is worth using, ask yourself these questions.

Currency

The timeliness of the information

• When was it published, created, or posted?
• Has it been revised or updated?
• Is it considered "current" for your assignment (i.e. published in the last 10 years)?
• Are any links functional?

Relevance

The importance of the information for your needs

• Does the information relate to your topic/help answer your question?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is it written at an appropriate level (e.g. is it usable for a college class)?

Authority

The source of the information

• Who is the creator/author/publisher/sponsor?
• Can you find the author's credentials?
• Is the author qualified to write on the topic?

Accuracy

The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content

• Where is the information from?
• Are there references?
• Is the information supported by evidence?
• Do you trust the information?

Purpose

The reason the information exists

• What is the purpose of the information (e.g. to inform, teach, sell, entertain, etc.)?
• Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions clear?
• Are there any biases?