PSY 1402: Introduction to Social Psychology

E. Weaver

General Information

Background Information & Idea Generation

Your textbook is a great starting place, and the online support materials, but if you are interested in exploring beyond this, check out topics in the following sources, or browse the journals listed below for ideas. Be sure to keep in mind that your topic needs to fall into "social" psychology.

The free web: try search engines, Google Scholar
specialized web sites you come across Social Psychology Network.
Even the Wikipedia
Encyclopedia of Psychology. 4 vols. New York : Wiley, 1994. [REF BF31 E52 1994]
Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science. [Electronic book]

Information Choices: Choosing Scholarly Sources

Library Resources and Research Techniques (PDF)
Examples:
- Psychology Today vs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology or Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
- Scholarly vs. Popular articles
Cycle of Scientific Literature

After exploring:

Define your research problem
Make a list of keywords to search and add to this list as you progress
Make a lists of relevant authors and researchers in this field that you come across

Find Scholarly Research Articles that Support or Negate Your Idea

PsycINFO: Premier databases of journal articles, chapters, books, dissertations and reports on psychology and related fields.
PsycARTICLES: Collection of online psychology journals, these are included in the above search of PsycInfo.
Google Scholar: A focused search on scholarly literature, use but be aware of the pitfalls of searching the free web.

Filtering Tips:

Scan results: look at Subject headings/descriptors and use them to expand search
Scrutinize article titles, number of pages, and journal title
Browse promising abstract and conclusion sections of long studies
Bibliographies can clue you in on the value of the article as well
Find an interesting author? Search for more articles by him/her or web search for his/her web site

Trace History of the Idea, Theories, Research Behind Your Inquiry

Social Sciences Citation Index via Web of Science: References to the literature of the social sciences. Coverage: 1990 - Present.
Find books by scholars: Gordon Library Catalog | Beyond WPI: WorldCat

Only Finding a Citation? Getting the Full Text

Is the journal online or here in the library? Search our Journals, Magazines, & Newspapers
Visit another library: Search WorldCat to find out one
Request delivery from another library: Interlibrary Loan.

Give Credit! Cite Your Sources

Social Psychology - Core Journals

Annual Review of Psychology: Full text available 1950 to present via Annual Review.
Basic and Applied Social Psychology: Full text Business Source Premier 1980 to present (Embargo: 12 months)
Journal of Conflict Resolution: Full text JSTOR Arts & Sciences II Collection 1957 to present (Embargo: 3 years).
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology: Full text available from 1993 - present through ScienceDirect.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Full text available APA PsycARTICLES 1985 to present.
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin: Full text available only 1997-1998 via InfoTrac or visit Holy Cross Library or request through Interlibrary Loan.
Psychological Review : Full text available APA PsycARTICLES 1985 to present.
Social Psychology Quarterly: Full text available 1978 - present (Embargo: 2 years) JSTOR.

Questions?

Stop by the reference desk or set up a research consultation.

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Last modified: Mar 12, 2008, 08:36 EDT