Anatolia College Libraries: Psychology: Research Tools and Citing

Basics of APA citation style 7th edition
This tutorial is designed for those who have no previous knowledge of APA Style. It shows users how to structure and format their work, recommends ways to reduce bias in language, identifies how to avoid charges of plagiarism, shows how to cite references in text, and provides selected reference examples.
What's new in the seventh edition
This tutorial from Purdue OWL provides an overview of key changes in the sixth edition of the Publication Manual, beginning with three overarching goals that guided the revision and ending with a detailed chapter-by-chapter list of new and expanded content.
APA style from Purdue OWL
APA 7th (interactive citation)
Select a type of source to view customized interactive examples of how to format APA Style references and in-text citations. (Massey University)
Style and Grammar Guidelines

APA tutorial
Request the password from your instructor

How Can I...?

Locate Materials
- Search for print books
  Check our Library Catalog Help Guide for detailed information on how to effectively search for books.
- Search for audiovisual materials
  Go to our Library Catalog 'Advanced Search';. Search for your topic. Limit by 'Item Type' using any combination of the following: Audio CDs ; CD-ROMs (Computer files) ; Cassette tapes ; DVDs ; Videocassettes.
- Search for ebooks
  Click here for a full list on all latest help guides and video tutorials on how to effectively search and use our EbscoHost ebooks database.
- Search for electronic journals/emagazines
  Click here to find help guides and video tutorials on how to use the alphabetical list of the electronic journals and magazines available through our database subscriptions.
  A more advanced use of this service is setting up alerts to receive new issues on specific journal titles you may be interested in. Here is the Help Guide
- Search for electronic journal articles
  Click here to find help guides and video tutorials on how to use our Ebsco Discovery Service (EDS). EDS is an all-in-one search tool, i.e. all database content is searched simultaneously. These tutorials cover topics from basic searching, to more advanced searching, to understanding the results. A more advanced use of this service is setting alerts for being updated on new additions on specific topics. Please note you need to use limiters to effectively find content to your topic.
- Find what kind of resources the Library holds
  Click here to find links to all the collections on our Library Catalog.

Conduct research

Begin research

Gathering Sources

Consider the type of the source
- Books, Magazines, Academic Journals, Newspapers, Encyclopedias, Library Databases, Library Catalog, Web (websites, blogs, e-news, web 2.0 tools).
  Ask yourself:
  - 1. Is it an academic or non-academic resource?
    1. Will it add value to my paper or not?
- Primary or Secondary source?
  A primary source is considered to be an original source of information. It could be one of the following:
  - Diaries
  - Interviews
  - Letters
  - Original works of art
  - Photographs
  - Speeches
  - Works of literature
  A secondary source is considered to discuss or follow up on information originally presented in primary sources. It could be one of the following:
  - Biographies
  - Dissertations
  - Indexes, abstracts, bibliographies (used to locate a secondary source)
  - Journal articles
  - Monographs
- Magazines, trade or academic journals?
  - Magazines are intended for a general readership and the articles are mainly written by journalists.
  - Trade journals are intended for professionals in a trade, business or industry as they include news and reports on latest developments in the field.
  - Academic journals are intended for the scholarly community as they include reviews of the literature in an field and research
  Tip: Library subscription databases usually offer a limiter feature to 'peer reviewed' content.

Consider the age of the source

Searching Tips
- Narrowing search
  If your search retrieves too many results try the following:
  - Use more specific terms (thesauri may be consulted)
  - Use advanced search limiters, such as: chronological period, geographical area, full-text (on databases), type of publication (e.g. academic journals)
- Broadening search
  If your search retrieves too few results try the following:
  - Use synonyms (thesauri may be consulted)
  - Use broader terms (thesauri may be consulted)>
  - Delete limiters as appropriate
  - Use bibliographies to find sources that may be relevant to your topic. Note: Some sources may not be available via this library's resources.
- Boolean Operators
  Advance search options usually provide Boolean operators to broaden (OR) or narrow (AND/NOT) your search.
- Use Subject Terms
  For more relevant results you may refine your original search by selecting more specific terms that appear on the retrieved records.
Evaluation of information
- Books, journal/magazine articles
  Material accessed via the library resources (online databases, library catalog) have already been evaluated. It is only necessary to evaluate in terms of relevance to your research topic.
- Web evaluation criteria
  Click here for detailed information on how to evaluate resources found on the web.

Cite information
- Harvard OU citation style
  ACT's undergraduate students are required to use the Harvard OU citation style when referencing. Click here for a comprehensive guide with in-text and bibliography examples.
- Citing library resources
  Most Library subscription databases (including ebooks) contain a cite feature. You may select the Harvard style from the dropdown menu.
  NOTE: Make sure you cross-check against OU Harvard citation guide for any format differences
- Citation Machines
  Very useful tools may be found on the web. Add the URL to cite a webisite, the ISBN to cite books, or fill out the citation elements manually to generate a reference list with the consistent format you select. Recommended examples: Citation Machine; Cite This For Me; EasyBib (Easybib provides only MLA for free).
- Citation Management Software
  For lengthy bibliographical lists (e.g. senior thesis) you may need help organizing your entries and article files. We recommend using Zotero software which is installed on all Library computers. Here you may find our Zotero Help Guide

Tips for your searching

Keywords are terms considered to be “key” to finding information. You might find them useful for your catalog and database searches. Some examples:

Keywords in different languages. Latin America, América Latina…
Synonyms. Latinos, Hispanics….
Related keywords. Globalization, economic integration, migration, diaspora.

Click on the "Databases" tab on the menu to find core databases and other useful databases for your search.

Narrow down your search by using:

Subject searches and subject headings for a more controlled search.

Boolean operators (AND, NOT)

Limits (by date, language, format, specific field, electronic full-text availability…)

Expand Your Search by Using:

Keywords in different languages, synonyms, and related keywords.

Boolean operators: AND, OR, NOT

Truncation. A symbol at the end of a word to retrieve variants of that word. For example: searching for hispan* would find "hispano", "hispanic", “hispanism".

Wildcards. A symbol to be embedded within a word to replace a single character or a string of characters. For example: searching for wom?n will find “woman” and “women”.

On the day of an event	Days later	Weeks later	Months later	Years later
Television, radio, web	Newspapers, TV, radio, web	Popular magazines	Trade magazines and scholarly journals	Scholarly journals, books, conference proceedings

Psychology: Research Tools and Citing

How Can I...?

Tips for your searching

Start with basics