Not sure where to start your literature review? The database I recommend is... APA PsycInfo!
Fun facts about APA PsycInfo:
Published by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Currently covers 2,281 journals as well as books and book chaptersš
Covers literature published in psychology and related disciplines (including psychiatry, neuropsychology, nursing, social work and pharmacology).
You can access APA PsycInfo via your university library database search. It will appear as:
APA PsycInfo Search Tips š»
APA PsycInfo is popular, not only because it offers extensive access to articles, but also because it provides search options and parameters that narrow results to those that are most relevant to your literature review
For example, if you search...
cognitive assessment, PsycInfo will search for publications that contain the words cognitive AND assessment.
ācognitive assessmentā, PsycInfo will search for publications that contain the exact phrase cognitive assessment.
cognitive Near/1 assessment, will produce results that include words within 1 word of each other, e.g., Cognitive behavioural assessment.
behaviour* (right-hand truncation) searches for behaviour, behaviours, behavioural, behaviourism.
*ache (left-hand truncation) searches for compound words including headache and backache, but also moustache (to be honest, I have no idea when you would need this one, but feel free to share below!)
You can also combine the above search strategies to expand your search further. For example, if you search cogniti* Near/1 assess*, APA PsycInfo will use the truncation character * to find words with multiple endings, e.g. Assessing cognitions.
Check out APA PsycInfo in your university library if you haven't already!
Happy Researching!
***If you want more strategies and tips for how to effectively conduct a literature review, enrol in my on-demand workshop, Learn How to Write a Kick Ass Thesis: Part 1 - Setting Yourself up For Success***
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