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Psychological Sciences

Search, Select, Evaluate

MultiSearch

MultiSearch is the Library’s search platform that provides access to a large majority of Library resources. You can use it to find books, journal and newspaper articles, theses, databases, unit readings, exam papers, and more. Sign in with your OneID for better results. Click on the link below to access the search platform;

 

Research Databases

MultiSearch searches across most of the Library's resources, but it doesn't search everything.

To make sure you are finding all relevant literature, you can also search the subject databases included in each topic on the left-hand side. Research databases may be subject-specific or cover many different topic areas. The search techniques you use in MultiSearch are usually the same ones you use in the subject databases. A good list of Psychology Databases can be found on the Databases & Journals page.

Click on the link below to learn more about effective searching;

When you are analysing an assignment task or searching on a topic, try using alternative words or phrases for the same concept.

You might find one phrase gives you far more results than the others. Below is an example to start you thinking;

Assignment question example: 

Discuss factors that influence the relationship between food intake and children's behaviour?

Try using a concept grid to help organise your alternative words/phrases for each concept.

Concept1 Concept 2 Concept 3
food children behaviour
eating infants behavior (note US Spelling)
diet adolescents hyperactivity
sugar girls/boys anxiety

You can string these similar terms together with OR to help you find more results

Then you can combine the groups for each concept together with AND

Try: "food intake" AND children AND behaviour

But you will retrieve more results if you add more similar terms together and also truncate some of the words - something like this:

(food* OR eating OR diet* OR sugar) AND (child* OR infan* OR adolesc* OR girl* OR boy*) AND (behavio* OR hyperactiv* OR anxi*)

Search Tips:

  •  Use inverted commas to link two or more words together as a phrase
  •  Use * to truncate words. For example, behavio* will retrieve behaviour, behavior, behavioural, behavioral etc
  •  Use dictionaries and other online sources to help you identify similar terms for each of your concepts.

Click on the link below to find out more about how to identify search terms for your research;

Often, you will be required to find and use peer reviewed journal articles in your units.

Peer review refers to:

  • articles which have been scrutinised by recognised authorities in the field
  • articles may be rejected for publication, or asked to revise

Peer review is important because: 

  • It is a guarantee of quality academic material

How do you choose peer reviewed material?

  • By checking the 'peer review' box in the filter pane on the left the search screen

Choosing peer reviewed sources for your assessment is a good idea, but there are other things you need to think about when selecting the right material. Click on the link below to learn more about how to evaluate sources;

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