How to Search PsycINFO®
PsycINFO is a database of citations and abstracts for articles, books, book chapters,
dissertations, and technical reports. The database indexes over 1800 psychology journals. It is
produced by the American Psychological Association.
Step 1: Connect to the database

Connect to the OSU Library homepage: http://library.osu.edu/

From the Links box (right hand side of the screen), click:
Subject Guides→Social & Behavioral Sciences →Psychology→Find Articles: By
Subject or Keyword→PsycINFO (1967 to present)
OR
Research Databases List→Psychology→PsycINFO (1967 to present)
Step 2: Start your search

Click on the Keyword search button at the top of the search form.
Search:
thesaurus |

keywords |
keywords plus cited references
Use the search box to enter your search term(s).
Search for:
in
Enter a single word or phrase.
Example: concentration
Example: prejudice
Example: executive function
Type AND to narrow your search or use OR to broaden your search.
Example: noise AND concentration
Finds citations that contain both the words "noise" and "concentration"
Example: prejudice OR hate
Finds items that contain either "hate" or "prejudice"
Use an asterisk (*) at the end of a word or part of a word to search for different endings.
Example: child*
Finds citations that contain "child," "childhood," or "children"
If you would like to have the database guide you to subject terms from the Thesaurus of
Psychological Index Terms, change the drop-down menu for any search box from “All
Fields” to “Subject.” (See section on Searching with the Thesaurus)
If you need to use multiple search boxes, click on More search boxes and add terms.
If you would like to limit your search, click on Show limit option (see section on
Limiting).

Click on the Submit Search button.
Searching with the Thesaurus
PsycINFO include an online thesaurus. The thesaurus contains a carefully selected list of words
and phrases assigned to PsycINFO records to organize them by subject. While you can search
the PsycINFO database using keywords, you will get more precise search results if you use the
thesaurus terms.

Select the thesaurus search at the top of the search screen.
Search:
thesaurus |

keywords |
keywords plus cited references
Enter a concept or subject of interest into the search box. Follow the on screen
instructions to select your term.
Search for:
in
Example: If I you are looking for the subject “terrorism” select the narrower term
bioterrorism as well as nine related terms by clicking on “View Thesaurus.” Once you
select your terms click on “Combine Terms.”
Step 3: Limit Options - How to Limit Your Search

To determine what limit options are available, click on Show limit options below the
search box.
Frequently used limits include:
Language
Year
Publication Type
Age Group

Example:
English
2009-2012
Peer-reviewed journal
adolescence
Click on the appropriate limits for your search, and then click the Limit Results Now
button.
Step 4: Review & Locate Articles

Click on an article title to view the full citation, which will include a useful summary of
the article (Abstract).

Click on the
text.
button near the article title to see if the article is available in full
A pop-up window will appear. If the article is available in full text, you will see a link for
full text on the left side in the window: View full text of this article in the EJC. Click on
the link and follow the prompts for full text.
If the full-text link is NOT displayed on the screen, then click on the link View details in
the Ohio State University library catalog for more information.
If the journal is not available from our library, and you have time to request a copy from
another university (about one week), click on Get a copy via Interlibrary Loan.
Step 5: Storing, Printing, Downloading, & Emailing Article Records

Click on the checkbox
near the article title to mark a record for storing.
To return to the list of citations, click on Results List (near the top of the screen).

Click on Stored Records button near the top of the screen on your results page to
review, print, or email what you’ve stored.

From the Stored Records screen, you can view, print, download, email, or export your
article records. Follow the prompts to complete this process.
Questions? Call (614) 292-OSUL (6785) or e-mail us at http://library.osu.edu

Based on a handout written by Christina L. Bonner, Head, Library Reference & Instruction
Services, Ohio Dominican University Library
Natalie Kupferberg
Psychology Librarian
[email protected]
292-1945
1/12/2011