The following is support material related to a library instruction session conducted by a library instructor and a BHCC Behavioral Science Department course instructor.
This class session is as much about what you locate, retrieve, and produce for your instructor as it is about the process you follow to deliver the end product. It is meant as a warm-up exercise that will contribute to classroom work related to Principles of Psychology and prepare you for a psychology research paper due later in the semester.
For today's session you have been asked by your instructor to find empirical information on a psychology topic. Here's a link to a list of defense mechanisms that you may or may not find useful. Let's take a look at the WWW site and determine if the information is appropriate for this course exercise. Being able to evaluate the quality and credibility of a WWW site and articulating the factors relating to your choice are an important part of using information for college level work.
Begin by recognizing where you are...
If you haven't seen the library consortium Web based catalog then now is as good a time as any. NOBLE , and by extension, the Bunker Hill Community College Library Online Catalog , are easy to get to if you have a connection to the Internet and you're using a WWW browser.
One book I'm sure you'll all need to take a look at by the end of the semester is, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders : DSM-IV. Give the catalog a try by doing a search to identify the call number for the DSM. You'll find the reference section beyond the circulation desk to the right and left of the reference desk. The REF RC books are to the left of the Reference Desk.
Getting yourself oriented...
Using the Library of Congress Call Number Classification System means you can browse the library shelves more efficiently. If you are in the library, you can find what you need without relying on the computer to point out specific shelf locations of individual books.
The Library of Congress Call Number Classification System organizes information by applying the 26 letters of the alphabet to general disciplines of knowledge like Law, Science, Religion and then narrows the categories by adding subdivisions to each. For your purposes, knowing were to find the following six categories is enough to get you started on your search for information related to this semester's assignments:
Using subscription databases
Use the online subscription database InfoTrac Web , a Gale Group database, to isolate terms and qualifiers for that term. Once you've accessed the service, try scrolling down and selecting Expanded Academic ASAP , since it is the database most closely associated with this particular subject matter.
Here are a couple of successful searches that can lead you to information you need: (View the InfoTrac Web Database Menu page BEFORE you click on the below searches!)
- Search Two Try searching again but this time you're on your own. Begin by scrolling down to the database Expanded Academic ASAP and perform a very general subject search using the term "psychology" as a means of getting an overview of the terms and related terms used by this database for articles that will address the needs stimulated by course assignments from your class instructor. Click on "see also related terms" select "Behaviorism Psychology" and examine the articles to better understand how the database can work for you.
Another online subscription database that will prove useful for this course is EBSCO. Both InfoTrac Web and Ebsco are available on or off campus with the use of your 14 digit barcode number found on the back of your BHCC ID. Try the Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection or Academic Search Premier and use the BASIC SEARCH tool in EBSCO to begin a Keyword search.
Take a look at the full list of electronic resources at your disposal by going to the databases page of the BHCC Library web site.
Using the World Wide Web
If you plan to use the World Wide Web and its directories and search tools, then you have another reason to take the time to familiarize yourself with subject headings relating to your research. Taking a systematic approach to retrieving information will make you a more efficient and effective searcher.
An excellent source of free-access WWW information for your psychology research is through APA , the American Psychological Association.
Here's an excellent and comprehensive grouping of web resources on psychology from the Intute family of credible web resources. (Intute is a resource created and maintained by universities and partners in the United Kingdom.) It is at http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/psychology/
The “Psychology World Wide Web Virtual Library,” which is part of the World Wide Web Virtual Library, contains good research leads on topics in psychology. It is at http://www.dialogical.net/psychology/index.html
For example, the Digital Librarian has a directory leading to a good number of WWW sites that would be useful for this project. If you hadn't already thought about your subject headings, you might just click on PSYCHOLOGY and go off on just that one narrow path instead of taking advantage of the related information found right along side the obvious. There are useful links connected to Science, Reference, Parenting, Social Sciences, and Health & Medicine to name a few.
Another, less formal way to begin your search is to isolate terms that will represent your search clearly using a keyword search technique. Use a subject specific source like the Online Dictionary of Mental Health to help you isolate the best words and synonyms for your search.
Recognize the scope of the WWW and think in terms of evaluating what you're looking at by considering Academic Info Psychology.
The line between editorial content and commercial enterprise is blurring but don't miss the commercial resources. They are plentiful and many offer useful information without costing the user anything in terms of $$$$. Take a look at Psychweb.
Another tool which is a little more involved to use but often worth the effort is, PsychCrawler.
The website http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/amoebaweb/ gives good websites and articles in all areas of psychology.
There are many other psychology topics and issues which may be of interest for academic research or for your own personal interest. If you have time, try exploring any of the sources mentioned above, or see what you can find on your own using a search engine such as Google.com. Here is an example of an interesting site we found:
Citing your information sources
If you need to be reminded about the rules for citing resources for your psychology research paper later this semester, take a look at the Duke University Libraries' Guide to Citing Sources for a quick refresher. There's also a great site for students using APA citation posted by Lesley College, if you're curious to learn more.
