Content last reviewed:
The following guide will provide some suggestions for library resources and search strategies to help graduate students in psychology with their graduate program.
An overview
How to get a PhD : a handbook for students and their supervisors 2010
Mastering your PhD: survival and success in the doctoral years and beyond 2011
Succeeding with your master's dissertation : a step-by-step handbook 2011
The psychology thesis : research and coursework 2008
Completing a professional practice dissertation : a guide for doctoral students and faculty 2010
Tools
Dissertation calculator (University of Minnesota)
Proposal writing
Developing research proposals 2012
Proposals that work : a guide for planning dissertations and grant proposals 2007
General overview
- Systematic approaches to a successful literature review 2012
- Doing your literature review: traditional and systematic techniques 2011
- The literature review : six steps to success 2009
Databases
The following is a list of databases to start out your literature search. The more databases you cover,
the more comprehensive your literature search will be.
- PsycINFO
- PsycArticles
- Child Development & Adolescent Studies (child studies)
- Eric (education)
- Sociological Abstracts (sociology)
- PubMed (health/medical)
- Criminal Justice Abstracts (criminology, forensic science)
- Studies on Women and Gender Abstracts (gender studies)
To find a more complete of list of databases by discipline, try http://www.library.carleton.ca/find/databases.
Select the details link for each database before you seach the database. This will provide you with valuable information about the database (eg. coverage,...).
Multidisciplinary
These databases will allow you to search for documents that cover your topic from various disciplinary perspectives.
There are a number of tools and databases features that will help you critically evaluate the resources you use to do your literature searches.
Journal articles
The following databases have a cited by feature. This metric will allow you to see the most frequently cited papers (i.e. compare articles).
- PsycINFO (use also the "Look up citation" link on the Advanced search page)
- Scopus (see Tutorial on Cited reference searches under the Tutorials link)
- Web of Science
- Google Scholar Citation (for an explanation Google Scholar Metrics go to http://scholar.google.com/intl/en/scholar/metrics.html )
Scholarly journals
The following tools provide citation data to compare and evaluate scholarly journals.
- Journal Citation Reports
- Scopus (use the Analytics link)
"Cited-Reference Searching" is a process where you start with a reference which is important for your research and track down publications that have cited that reference.
Why is it useful?
This process helps you gage the importance of a work or researcher to a particular disciplinary area.
For more information, see:http://www.library.carleton.ca/help/cited-reference-searching
Managing your resources and research
A. Citation Management
Citations management tools help keep track of your references from various sources in one secure location. These tools will also help format your references in the proper citation style (eg. APA format).
B. Setting up search alerts
A number of databases give you the options to set up search alerts. This means that you will
be able to request that searches be automatically done regularly by the database. You will be able to select the frequency of these searches (i.e. weekly, monthly,….).
1. Proquest databases
For Proquest databases, simply sign up for a “My Research” account (top right corner of the database page).
For a list of Proquest databases that the Carleton University library subscribes to, see : http://search.proquest.com.proxy.library.carleton.ca/index?accountid=9894
PsycINFO uses a Proquest search interface. You may wish to set up alerts for PsycINFO that are separate from the other Proquest databases since PsycINFO allows for more field searching options. Please note that PsycINFO updates its record weekly.
2. PubMed
Provides access to citations covering all areas of medicine and associated fields. Contains over 11 million citations in MEDLINE, PreMEDLINE and other related databases, with links to participating online journals.
To sign up for search alerts, use the sign in link “Sign into NCBI” in the upper right side of the PubMed page http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.proxy.library.carleton.ca/pubmed/
3. Sage Online journals
Provides online access to over 500 journals across a broad range of disciplines such as
communication studies, criminology, education, management and organization studies,
materials science, nursing and health sciences, political science, psychology, sociology, urban studies and planning.
To view a complete list of journals by disciplines, see:
http://online.sagepub.com.proxy.library.carleton.ca/browse/by/discipline
To sign up for alerts, simply select the “ e-mail alerts” options under the “My Tools” heading.
4. Scopus
A multidisciplinary abstract and citation database of research literature and web sources. Provides worldwide coverage available of scientific, technical, medical and social sciences literature. More than half of Scopus content originates from Europe, Latin America and the Asia Pacific region. Also a good source of patent information.
SCOPUS and ScienceDirect are integrated in one single platform: SciVerse.
To sign up for alerts simply select the “Alerts” option on the Scopus search page.
5. Web of Science
A multidisciplinary index of citations to articles in the sciences, social sciences and humanities.
Useful for finding journal articles published on a topic or to discover who has cited a particular author and/or paper. Consists of the five main citation databases:
Science Citation Index Expanded (1900 - present)
Social Sciences Citation Index (1956 - present)
Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1975 - present)
To sign up for an alert, select “My citation alerts” on Web of Science homepage.
NOTE: please write down the passwords and userid in a secure location for future reference
The following are some examples of resources in the library that touch on various topics related to research organized according to various themes. To find additional resources you may wish to do a subject search in the library Omni tool using the following headings:
Psychology -- Research -- Methodology
Social sciences -- Research -- Methodology
Qualitative research
Psychology -- Methodology
Psychology -- Statistical methods
Research methodologies
Emerging methods in psychology 2012
Research methods for the behavioral sciences 2012
Qualitative research methods in psychology: combining core approaches 2011
Handbook of developmental research methods 2012
Informative hypotheses: theory and practice for behavioral and social scientists 2012
Quantitative models in psychology 2011
The SAGE handbook of innovation in social research methods 2011
Essentials of qualitative interviewing 2011
Research and evaluation in education and psychology : integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods 2015
When research goes off the rails : why it happens and what you can do about it 2010
Creative spaces for qualitative researching: living research 2011
Applied missing data analysis 2010
Experimental design and analysis for psychology 2009
Research with high-risk populations: balancing science, ethics, and law 2009
Research methods for everyday life: blending qualitative and quantitative approaches 2009
Bayesian evaluation of informative hypotheses 2008
Envisioning the survey interview of the future 2008
Design, evaluation, and analysis of questionnaires for survey research 2014
Handbook of research methods in personality psychology 2007
Research tests, data and statistics
Serious stats : a guide to advanced statistics for the behavioral sciences 2012
Data collection : key debates and methods in social research 2012
Assessing the quality of survey data 2012
Statistics in psychology using R and SPSS 2011
Observation oriented modeling: analysis of cause in the behavioral sciences 2011
Psychological testing : history, principles, and applications 2013
Scale construction and psychometrics for social and personality psychology 2011
Secondary data analysis : an introduction for psychologists 2011
Basic statistics for psychologists 2011
Making sense of data and statistics in psychology 2011
Advanced methods for conducting online behavioral research 2010
Handbook of survey research 2010
New psychological tests and testing research 2007
Mastering modern psychological testing : theory & methods 2007
Making sense of data and statistics in psychology 2011
Research ethics
Responsible test use : case studies for assessing human behavior 2010
According to the Code of Ethics for the Canadian Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association, only licensed practionners have access to psychological tests. Tests can be obtained for research purpose from either a commercial vendor or from the creator of the test. The following integrated guide will provide you with information about the tests (including reviews) and about how to obtain a copy of the test:
The Mental Measurements Yearbook (MMY) provides users with a comprehensive guide to contemporary testing instruments. MMY also contains descriptive information (e.g., test purpose, publisher, pricing) and edited review(s) written by leading content area experts. This resource also includes the complete Tests in Print database. Tests in Print (TIP) serves as a comprehensive bibliography to all known commercially available tests that are currently in print in the English language.
To obtain access to an actual tests, students will have to request the test themselves using the contact information provided in these guides.
To search in PsycINFO for empirical articles that have used specific tests, simply search the Test & measure field using the test name.
Qualitative data
NVIVO
NVIVO is a software that supports qualitative and mixed methods research. It allows you to collect, organize, analyze content from interviews, surveys, focus groups, social media, webpages....
For a list of features for this tool see: http://download.qsrinternational.com/Resource/NVivo10/nvivo10-feature-list.pdf
The online tutorials are useful if you wish to learn how to use NVIVO at your own pace.
If you prefer a live session, the library offers some scheduled workshops as well as on-demand NVivo workshops to individual, small groups, and classes for Carleton University students, faculty or staff. Contact nvivo@library.carleton.ca to make arrangements. Space in the scheduled workshops is limited so sign up early.
Topics covered can include:
Overview of features
How to import your data
How to create nodes
How to code your data
Building and running queries
Building models and charts
Exporting projects items
For more information on NVIVO see: http://www.library.carleton.ca/services/nvivo
The Data Centre acquires, manages, and preserves quantitative computer-readable data files from the various disciplines of the humanities and social sciences and provides data-related services as needed to support research and instruction at Carleton. This Centre is located on the first floor in the library.
The Data Centre in the library will assist students with the following:
- Maintain a collection of computer-readable data files and their accompanying documentation (codebooks).
- Assist with the location and acquisition of data files not currently in the Data Centre's collection.
- Assist with both the identification of appropriate datasets and of variables within a dataset, and perform data extractions of selected variables to create custom datasets for research or instructional use.
- Provide technical assistance with the transfer of data across various hardware and software platforms.
- Provide help with the use of statistical software and social science research terminology.
- Assist with the cleaning, documentation, archiving, and dissemination of original data files deposited by researchers.
- Provide instruction on the management and use of computer-readable data files.
For descriptions of the resources available at the Data Centre, see http://www.library.carleton.ca/find/data.
Data Centre staff:
Data Specialist: Jane Fry 613.520.2600 x 1121 e-mail: Jane.Fry@carleton.ca
For information about your thesis requirements, see: https://gradstudents.carleton.ca/resources-page/thesis-requirements/
To find books on academic/dissertation writing, you may wish to do a subject search in the library Omni tool using one of the following subject headings:
Dissertations, Academic -- Authorship.
Report writing.
Academic writing.
Here are a few examples of resources available in our collection:
How to write a thesis 2011
Demystifying dissertation writing : a streamlined process from choice of topic to final text 2010
Writing a successful thesis or dissertation : tips and strategies for students in the social and behavioral sciences 2008
Revising your dissertation: advice from leading editors 2008
The psychologist's companion: a guide to writing scientific papers for students and researchers 2010
The Carleton University Library has produced a series entitled "Writing for Scholarly Journals" which consists of online learning modules. Each module contains a video screencast and review handout.
Additional book resources in the CU library
Publishing pedagogies for the doctorate and beyond 2010
The handbook of scholarly writing and publishing 2011
Academic writing and publishing 2008
The following are examples of resources available in the CU library to help you present your work at conferences and workshops:
Effective writing in psychology : papers, posters,and presentations 2012
Displaying your findings : a practical guide for creating figures, posters, and presentations 2010
Data
Data Services (MacOdrum Library) provides quantitative research data from various disciplines in the social sciences, humanities, and life sciences. Use this site to access a wide range of surveys conducted by Statistics Canada and other organizations, including some international. Read more ...
Statistics
The Department of Psychology provides statistical consulting to faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows (consulting is not available to undergraduates and members of other departments).
Consultants assist with tasks ranging from advice on study design, selecting appropriate analytic techniques, and troubleshooting data analyses to strategizing analysis plans for grant proposals and other large-scale projects. Read more ...
ARES (online reserves) is the online system for library reserves. Ares allows you to submit reserve requests to the library online, and manage all your reserves (physical and electronic) in one place. For information: https://library.carleton.ca/services/reserves-faculty-and-instructors.
The following are resources that may be of interest as you transition to your professional career:
Being an academic 2012
What they didn't teach you in graduate school : 199 helpful hints for success in your academic career 2008
The professoriate: profile of a profession 2005
The academic self : an owner's manual 2002
Research
The postgraduate research handbook : succeed with your MA, MPhil, EdD and PhD 2011
E-portfolios
On the right track: Using e-portfolios as tenure files 2012
The teaching portfolio : a practical guide to improved performance and promotion/tenure decisions 2010
Teaching
Academic cultures : professional preparation and the teaching life 2008
