Psychology

Psychology, Brain, and Neural Networks, by Pixabay.com, used with permission by its terms of service.

Hello Panthers!  Use this guide to find credible sources of information for your psychology assignments or courses.

The links will take you to sources where you can start your search for materials and information.

It's easy to enter words into a search engine, look around, and then not find the information you need. 

Prepare your search and have better search results by following these tips:

1.  Define your topic, thesis, or research statement in a full sentence.

Thesis:  The practice of mindfulness has many benefits on improving attention for college students.

 2.  Mark or underline the keywords in your statement.  These will be the main words or nouns.

The practice of mindfulness has many benefits on improving attention for college students.

3.  Generate synonyms for these keywords.  Related people, places, or things may also be included.

• Mindfulness:  Mindfulness meditation, practice, Right Mind (Buddhism)
• Benefits:  Effects
• Attention:  Alternating, Selective, Focused, and Limited (Types of Attention)  
• College Students:  Teenagers, young adults

4.  List your assignment or project requirements.  These may include due date, types of sources, number of sources, or more.

• Due date:  November 1
• Number and types of sources:  Three (3) sources that can be books, newspapers, or journal articles.

5.  Go to the PBSC Library web site on campus or online to find books, articles, and more!

• PBSC Library web site is available at https://palmbeachstate.edu/library.
  • Library Catalog (Books):  Select "Search the Library."
  • Database (Articles):  Select "Search the Databases."
• Use the keywords and synonyms as your search terms when using the Library's search engines.
• When reviewing and selecting your sources, be sure to (a.) follow your assignment requirements and (b.) evaluate their overall quality.

Get Background Information and Basics

If you're new to your topic or concept, read about it before diving into searching for articles.
Reading background information will help you learn more about it and better understand the professional and scholarly information sources you will find in later searches! 

Look for Books, eBooks, and Other Materials in the Library Catalog

Find Articles in Library Databases  

Use combinations of the keywords and synonyms as your search terms when using the Library's databases.

Guides to APA Format and Style

If you need to take a quick look at citing a particular source, APA guides can be helpful for a prompt answer to your formatting question.

Psychology and other human service fields cite their sources of information and format their papers using APA style, as defined in the most current version of Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) by the American Psychological Association (APA).

Use this for detailed information on headings, paper formatting, and creating citations for many materials and formats.

Writing and Citing Tools

Writing tools like NoodleBib and APA Academic Writer will help you format your citations. 
Tip:  Before diving in, be sure to see NoodleBib and Academic Writer's tutorials and how-to guides to get the best use of these tools and save time.

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