Qualitative Methods in Psychology: a Research Guide by
"This book provides an introduction to four widely used qualitative research methods, followed by a detailed discussion of a pluralistic approach to qualitative research¿makes exceellent use of questions both in order to help the reader gain clarity as well as to encourage reflexivity" The Psychologist, May 2012
Understanding Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology by
Understanding Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology offers broad-ranging coverage of basic and advanced qualitative and quantitative methods, exploring similarities and tensions between the two; a sequential structure starting from first principles to more advanced techniques; and a commitment to anchoring each of these techniques in relations to real psychological research, laying a foundation of necessary skills that will allow psychology students to confidently carry out their own investigations.Key Features: An organization that works well for students starting at basic level, then moving on to more advanced research methods and statistics study at higher levels;A creative and practical selection of heuristic devices that will cement knowledge of the techniques and skills covered in the textbook; andFully interactive and password protected companion website for instructors and students, providing an array of features to help teaching and learning.Understanding Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology will be essential reading for undergraduate students taking research methods and statistics in psychology. Helen Gavin is Head of the Division of Psychology at the University of Huddersfield, U.K.
Cross-Cultural Research Methods in Psychology by
Cross-cultural research is now an undeniable part of mainstream psychology and has had a major impact on conceptual models of human behavior. Although it is true that the basic principles of social psychological methodology and data analysis are applicable to cross-cultural research, there are a number of issues that are distinct to it, including managing incongruities of language and quantifying cultural response sets in the use of scales. Cross-Cultural Research Methods in Psychology provides state-of-the-art knowledge about the methodological problems that need to be addressed if a researcher is to conduct valid and reliable cross-cultural research. It also offers practical advice and examples of solutions to those problems and is a must-read for any student of culture.
A literature review is a written summary and analysis of existing knowledge on a particular topic.
This assignment requires you to find primary research articles for your literature review.
Your article is likely primary research if it includes
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are NOT original research.
Subjects: criminal justice, gender studies, latino studies, political science, psychology, social work, sociology
Content: journals, magazines, books, conference proceedings
Publication dates: 1908 – present
APA PsycArticles is a full-text database offering access to journals published by the American Psychological Association and others. Subjects include behavioral science and related fields ranging from education, nursing, and business, with advanced search options featuring the ability to filter by methodology, population and age group.
PsycINFO is an index only database produced by the American Psychological Association and provides comprehensive abstracts of international psychological literature from the 1800s to the present. Documents indexed include journals, articles, books, dissertations, and more, with advanced search options featuring the ability to filter by methodology, population and age group.
Counseling and Therapy in Video contains more than 2,400 hours of footage from actual therapy sessions, training videos, and reenactments conducted by counseling professionals. It provides students a firsthand look at the realities of working with clients and the challenges associated with putting theoretical concepts into practice.
Identify keywords for your topic and brainstorm narrower, broader, and related terms.
Example: Factors that affect academic performance in first-generation college students.
| Academic Performance | College | First-Generation Students |
| Student Success | Higher Education | Children of Immigrants |
| Student Achievement | University | Minority Students |
| Learning Outcomes | Community College | Nontraditional Students |
Boolean Operators AND, OR, and NOT allow you to broaden or narrow your results in the library catalog and databases. You can easily use these to clarify what you need by choosing the advanced search option.
Add more keywords.
Adding additional keywords to your search can help to further narrow your topic.
Example: college AND first-generation students AND academic performance
Use a filter
Look on the left side for ways you can filter your materials. Here are a few to consider, depending on your needs.
Try different search terms.
What other words could you use to describe this concept? Brainstorm related terms, synonyms, and slightly different forms of your word or phrase. Also brainstorm broader categories or concepts it belongs to, as well as narrower elements or examples. (See the keywords section above for examples.)
It may also be useful to consider the official, academic, or formal way to write that term. This is more likely to be used in academic writing.
Use fewer search terms.
Sometimes less is more! The more words, phrases, or subjects you ask the database to find, the fewer sources will meet the criteria.
Use OR.
Broaden your search by using the boolean operator OR to link your terms.
Example: (college OR higher education OR university) AND first-generation students AND (academic performance OR student success)