PsycINFO Guide

Getting Started

Basic Search

Advanced Search

Visual Search

Cited References

Viewing/ Printing

Saving/ Alerts

This guide is for using the EBSCO version of PscyINFO that is available for users affiliated with the University of Maine. PsycINFO covers psychology literature from 1887-present.

Getting Started

Locating PscyINFO on the Fogler Web Page
1. From the Fogler Library web page at http://www.library.umaine.edu/ go to the link "Search in a Database" under the heading "Articles on your topic.

2. Under the Databases A-Z list click on P.

3. Then click on the link for PsycINFO

Connecting to PsycINFO from Guide
You can go directly to the site from this link to PsycINFO

Accessing PsycINFO Remotely
1. Enter your name and the number on the back of your Maine card to access PsycINFO from non-campus computers.

2. Your Maine card needs to be activated. If you have not checked out a book since the fall, you will need to have your Maine card activated at the circulation desk.

Basic Search

Basic Search is the default setting for PsycINFO.

Entering Your Search Terms
1. The default search setting is for phrase searching. Click the box to automatically AND between terms at the bottom of the page to change the default.
2. Enter your search terms.

3. Use AND to look search for more than one term. You can search for a subject and an author. Example: Dodge AND aggression

4. Use OR to search for synonyms. Matching records will contain either of your terms. Example: children OR adolescents
5. Use NOT to eliminate certain aspects of a term. Example: depression NOT seasonal affective disorder
6. Put ( ) around terms to make a complex search. Example (children OR adolescents) AND eating disorder
7. Use * to truncate words so that you can capture both the singular and the plural. Example: child*

Setting Limits in Basic Search
1. You can place a number of limits on your search including peer reviewed, linked full text, publication year and publication journal.

2. When you place a limit on your search you will not see any records that do not match your limits.

Narrow Results by Subject
You can narrow the results within your results by clicking on a subject term in the yellow box on the left of search results. Below are the subject terms returned, if you search by the keyword Anorexia.

This process can be repeated by clicking on another subject term. Each time the results are further limited.

Sorting Results
1. The default listing is by date

2. Results can also be listed by author, source, or relevance.

Thesaurus
1. Using the thesaurus can increase the number of relevant hits. Click on the link to bring up the search box.

2. Browse the subject terms by typing words into the search box. You will be shown the closest match alphabetically.

3. Select the descriptor and then click on the Add button

Advanced Search

To access Advanced Search click on the Advanced Search tab that is near the top of your screen.

Entering Your Search Terms
1. The default setting is for phrase searching. Enter terms in separate boxes if they are not part of a phrase.
2. You can change the drop down settings to look for specific categories like author and journal title.

3. Advanced Search has pull down menus for AND, OR and NOT.

Setting Limits in Advanced Search
Advanced Search provides additional limits for selecting book type, methodology, and classification codes. It also includes a box to exclude dissertations.

Search History on Advanced Search
1. PsycINFO automatically makes a temporary file running your searches. This file will disappear if you exit the database.
2. Click on the tab Search History/Alerts to see your search history.

3. You can click on the link to see the results or revise a previous search

Visual Search

Visual Search allows you to search across broad subjects.

Enter Your Search Term

Your results will come in a visual map organized by topic

View Visual Map

1. Circles represent categories of results. Squares represent links to articles.
2. Clicking on a category will allow you to access the articles and subcategories within it. A category can contain both articles and more categories.
3. The bar at the top can be used to show the filters, zoom back to the previous category level, or jump to the top level from wherever the search has gone.

The Show filters link allow you to search by keyword within the results, limit the years, and limit to full text.

Once you have clicked on a rectangle to bring up a document the record will appear on the right hand side of the screen.

Cited References

Searching for Cited Reference
1. Click on the link for Cited References

2. Enter your search terms. Leave a space between initials.

3. Click on the boxes next to the citations you want to search. Click on the Find Citing Articles button

4. This list contains all the records that cited your search. Remove self-citations. Save, print, or email records.

Viewing/Printing

Viewing Records
1. Click on the link with the article title to open the record for a link
2. The record contains citation information and will indicate if the article is peer reviewed or has tables.
3. Citation information may be printed, emailed, saved, exported or added to a temporary folder.

4. See instructions below for locating, opening, and printing full-text articles.

Opening Full Text Documents
	This link opens pdf journal articles. The articles have the same format as print journals.
	This link opens pdf journal articles. The articles have the same format as print journals.
	This link opens html journal articles. These articles have been recoded using html and do not have the same format as the print journal.
	This button implements a process that connects the database to the journals in URSUS. This will connect to full text articles if URSUS has access to an online journal either through a subscription or through another database. If no online source can be found, then print resources or interlibrary loan are available.

Printing or Emailing a PDF Document
Mac users utilizing Safari can go to the file menu and hit print. Safari can be downloaded at http://www.apple.com/safari/download/. All PC users and Mac users utilizing Internet Explorer will need the following instructions for printing:
1. If you article has is a pdf document you will see icons above article

2. Click on the icon of a printer to print the article.
Do NOT go to the file menu and click on print. If you do this, you will not print the article.
3. Click on the link "Email" that is on the upper right of your screen.

If you do not see this link at the upper right of your screen, you may not be able to email the article.
Do NOT click on the icon next to the printer icon. This is an emailing icon, but it won't work.

Printing or Emailing an HTML Document
1. If you article is an html document you will links above the article.

2. Printing is easier for html documents. All users can use the print command under the file menu or click on the "Print" link to print the article.
3. Click on the "E-mail" link to email the article.

Locating Journal Articles in Fogler
1. The journals are shelved in alphabetic order unless otherwise noted in URSUS. Floor 1 contains A -- Chemical Society Journal Floor 1b contains Chemical Society Proceedings -- Journal of Reprints for Anti-Trust Law and Economics Floor 2 contains Journal of Reproduction and Fertility -- Physical Review Floor 2b contains Physical Review A -- Zygon
2. If Fogler does not have access to an item either online or in print you can request it through interlibrary loan.

Saving and Alerts

Saving in a Temporary Folder
Note: Documents in a temporary folder will be lost if you close PscyINFO or time out due to inactivity.
1.Enter you search terms and click on the Click on the icon of a folder located to the right of the item.

2. Select all of the items from a search by clicking on the link at the top of the screen

3. Select all of the items on a page by clicking the link at the top right of the items returned for your search.

Viewing Items in Folder
1. Click on the folder icon in the upper right area of your computer screen to see items in folder.

2. Once you are in the folder area, you may email, save, print , export, or remove your items. You must have the document opened to print, save, or email the full-text.

You must open an article in order to to print or email the full-text.

Saving on the EBSCO Server
1. In order to save a search or create a web alert on the EBSCOhost server, you must sign up for an EBSCO host account. There is a link at the top of the page called "Sign Into My EBSCOhost" which leads to an area where you can sign in or create a new account.

2. Click on the "I'm a new user" link.


3. Click on the link "Save Searches/Alerts" to save your search.

4. Enter a name and description for your saved search.
5. Select either a permanent or temporary (24 hr) save.

Web Alerts on EBSCOhost
1. Web Alerts are created by clicking on the "Save Searches/Alerts" link.

2. A Web Alert can run your search on on a regular basis ranging from daily to monthly and send you email links to new matching records.

Contact Information
Psychology Subject Specialist: Cynthia Crosser at (207) 581-3612
cynthia.crosser@umit.umaine.edu \| Revised: 01/25/2008