Explains some of the ins and outs of how to use APA PsycNet.

1. Roy Brown
Education and Research Librarian
Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences,
VCU Libraries

2. • PsycINFO®: database of scholarly literature in the psychological, social,
behavioral, and health sciences. It covers journals, books, reviews, and
dissertations.
• PsycBOOKS: database of APA books, book chapters and classic books. It also contains
entries from the Encyclopedia of Psychology and other reference works.
• PsycCRITIQUES : database of book and film reviews.
• PsycARTICLES : database that contains journals published by the APA and others in the
areas of psychology, applied psychology, health, theory, research, social psychology and
more.
• PsycEXTRA : database of gray literature from newsletters, magazines, reports, brochures
and other sources presented for a wide audience of professionals and researchers interested
in psychology and closely related fields. Much of the material in this particular database does
not come from peer-reviewed journals.
• PsycTESTS: A repository for the full text of psychological tests and measures as well as a
rich source of structured information about the tests.
• PsycTherapy: A database of streaming psychotherapy demonstration videos; users may
create playlists, clips, search transcripts of videos, and more.

3. All of the
available
databases
Search
History:
Search
Box:
to the right
you can limit
the search to
specific
citation fields
Display Settings:
Can adjust number of
results per page and
how they are sorted.
Publication
Date
Term Finder: place to access
the controlled vocabulary of the
database

4. Where you can
combine terms with
AND, OR, NOTClick Here in
order to see
the record for
the
Term Finder/ Index of Controlled Vocab.

5. Recent Searches/Search History
Boolean
Operators:
Used to combine
Terms
Select
terms by
checking
boxes

6. Results Page
Limits/Ways
to Narrow
Results
Tabs Show
Results by Each
Database
Publication
Types
Get it @ VCU &
Way to see
Abstract and
References
Search History

7. Get in touch with Me…..
Roy Brown, MLIS
Education and Research Librarian
Tompkins-McCaw Library, VCU Libraries
rebrown2@vcu.edu / Ph. 804-828-1592
If You Need Help……..