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Universiteitsbibliotheek – LibGuides

EBM Literature Sources : 5. APA PsychINFO

PsycINFO

Basic search in PsychINFO

PsycINFO contains more than 4 million bibliographic records centered on psychology and the behavioral and social sciences.

Utrecht University Library allows you to search PsychINFO using OVID.

More information about this database you can read here.

Searching in PsychINFO

In the boxes on this page you will find information on searching in PsychINFO:

  • Searching in title / abstract
  • Searching with keywords
  • Combining searches
  • Tips & Tricks

Searching in title / abstract

Just like searching in other databases, you can search in title and abstract. Click on the tab: 'Search fields' and tick the boxes: title and also abstract. Enter your words into the search screen and click on 'search'.

In the history you will see for example:

Searching with keywords

Under the tab 'Advanced search' is the possibility to search for keywords. It automatically searches for a suitable keyword  (there is a check mark at 'Map Term to Subject Heading'). Tick the boxes for one or more suitable keywords.

You can reduce the number of references by removing the checkmark at 'Auto Explode'. Narrower terms like for instance 'amyotropic lateral sclerosis' will not be included.

PsychINFO-Explosion

Combining searches

Your Search History allows you to combine individual searches. In the example below within the domain of the search question we tick the boxes 7 and 8 and afterwards click on: 'combine selections with with OR'.

PsychINFO- Explosion

Tips and tricks

For a Basic Search, enter a word, phrase or question in the search box in ordinary language. OVID uses natural language processing to find results.

For example: 'Should returning soldiers be screened on PTSD?'. You will find relevant references in a quick and dirty way. For conducting a systematic search analyze these references for Key Concepts and Subject Headings and set up a comprehensive search.

Find lots of tips and tricks in the Quick Reference Guide of OVID!