SPED 590 – Applied Behavioral Research Methods

Researching the Literature Workshop – Summer 2011

Bob Schroeder, Education Librarian,

PSU Library Home Page: http://library.pdx.edu/

Special Education Resources Subject Guide: http://guides.library.pdx.edu/sped

Databases of interest for special education

Education
ERIC
Major database for education (including special education). All aspects of education from curriculum to policy to research. Includes citations to peer reviewed journal articles as well as thousands of non-peer reviewed (but very useful) reports, papers, curriculum plans, etc. Special education topics: pedagogy, curriculum, school setting issues and educational policy.
Education Research Complete
Includes citations and full text articles from education research journals, books, and conference papers.
Human Development, Human Behavior, Psychology
PsycINFO
Database supporting human development and human behavior disciplines. This database is particularly strong for human and child development topics. A good database to search when you are particularly interested in research design topics. Educational psychology will be covered well here, but not much on school policy or pedagogy or curriculum issues.
Medicine, Health
Medline
Database covering medicine and medical research literature.
Health Sources Nursing/Academic edition
More approachable research articles on health and medicine and therapy topics.
Social Science Disciplines
Google Scholar
Full text searching of research articles on multiple publishers platforms.
Dissertations
Dissertation and Masters Theses
Full text of dissertations from 1997- present; citations and abstracts for dissertations and masters theses. Dissertations from 1861 - present; selected thesis from 1962 – present

Limiting Searches to Peer Reviewed Research Articles

In ERIC
In the Refine Search section of the screen, choose ‘Journal Articles’
In the Journal or Document menu; in the Publication Type menu, choose ‘Reports – Research’

Articles from 2004 to the present will indicate that the article is from a peer reviewed journal.

Another strategy is to use terms that would likely appear in an abstract of an article describing a research study (e.g. ‘experimental’, ‘control group’, ‘study’,etc.)

Is the journal peer reviewed?

Check journal’s website under “about the publication” or look the title up in the

Ulrich’s International Periodicals Directory database.

Help with APA citation format resources:

-- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Writer's Workshop Bibliography Styles Handbook http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/citation/apa/

Assembling a List of Works Cited in Your Paper
http://library.duke.edu/research/citing/workscited/

--APA Exposed

An online presentation developed by a doctoral student at Harvard Graduate School of Education on writing in APA style.

http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=apa_exposed

Software for Managing Citations and Creating Bibliographies

Zotero , Mendeley, and EndNote Web – choosing and using research software:

A PSU Comparison Guide at http://guides.library.pdx.edu/managecitations?hs=a

Contacting a Reference Librarian

For general research questions (which database to use, what kind of keywords to use in a search, how to get copies of books or articles not at PSU, etc) the best and fastest way to get an answer is to contact a reference librarian at PSU:

Call us at the Reference Desk 503 725 2399

Chat with a librarian 24/7 at

For that retro 20th century feel, visit us at our scenic reference desk on the 2nd floor of the library!

If you have a large and involved question that can’t be answered quickly by a reference librarian you will be referred to the Education Reference librarian for a consultation –