Using Databases at Oakton

PsycArticles includes dozens of full-text journals published by the American Psychological Association & allied organizations from 1987 to the present. Some general tips:

• Search for exact phrases with quotation marks (“”).
• Use just one or two-word phrases as your keywords. The database will not look for common "stop words" such as: been, however, so, or, in, the, and, etc.
• Check the Subjects tab under the search boxes to identify the preferred APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms
  used in the database.
• Truncate your terms with an asterisk (*) to find more results. For example, type comput* to find the words computer or computing or compute.
• When a singular word is searched, the plural and possessive forms of that word will also be searched unless you put the word in quotation marks (“”).
• Limit results by applying filters before or after performing a PsycArticles search.

Access more detailed directions and videos below.

Click the link below to begin searching PsycArticles. (Log in with your Oakton username and password if prompted.)

Jump to: Searching | Results List | Article Record

To search PsycArticles:

• Enter your keywords in the search boxes. Try to include only one word or simple phrase in each box.
• Narrow your search by selecting a search field from the All fields drop-down list next to each search box (for example, author, title, or subject). If you do not pick a field, the database will look for your terms in any part of the article record.
• Filters (located below the search boxes) allow you to limit search results by several criteria. Some examples:
  • Full Text: Click this box to find only articles that appear in their entirety in this database.
  • Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals: Select this box to find only articles from experts written in peer-reviewed publications.
  • Published Date: Limit by year of publication by selecting a pre-set limit (past 12 months, past 5 years, past 10 years) or by selecting Custom range.

Once you have done a search, you will reach the results list:

• Results appear in Relevance order (the most relevant first) under the search boxes. Click on the Relevance drop-down list to select other sorting options such as newest or oldest.
• To see more information about an article in your search results, click on its title. This allows you to locate citation information and links to full text, when available.
• If you did not select Full Text, Peer Reviewed, or Publication Date before searching, you can still apply those filters to the results by using the drop-down list shortcuts under the search bar on the results page.
• The All filters option displays the complete range of filters available for limiting your results. Here you can select Subject: Major Heading to list and select PsycArticles Headings relevant to your search.

Once you click on an article title, the following options and information appear:

• Access options: Select an article to read by clicking its Access options button and selecting a full text option. If only one full text option is available, the Access button will display Access now (Online full text) or Access now (PDF).
• Subjects: By clicking one of the listed Subjects, you can find more articles about that topic.
• Abstract: This field provides a summary of the article.
• Print: Use the Access now button to select (if available) the article’s PDF or Online full text viewer. In the viewer, click the Print icon in the tools menu displayed at the top of the article. This opens your browser's print dialog box.
• Cite: When viewing an article record, click the Cite tool (shaped as a quotation mark “ icon). Select a citation style from the Style drop-down menu (APA, Chicago/Turabian, MLA, etc.). Click the Copy to clipboard button.
• Text-To-Speech: Use the Access now button to select (if available) the article’s PDF or Online full text viewer. In the viewer, click the Headphone icon in the tools menu to open the Listen panel on the right, then click the Play button to listen.

You can find detailed help guides, videos, and more on the site of the American Psychological Association (APA), the organization that publishes the content in PsycArticles. Visit their page for more: