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Office: Bracken Library BL 102
Email: setaylor@bsu.edu
Library Research MIni-Videos
Getting Help With Your ABA Library Research (1:23)
3 Databases in 3 Minutes (3:06)
Using CHOP, DROP, and OR Search Strategy (3:21)
Finding an Article I Need Using OneSearch (1:31)
Browsing ABA Journals to Find Useful Articles (2:26)
Searching Inside a Specific ABA Journal (1:38)
Requesting a "Citation Online" Article Using OneSearch (2:37)
Help Finding More Results (2:30)
Help Finding Fewer Results (3:03)
About this guide
This guide is meant to accompany the SPCE 619 Online Ethical Debate Research Project.
Knowing the research relevant to the topic your group has chosen is vital to the success of your debate.
While searching the Internet may prove somewhat useful to you, you'll be better served using library databases to find reliable, authoritative research in your field. As a Ball State student, you are entitled to use the University Libraries, whether in the building or from afar. This guide should give you some tools you can use for finding the research you need.
Be patient!
For starters, please remember that doing library research can take a long time. Allow yourself a big chunk of time, so that you can find the resources you need. And remember that some documents may need to be requested from other libraries (through Interlibrary Loan), which takes several days.
Additionally, bear in mind that research is an iterative process, requiring you to continually search, evaluate and revise. As you search and read what you've found, you're able to improve your searches using terms and ideas you've found in your results.
APA PsycInfo and ERIC have a new look
If you've used APA PsycInfo and ERIC in the past, you'll notice that they have a new user interface. Don't worry! Most of the changes are intuitive, and there are some new features you'll love.
This brief video from EBSOhost (the database provider of APA PsycInfo and ERIC) highlights the use of the new interface.
Choosing a database
When you're doing academic research, start on the Ball State University Libraries' homepage. Then look for the Databases link. Use the options under the "Subjects" drop-down menu to explore the available resources.
There are two principle research databases in the field of applied behavior analysis: ERIC (under the Education category) and APA PsycINFO (under the Psychology category). Try both of them, but depending on your topic, you may find that one is more helpful than the other.
While you can use the same general search techniques in both databases, be alert for differences in terms used.
- APA PsycInfo This link opens in a new window
Key database in the field of psychology. Includes information of use to psychologists, students, and professionals in related fields such as psychiatry, management, business, and education, social science, neuroscience, law, medicine, and social work.
- ERIC (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
ERIC EBSCOhost is a key database in the field of education, providing access to bibliographic records of journal and non-journal literature. About one third of the content is accessible in full text from within the database.
- OneSearch This link opens in a new window
OneSearch is a tool that cross searches much of the content our databases and other online sources. You can search across many collections in one search box simplifying the resource discovery process.
Consider search terms for your topic
The words you use as your search terms have a big effect on the relevance of the results that you get. So choose carefully!
- Start with terms used in the topic description.
- Then think of other ways you can describe that topic such as:
- direct synonyms (ex. teenagers, adolescents)
- related terms (ex. mainstreaming, inclusion)
- broader or more specific terms (ex. autism, developmental disorders)
- It may be helpful to consult:
- a thesaurus,
- class readings,
- titles or description of articles you find in a database that look promising. Subject headings are super-helpful!
Focus on the Subjects field
Unlike Google and OneSearch, library research databases like ERIC and APA PsycInfo assign subject headings to each record, indicating the focus of the article.
When you're trying to come up with good terms to search on, the Subjects field is the place to look!
Pro tip: Use quotation marks
When searching in a database, put quotes around phrases of two or more words where it's important to keep the words together. Then your words will be searched as a unit; it prevents the database from searching for the words individually.
So, when searching on a topic this can be important. Here are some examples:
- "zero tolerance"
- "experimental function"
- "applied behavior analysis"
It's also helpful when searching for a title -- of a governmental act, an organization, an article, as shown here:
- "education for all handicapped children"
- "national autism center"
- "evidence-based practice in autism educational research: can we bridge the research and practice gap"
Once you've chosen your article
Once you've chosen an article based on its record in the database you're searching, bring up the full text of the article by using the "Access now" or "Access options" buttons, or by looking for the "Find It @ Ball State" button, depending on the database.
For more information, check out the information at Find the Full Text of an Article and/or Interlibrary Loan.