This guide is meant to accompany SPCE 630 assignments where you need to find journal articles on a topic in applied behavior analysis.
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.
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.
Description: PsycInfo is a 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.
Time Period: 1887 to present
Sources: Indexes more than 2,500 journals.
Subject Headings: Education, Mobile, Psychology, Social Sciences (Psychology)
Scholarly or Popular: Scholarly
Information Included: Abstracts, Citations, Linked Full Text
Description: 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.
Time Period: 1966-present
Sources: Indexes more than 650 journals.
Subject Headings: Education, English & Linguistics, Mobile, Music
Primary Materials: Abstracts, Books/e-books, Dissertation and Theses, Grey Literature, Journal Articles, Reference Resources, Report
Description: 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.
Time Period: 1600 to Present
Sources:
Subject Headings: Art & Architecture, Business, Education, English & Linguistics, General, Health, History, Humanities, Music, News, Philosophy & Religion, Psychology, Science, Social Sciences, Technology
Primary Materials: Abstracts, Citations, Government Documents, Journal Articles, Books
Try using the CHOP, DROP, and OR method for constructing your search. It allows you to cast your net wide, so you bring up literature which might be related to your topic -- closely or tangentially -- so that you can consider it.
Here is an example of how that might work:
If my topic is "What are the ethical considerations involved with having care provided for the child with autism in an interdisciplinary manner?"
What if you need to find articles which are empirical studies, based on data? Here are some tips:
Signs an article you find is data-based:
Unfortunately, few other databases allow you to place this kind of "Methodology" limiter, so it's on you to look for the signs, mentioned above if you're using a different database. Often just reading the abstract will make it clear that the study design is based on data, though, so it's not too difficult.