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Applied Behavior Analysis

Includes suggested databases, search techniques for finding single subject studies, and links to ABA journals.

Article Databases related to Special Education

What makes it different:  Contains literature from an array of disciplines related to psychology, such as education, business, medicine, nursing, law, and social work.

Special limiters: Can limit by the age group studied or the type of research methodology used, among others.

Searching help?:  Includes a Thesaurus link for finding appropriate search terms to use

Search tips for using PsycINFO effectively:

  • Use the CHOP, DROP, and OR method to construct your search and put it in the search boxes (see below).
  • Look at your results, focusing especially on terms used in the "Subjects" section.
  • Incorporate new terms and revise your search.

What makes it different: Allows searching of articles in education journals and magazines, research reports, curriculum and teaching guides, conference papers, dissertations and theses, and books.  Also includes “grey literature” published by over 1,000 selected centers, agencies, associations, and non-profit organizations.

Special limiters: Can limit searching to journal articles (EJ) or the other various documents (ED).

Searching help?:  Includes a Thesaurus link for finding appropriate search terms to use

Search tips for using ERIC effectively:

  • Use the CHOP, DROP, and OR method to construct your search and put it in the search boxes (see below).
  • Look at your results, focusing especially on terms used in the "Descriptors" section.
  • Incorporate new terms and revise your search.

What makes it different: Allows you to find a variety of types of documents, from articles to books to videos.  While helpful for finding topics which span different subject areas, results can also be overwhelming.

Special limiters: A wide range of limiters can be applied from the results page on the left.

Searching help?:  No thesaurus for finding standardized search terms

Search tips for using OneSearch effectively:

  • Click "Advanced Search" to get to the more powerful search screen.
  • Use the CHOP, DROP, and OR method to construct your search and put it in the search boxes (see below).
  • Look at your results, focusing especially on any terms you notice which could be helpful.
  • Incorporate new terms and revise your search.

The "Advanced Search" link is just below the Search box on the libraries' homepage.

Here's an example of a sample search results page in OneSearch:

CHOP, DROP, and OR method...illustrated

Start with your topic.

CHOP it up into its individual concepts.

DROP those terms into individual search boxes.

Add synonyms or related words for relevant concepts, using OR.

Look at good records for related words you can add into your search.

After you evaluate your results, and revise your search, you repeat the process...over and over!

MultiLink BSU: Helping you find the full text of the title you want

When you're using a database, and can't find a link to the full text of an article, look for a MultiLink BSU button.

MultiLink helps you to search the Libraries' other databases to see if the full text is available through another resource.  If it is available, MultiLink provides a link to the text of the article; and if it cannot find the full-text, MultiLink provides a link to Interlibrary Loan so that you can request that we get a copy of the article from another library.

To use MultiLink, click on the blue MultiLink BSU button.  A new OneSearch tab will open.  Look at the message just under the citation at the top of the record.  You may see one or more of these links:

  1. "Available Online."= We have the full article, readable online! Click there and then follow the link provided.
  2. "Available at __ Library."= We have print issues of the journal your article is in!  They're located in the library indicated.  Click there and look at the volumes/years listed to ensure we have the year you need.
  3. "Check for available services." = We don't have the full-text of that article.  Click there, and then choose "Request the item with Interlibrary Loan/ILLiad" to ask for a copy.

If you see "Available Online"  that means you can read the whole article electronically.

Here's what to do next:

  • Click on the "Available Online" link.
  • It will take you down to the "View Online" section of the record. 
  • There you'll see one or more links under "Full text availability."   
  • Click on a link and it should take you right to your article in a new tab.
  • If you don't see your article in the resulting tab, you may be on the more general web page for the journal your article is in.  Simply find the search box and do a search for the title of your article.  It should come right up.

 

If you see "Available at __ Library"  that means we have print issues of the journal your article is in.

Here's what to do next:

  • Click on the "Available at __ Library" link.
  • It will take you down to the "Get it: LOCATION" section of the record. 
  • There you'll see which library it's in (ex. Bracken), followed by a list of the years/volumes we own.
  • The Bound Periodicals at Bracken Librarian are located on 2 West, shelved alphabetically by the title of the journal.

If you see "Check for available options"  that means we don't have the article, but if you're affiliated with Ball State, you can request it through Interlibrary Loan.

Here's what to do next:

  • Click on the "Check for available options" link.
  • Scroll down to the "Links" section of the record. 
  • Click on the link "Request the item with Interlibrary Loan/ILLiad." 
  • You'll be prompted to log in with your Ball State username and password.  Complete and submit the form.  You'll get an email when the article is available.  Consult the Interlibrary Loan FAQ for more information about this service.