Applied Behavior Analysis

Searching for single subject (or single case) research design articles (SSRDs) presents some challenges.

• We'd miss out on many SSRDs if we just search on the phrase "single subject research" because many studies which use SSRD do not include that phrase anywhere in the text of the article.
• Instead such articles typically specify in the abstract (and "Methods" section) what type of SSRD method was used (ex. withdrawal design, multiple baseline, or ABA design, etc.).

Here are a couple ways to deal with this situation:

• Read the abstracts very carefully, OR
• Build a complicated search.

Because single subject research design is fairly prevalent in applied behavior analysis, when you search on your topic in an article database like APA PsycInfo or Medline, you can simply look at your results very carefully, skimming the abstracts for one of the types of single subject research design.

If you see one of these phrases as a description of how the research was done, then you are in luck -- you've found a single subject study! -- as in the abstract shown here.

• reversal design
• withdrawal design
• ABAB design
• A-B-A-B design
• ABC design
• A-B-C design
• ABA design
• A-B-A design
• multiple baseline
• multiple probe design
• alternating treatments design
• multi-element design
• changing criterion design
• single case design
• single subject design
• single case series

This requires a lot of reading, but it can be the most straight-forward way to find that article you need.

If you have a LOT of results, however, you may prefer to do a more tailored (and complicated) search.  If so, read on!

There are ways we can craft our search to include most if not all SSRDs:

• We can string together all the possible descriptions of SSRD types in one search box with the word OR in between -- it enables us to search for any sort of SSRD, regardless of how it's described. 
• We can choose "Abstract" in the drop-down menu to ensure that we're focusing on these terms being used in the abstract field (not just popping up in discussion in the full-text of the article).

Interested? Keep reading for more specific instructions.

To search for Single Subject Research Design (SSRDs) articles, using keywords or phrases, follow the steps here, consulting the sample screen shots. 

First, go to APA PsycInfo.

Second, copy and paste this set of terms describing different types of SSRDs into an APA PsycInfo search box, and choose "Abstract - AB" in the drop-down menu to the right.

"reversal design" OR "withdrawal design" OR "ABAB design" OR "A-B-A-B design"  OR "ABC design" OR "A-B-C design" OR "ABA design" OR "A-B-A design" OR "multiple baseline" OR "alternating treatments design" OR "multi-element design" OR "multielement design" OR "changing criterion design" OR "single case" OR "single subject"

Third, type in some keywords in another APA PsycInfo search box (or two) describing what you're researching.  Use OR and add synonyms or related words for the best results.

Hit SEARCH, and then take a look at your results.

To get more specific, topic-wise, add another search box with another term (or set of terms), like in this example, which works in the topic of autism or developmental disorders:

Look at your results.  Do you want to limit them to just articles in the field of applied behavior analysis?  Then read on!

To narrow your search to articles published in ABA journals, copy and paste this list of ABA journals into another search box in APA PsycInfo, and choose "Publication Name - SO" in the drop-down menu.

"Analysis of Verbal Behavior" OR "Autism" OR "Behavior Analysis in Practice" OR "The Behavior Analyst" OR "Behavior Modification" OR "Behavior Therapy" OR "Behavioral Interventions" OR "Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities" OR "Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities" OR "International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy" OR "Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis" OR "Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities" OR "Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders" OR "Journal of Intellectual Disability Research" OR "Journal of Organizational Behavior Management" OR "Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions" OR "Journal of Special Education" OR "Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior" OR "Remedial and Special Education" OR "Research in Developmental Disabilities" OR "Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders" 

The quotation marks ensure each title is searched as a phrase.  Choosing "Publication Name - SO" in the drop-down menu ensures that results will be from articles published in those journals (not just references to those journals).

Here's an example of a search for SSRDs in ABA journals on the topic of classroom management:

Look at your results.  Would you like to narrow them further to just the TOP journals in the field of applied behavior analysis?   Then read on!

To limit your search to just the top ABA journals, you can use this shorter list in place of the long one above:

"Behavior Analysis in Practice" OR "Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis" OR "Journal of Behavioral Education" OR "Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities" OR "Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior" 

APA PsycInfo allows you to use filters to narrow your results to the kinds of sources your want.  Some examples:

• Filter to Academic Journals by choosing Source types under the search box.

• Filter to a date range you feel comfortable with using the All time filter under the search box.

• Filter to peer-reviewed by using the Peer-Reviewed button under the search box.

This method of searching doesn't guarantee all the results will be SSRDs.  To verify that a given article is in fact an SSRD, you need to read the abstract carefully.  Look for phrases like "the present study used X research design" or the like, where X=a type of SSRD.

Here's an example of an abstract that fits the bill; it clearly states that the researchers used reversal design, one of the types of SSRD: