What you need to do...
The "research" part of this assignment:
The PowerPoint presentation should provide a detailed overview of one of the topics listed in Appendix G of the syllabus that you have been assigned...The presentation should help provide parents, other professionals, and/or individuals with autism with current information on the topic. Students should incorporate current research into the presentation."
Clearly, you'll need to do research to find current information on your topic.
Choose your database
Since you need to provide a detailed overview of your topic, you're likely to want to consult more than one database to be sure you're finding good, current research. Also, depending on your topic, you may really need to look outside of the field of psychology.
Suggestions:
- 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.
- Web of Science This link opens in a new window
Cross searching of Science Citation Index Expanded back to 1973, Social Sciences Citation Index back to 1981/82, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index back to 1976.
Choose your search terms
The standard reminders apply:
- It can be helpful to put quotation marks around phrases.
- Ex. "joint attention"
- Remember to think of other ways to describe your topic, or look at other ways it's described in good articles, and then use OR to search for those synonyms or related terms.
- If I were researching a topic of repetitive behaviors in PsycINFO, I should look at good records and/or the Thesaurus to see that the phrase "repetition compulsion" is used as well. Then in my search box, I should type:
- "repetitive behavior" OR "repetition compulsion" in order to search for both phrases.
- If I were researching a topic of repetitive behaviors in PsycINFO, I should look at good records and/or the Thesaurus to see that the phrase "repetition compulsion" is used as well. Then in my search box, I should type:
To track down the full-text of an article...
Once you've chosen an article based on its record in the database you're searching, bring up the full text by either clicking on the PDF or HTML full text link, or clicking on 
.
For more information, check out the information at Find the Full Text of an Article.