Assistance is available from the Library's Research Services librarians (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm),
via email
or phone (559 278-2174).
Need Help Fast? 24/7 Chat
We also have a cooperative 24/7 chat service, monitored by librarians in the US and UK.
Keep in mind that you may not be chatting with a Fresno State librarian. If your question isn't urgent and you'd prefer working with a Fresno State librarian, please email us instead.
Journals are the primary source for research findings in the field. Faculty and other researchers write articles highlighting their research and present their methodology and findings. Most psychology research journals are peer-reviewed, which means that before publication the articles are accepted they are reviewed by other researchers to validate the quality of the study and results. Searching the databases here will lead you to the primary research in the field.
|
CRITERIA |
SCHOLARLY JOURNALS |
POPULAR MAGAZINES |
TRADE PUBLICATIONS |
|
AUTHOR |
Expert (scholar, professor, researcher, etc.) in field covered. Author is always named. |
Journalist; nonprofessional or layperson. Sometimes author is not named. |
Business or industry representative. Sometimes author is not named. |
|
NOTES |
Includes notes and/or bibliographic references. |
Few or no notes or bibliographic references. |
Few or no notes or bibliographic references. |
|
CONTENTS |
Research articles (methodology, theory) from the field. |
Current events; general interest. |
Business or industry information (trends, products, techniques). |
|
STYLE |
Written for experts using technical language. |
Journalistic; written for nonprofessionals. |
Written for people in the business or industry using technical language. |
|
AUDIENCE |
Scholars or researchers in the field. |
General public. |
People in the business or industry. |
|
REVIEW |
Usually reviewed by peer scholars (referees) not employed by the journal. |
Reviewed by one or more editors employed by the magazine. |
Reviewed by one or more editors employed by the magazine. |
|
APPEARANCE |
Plain; mostly print, sometimes with figures, tables, graphs and/or charts. |
Glossy, with many pictures in color. |
Glossy, with many pictures in color. |
|
ADS |
Few or none; if any, usually for books or other professional materials. |
Many, often in color. |
Some, often in color. |
|
FREQUENCY |
Usually monthly or quarterly. |
Usually weekly or monthly. |
Usually weekly or monthly. |
|
EXAMPLES |
Developmental Psychology (published by the American Psychological Association). |
Psychology Today (commercially published). |
Monitor on Psychology (published by the American Psychological Association |
Books in the Fresno State Library
The library has a large collection of books on Psychology and you can find them through the Onesearch box on the library home page. When you do your search, make sure that you select the "Books & Media" option. We have many ebooks in psychology and we try to buy the ebook version whenever we get new titles. Ebooks are identical to the print version, but are always available and can never be checked out.
We use the Library of Congress classification for our print books, most of which are on the lower level. There is not one single area that has all of the Psychology books. The list below shows the general call numbers used for Psychology. If you want to browse you can go to these sections, but it is usually better to search the catalog if you need a specific book or books on a subject.
Books from Other Libraries
While the Library has a lot of books, we certainly do not have everything. If you need a book that is not in our collection or that is already checked out to someone else, follow these steps:
Use CSU+
All of the CSU campus libraries are linked and you can easily order books from any campus through the catalog. Repeat the search that you did and change the limit to All CSU Libraries (CSU+) If the book is available at another campus, log in and request it. Books usually arrive in 1-2 days no matter which campus they are housed at.
Use Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Interlibrary loan is an international network of libraries who share materials with each other. You can request pretty much anything through interlibrary loan and we will try and get it for you. It takes more time to get materials from interlibrary loan than from CSU+, but the range of available items is much wider. Go to ILL at https://ill.lib.csufresno.edu/ You will have to log in and create your account the first time that you use it.
SAGE Research Methods is a research methods tool created to help researchers, faculty and students with their research projects. SAGE Research Methods links over 175,000 pages of SAGE’s renowned book, journal and reference content with truly advanced search and discovery tools. Researchers can explore methods concepts to help them design research projects, understand particular methods or identify a new method, conduct their research, and write up their findings. Since SAGE Research Methods focuses on methodology rather than disciplines, it can be used across the social sciences, health sciences, and more. Psychology is one of the disciplines highlighted in this database.
There are also many Psychology research methods books in the library collection, some as print books and most as ebooks. Use this link to see a current list. Search the catalog if you want more specific research methods.
Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print
Measurements Yearbook™ (MMY) provides users with a comprehensive guide to over 2,000 contemporary testing instruments. Designed for an audience ranging from novice test consumers to experienced professionals, the MMY series contains information essential for a complete evaluation of test products within such diverse areas as psychology, education, business, and leadership. All MMY entries contain descriptive information (e.g., test purpose, publisher, pricing) and edited review(s) written by leading content area experts.
PsycTests is a research database that provides access to psychological tests, measures, scales, surveys, and other assessments as well as descriptive information about the test and its development and administration.
APA 7th Edition
THe 7th edition of the APA guide is now available at the library. One copy is held at the Research Help Desk -- just ask at the desk to see it. Other copies are on their way and this space will be updated when they arrive.
APA 6th Edition
If you are using the sixth edition, we have many resources available. This link will take you many of them: