What’s New with APA PsycNET

On July 17, the APA PsycNET platform released a refreshed version that included a new look and feel, as well as a technology upgrade.

We hope this refresh has allowed you to continue your research seamlessly.

 

The features that you’re used to on APA PsycNET are still there, including:

  • Your personal My List, My PsycNET, alerts, and saved searches;
  • Thesaurus or Term Finder;
  • Cited References search;
  • An unchanged search algorithm;
  • The same records and full-text as before, with regular weekly updates.

 

We’ve also added some new tools to assist you, such as related content, a test lookup tool, and additional browse options.

 

If you would like more information about these new tools, please view our webinar on the APA PsycNET changes.

 

Or view the slides detailing APA PsycNET’s new additions.

Webinar Alert: Tour the New APA PsycNET Interface

Please join us for a brief tour of the redesigned APA PsycNET® platform, which will launch in mid-July!

This 30-minute webinar will highlight the contemporary new “look and feel” of the APA PsycNET search platform and other changes. Highlights include:

  • Technology upgrade: A new cloud-based environment and other behind-the-scenes infrastructure improvements for enhanced system performance, reliability, and search precision
  • Responsive design: Improved content rendering and functionality across all devices, including mobile
  • Content discovery: Addition of a new “Related Content” section providing links to up to 25 similar items, and options to explore trending topics
  • Search tools: Addition of the “Test Lookup” tool, enhanced access to the integrated APA Thesaurus, and platform-wide access to your recent searches

This overview is intended for anyone who uses APA PsycNET through an institutional or personal subscription, including librarians, students, researchers, and professionals.

Register for a session using one of the links below (Note: All times are Eastern Daylight Time / UTC-4):

For more information about using APA PsycNET, see our YouTube playlist of APA Databases on APA PsycNET.

PsycTESTS – Finding Other Versions

Some frequently used tests appear in multiple versions within the scholarly literature and the PsycTESTS® database. You may see versions that have been revised or updated, shortened or abridged, modified for different age groups or populations, translated into new languages, and more. In PsycTESTS records, the Other Versions field links to and describes alternate forms of the test that are included in PsycTESTS. If you’ve found a test you’d like to use or cite, it’s a good idea to quickly check the Other Versions field to make sure you’re using the best version for your research.

Continue reading

Webinar Alert: Exploring PsycTESTS

Do you need a refresher on PsycTESTS®? Are you curious what our collection of tests & measures has to offer your users? Join us for a webinar!

The Exploring PsycTESTS webinar will help you:

  • Understand the structure of PsycTESTS records, including master records and child records, and how they are similar to and different from PsycINFO records
  • Locate full-text PDFs, supporting documentation, PsycINFO source documents, and author contact info
  • Use fields and limits to find tests to suit the needs of undergrad assignments, in depth research, and practicing clinicians or counselors.

We offer 30 minute sessions designed for librarians, with an overview of the PsycTESTS record structure followed by a live search demo on your platform.

Exploring PsycTESTS : APA PsycNET Tuesday, May 9, 2017 2 p.m.
Exploring PsycTESTS : EBSCOhost Friday, May 12, 2017 11:30 a.m.
Exploring PsycTESTS : Ovid Wednesday, May 17, 2017 11:00 a.m.
Exploring PsycTESTS : ProQuest Thursday, May 18, 2017 noon

 

All times are Eastern Time.

 

For information on these and other trainings: http://bit.ly/APAwebinars.

 

Can’t make the time scheduled for your platform above? Look for the recorded webinar to be added to the PsycINFO YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/PsycINFO

 

APA PsycTests – Reliability, Validity & Factor Analysis

If you’re planning to cite or reuse a test you find in APA PsycTests®, you’ll want to check the reliability, validity, and factor analysis to make sure it suits your research.

Reliability is the ability of a test to measure an attribute consistently. If a group of people takes a personality test and many of them get different results from one day to the next, the test has low reliability.

Validity is the degree to which a test reflects what it is supposed to measure. If a test that is supposed to measure general intelligence actually measures the ability to recall classic literature, the test has low validity.

Factor Analysis is a mathematical procedure that reduces a set of interrelations among variables to a smaller set of variables. For example, a sociology survey might start with six factors of wealth (income, education, occupation, home value, parks in neighborhood, and crime in neighborhood) and, using statistical correlations, reduce them to just two factors: individual socioeconomic status and neighborhood socioeconomic status.

These three psychometric fields can be found in the Test Development Record. The Test Development Record provides details from the original article that discusses the development of the test. This information should help you determine if this test will fit your needs. (Note that if the authors do not report this information in the original article, then it will not be provided in the APA PsycTests record.)

Some tests will also have Test Use and Test Review records. Each APA PsycTests record pulls information from a different research article, so the reliability, validity, and factor analysis can be different from record to record, even if they describe the same test. View a sample APA PsycTests record to see where these fields are located within the record and the data they might contain.

If you need to find the full text of the original article, look in the Reported In or Source field. If you’re having trouble finding full-text for the original article, ask your librarian.

When choosing a test for reuse, don’t forget to check permissions!