Webinar Alert: Spring APA PsycInfo® Sessions for Librarians (2/26, 3/27, 4/28)

Posted on by Patti Avellanet in For Faculty, For Individual Subscribers, For Librarians
Research APA PsycInfo like a pro!

Join us this spring for a Beyond Subject Searching webinar – designed for librarians and other expert users of APA PsycInfo. Whether you’re looking to expand your search skills or just need a refresher, we hope you’ll join us!

This 45-minute session includes a behind the scenes look at the APA PsycInfo record structure and live search demos.

Learn how to use APA PsycInfo for more than just locating articles, such as identifying the types of research being done at a particular institution and finding journals in which to publish new work.

We’ll also search for information on grants and sponsorships, on tests and measures, and we’ll highlight our Record Structure and Field Guide — tools that can help you become your library’s APA PsycInfo expert.

You can register with GoTo Webinar for one of the following times.

  • Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at 2:00 PM EDT
  • Friday, March 27, 2020 at 11:00 AM EDT
  • Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 2:00 PM EST

Can’t join us at the times listed?

Rosalinda Linares Receives a 2019 APA Librarian Conference Travel Award

Posted on by Patti Avellanet in For Librarians

We are pleased to announce that Rosalinda Linares, Information Literacy Librarian at Fort Lewis College, was recently selected to receive an APA Librarian Conference Travel Award. Ms. Linares will use the award to attend the annual meeting of the Critical Librarianship and Pedagogy Symposium in Arizona in March.

The award selection committee noted that Ms. Linares’ application demonstrated a clear commitment to critical pedagogy, especially in her approaches to teaching information literacy concepts to students in the behavioral sciences. It also noted her efforts to glean insights that facilitate revising the library instruction program’s learning outcomes; challenging deficit-based approaches to the assessment of learning in library instruction; and starting justice-oriented conversations in the library and on campus.

Thank you to all who took time to apply – librarians working in a wide variety of institutions and positions. The applicant pool is always strong, and the committee encourages previous applicants to apply again when they are next in need of conference funding.

The next award cycle is currently underway! Is there a conference happening sometime between May and August 2020 you’d like to attend for professional development as an academic or health sciences librarian? Please visit our website for details on eligibility, required application materials, and rolling deadlines. Current deadline: March 31, 2020.

New in PsycBOOKS: Jan – Dec 2019

Posted on by Patti Avellanet in For Librarians

APA added 41 new titles to PsycBOOKS® in 2019, grouped by release month below.

Bibliographic records are available through your PsycBOOKS vendor. You may also download RDA records directly from APA by following the instructions in the APA PsycNET® Administrator Help Menu.

View the previous monthly PsycBOOKS update lists, a list of sample PsycBOOKS titles, and the full coverage list for PsycBOOKS.

APA PsycTests Expert Tip: Finding Supporting Documentation

Posted on by Marta Soto in For Librarians
APA PsycTests An unparalleled resource for psychological tests and measures

APA PsycTests® is APA’s database that provides descriptive summaries, full text, and relevant citations on the development and assessment of tests and measures that can be used in research and teaching.

Every APA PsycTests record includes a test profile with dozens of descriptive fields such as test name, summary, construct measured, permission, and reliability.

The full-text test can be found as a linked PDF in about half of APA PsycTests records.

Some APA PsycTests records also include an additional link for supporting documentation.

These are a few of the types of Supporting Documentation that can help you administer a test or analyze the data gathered:

  • Answer Sheet
  • Directions/Instructions
  • Instructor/Test Manual/Guide
  • Norms/Analyses

When searching APA PsycTests on its own, you will see an option on the advanced search page to limit your results to a particular type of Supporting Documentation.

When the original test author and publisher have granted APA permission, the supporting documentation will be included with the full text of the test as part of the APA PsycTests record.

If you have questions about supporting documentation that aren’t answered in the test record, you can always:

  • check the Correspondence field for author contact information or
  • check the Source Used field for a doi link to the original full-text publication that developed the test.

The screenshots above show how these fields appear in the APA PsycNET version of APA PsycTests.  

You can see how this looks on EBSCOhost, Ovid, or ProQuest in this step-by-step guide.

Getting Started with APA PsycTests: What Is It, and How Can It Help Me?

Posted on by Patti Avellanet in For Librarians
APA PsycTests An unparalleled resource for psychological tests and measures

This is the first post in a short series for anyone wanting to become familiar with APA PsycTests®. Today we’ll cover what you’ll find in APA PsycTests, how to begin your search for a test, and resources to learn more about searching APA PsycTests. 

Are you looking for a test to use in your research, or planning to develop your own? We have a database that can help!

APA PsycTests provides detailed information about the use of thousands of tests, scales, and measures reported in the behavioral sciences literature. Designed to connect researchers, students, educators, librarians, and practitioners with assessment tools, APA PsycTests is an ideal starting point for a new research project, helping you to avoid “reinventing the wheel” as you’re considering your metrics.

Continue reading →