New Thesaurus Terms for Searching APA PsycInfo (Winter 2024)

Posted on February 12, 2024February 9, 2024 by Marta Soto in For Librarians

In February, APA added 70 new terms to its Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms^® to provide more effective searching on current topics, including military psychology; population health; and racial, ethnic and cultural groups and issues. This Thesaurus update also includes 55 new cross-referenced terms, and 75 revised scope notes.

New terms from this winter update will initially be applied to current content only; following the Fall 2024 release, the majority of 2024’s new postable terms will be back-mapped to older records.

a list of new thesaurus terms

screenreaders can view the PDF version of this list
https://www.apa.org/pubs/databases/training/thesaurus-update-winter-2024.pdf

Using the controlled vocabulary of the Thesaurus means a database search will quickly and accurately retrieve all publications related to a specific concept, regardless of the keywords the authors may have used.

The Thesaurus tool is found on all platforms as part of APA PsycInfo® and redirects synonyms to the preferred “Use” term to include in your search. Each Thesaurus record includes links to broader terms, narrower terms, and related terms, the year the term was introduced, an historical note if applicable, and a scope note providing definition and application.

You can see the full list of Thesaurus changes on our website.

Related Resource:
YouTube playlist – Using the APA Thesaurus to Find Relevant Articles on a Topic

APA PsycInfo Webinars: Spring 2024

Posted on January 9, 2024January 5, 2024 by Patti Avellanet in For Librarians

Interested in strengthening your APA database skills? Join an APA trainer for the next round of APA PsycInfo® webinars designed for students, faculty, and anyone else who wants to learn more about how to search APA PsycInfo more effectively!

Techniques covered can also be used with APA PsycArticles® and APA PsycBooks®.

Details and registration links are below; all times shown are U.S. Eastern.

APA PsycInfo: Beginner Search

This 45-minute session will help anyone who is new to searching the behavioral sciences literature using APA PsycInfo.

We’ll demonstrate simple yet powerful techniques that can increase your proficiency in short order, including how to quickly identify the best search terms; apply filters to narrow the range of results; and pinpoint empirical studies.

Highlights include the use of APA Thesaurus terms and other database fields to target your search, Boolean operators to accurately include or exclude concepts, and cited references to find related research.

APA PsycInfo: Advanced Search

This 60-minute session highlights some of APA PsycInfo’s advanced functionality that’s designed to increase your efficiency by retrieving better search results faster.

After an overview of the three main vocabularies [keywords, Thesaurus subjects, and Classifications] you can use to search APA PsycInfo, we’ll share some easy ways to quickly expand or narrow your list of search results.

You’ll also learn about syntax for proximity search and truncation; using citations to explore related research; applying search limits and results filters; using the Author Affiliation field to discover where research of interest is happening; searching the Test and Measures field for information about tests used in the scholarly literature; and using the Grant/Sponsorship field to discover potential funding sources.

Can’t attend a scheduled session?

Go ahead and register so that you’ll receive a recording link shortly after the live event;
Bookmark our Webinar Training Schedule page with training descriptions and registration links for future sessions; and/or
Explore additional APA PsycInfo training materials!

Redefined: The APA Dictionary of Psychology

Posted on November 28, 2023November 28, 2023 by Patti Avellanet in For Faculty, For Individual Subscribers, For Librarians, For Students

We’re excited to announce a recent major update to the APA Dictionary of Psychology! Notable as the first content update since the final publication of the print version in 2015, this release features a number of benefits, including

revisions of 1,500+ terms related to gender and sexuality; race, ethnicity, and culture; aging and older adulthood; and disabilities and disorders
alignment with the APA Inclusive Language Guide and additional APA resources, including removal of binary wording to promote gender inclusivity
updated DSM-5-TR diagnostic terminology, and
date information for each entry’s most recent update.

With more than 25,000 authoritative entries spanning 90 psychology subfields, this web-based tool is freely available at https://dictionary.apa.org.

Users who access APA PsycArticles on APA PsycNet have integrated access to the dictionary when viewing the HTML version of full-text APA journal articles. Look for the dotted blue underline that links to the dictionary entry.

Definitions are also accessible and highlighted in search engine results. Quickly look up a term from anywhere by typing the word/phrase you want to look up into your browser’s search bar and look for the APA Dictionary in the results.

Screenshot of APA Dictionary of Psychology entry gate-control theory

TIP: Typing dictionary.apa.org or APA Dictionary followed by your desired term into your browser’s search bar may return the APA Dictionary entry as one of the top search results, depending on your search engine (e.g., Googling dictionary.apa.org gate control hypothesis or searching DuckDuckGo for APA dictionary gate control hypothesis returns the APA Dictionary entry for gate-control theory).

The APA Dictionary in Psychology is a landmark reference for terminology in psychology and the behavioral sciences, beginning with its print publication in 2007 and transitioning into an online resource in 2018. To learn more, check out the companion blog post Look up Psychology Terms in the APA Dictionary of Psychology or visit the APA Dictionary to explore on your own!

Explore the latest updates from APA PsycArticles

Posted on October 26, 2023October 26, 2023 by Katherine Stevens in For Librarians

APA PsycArticles^®, our comprehensive database of full-text, peer-reviewed journal content, has been updated to include a variety of new special issues covering the most relevant topics in psychology. In addition, the 2022 Journal Citation Report data from Clarivate Analytics shows that the citation footprint of APA Journals™ is more than double our article output, demonstrating our commitment to publishing the most impactful research in psychology and beyond.

Read on to learn more about the newest content available in APA PsycArticles, the citation footprint of APA Journals, and other publishing initiatives from APA.

Continue reading →

New Videos Added to APA PsycTherapy (Fall 2023)

Posted on September 18, 2023September 18, 2023 by Marta Soto in For Faculty, For Individual Subscribers, For Librarians, For Students

In September, we added 20 new videos to APA PsycTherapy®, our streaming video database designed to meet the teaching and training needs of psychotherapy students and practitioners. APA PsycTherapy videos are recorded during an unscripted session to provide an authentic example of psychotherapy conducted by an expert therapist.

Four of these new videos are from the recent APA PsycTherapy Video Series, and so contain introduction and discussion segments in addition to the therapy session.

Shame and Anger in Therapy, with Leslie S. Greenberg, lead originator of emotion-focused therapy (EFT)—the video demonstrates and discusses how to help clients process the emotional pairing of shame and anger. This is the first video Dr. Greenberg has created in a number of years.
Client Contributions to Therapy, with Kathryn Kline, Amy Greaves, Heidi Levitt, and Jairo Fuertes—focuses on how patients/clients help therapy succeed.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy, with Sheila A. M. Rauch—an evidence-based method for treating posttraumatic stress disorder.
Cultural Complexity in Psychotherapy: The ADDRESSING Framework, with Pamela A. Hays, features Dr. Hays demonstrating and discussing her therapy model (a model explained in her best-selling book, Addressing Cultural Complexities in Counseling and Clinical Practice, 4^th edition)