PSYC 101 - General Psychology - Course Guide: Finding Primary Original Research Articles

Tips

Primary original research studies are available in many of the Library's databases, but you may want to consider searching databases in your subject area.

Most databases do not allow you to limit your search to primary original research only - you will need to search for peer-reviewed or scholarly articles on your topic and then look through the search results to find articles that describe primary original research.

Search Tips: Adding Keywords to Your Search

Adding certain keywords to your search may improve your chances of finding primary original research articles:

  • empirical
  • research
  • experiment
  • study
  • results and method*

Examples:

  • pet therapy and results and method*
  • teens and marijuana and experiment
  • children and television and study
  • domestic violence and empirical
  • research and developmental college students

Search Tips: CTRL+F or Command+F

Control+F (PC) or Command+F (Mac), is a keyboard shortcut for the Find command.

If you're in a web browser and need to find where a word appears on a web page:

  • press Control+F (PC) or Command+F (Mac) to bring up a search box;
  • type in the word method & the web page will show where that term first appears on the web page - you may need to use the search box's next arrow to see additional uses of the word method on the web page.

Example Searches

  • divorce AND effects AND children AND method*
  • "video games" AND violence AND method*
  • media AND "body image" AND method*
  • television AND aggression AND method*
  • "religious commitment" and "mental health" AND method*
  • athletes AND "eating disorders" AND method*
  • "internet use" AND effects AND method*
  • ("parental influence" OR "influence of parents") AND adolescence AND method*