Searching Tips
The USC Libraries' Developing Keywords tutorial can help you practice using effective search terms so a database can find what you seek. Additionally, many databases index their records (e.g. PsycINFO and PubMed/MEDLINE). In these cases, it is important to add to your search strategies those subject terms that are related to your key words. These can be found in a Subject Index or Thesaurus. Visit the Searching Solutions Research Guide for more information and tips.
More under an item offers links to tutorials.
Psychology Literature Databases
For a comprehensive list of USC Libraries databases focused on psychology, visit: Databases for Psychology
- PsycINFO This link opens in a new windowAbstract and citation database of scholarly literature in psychological, social, behavioral, and health sciences. Includes journal articles, books, reports, theses, and dissertations from 1806 to present.
- Family & Society Studies Worldwide This link opens in a new windowFamily Studies Database is the world's most comprehensive, systematic, and non-evaluative resource of research, policy, and practice literature in the fields of Family Science, Human Ecology, and Human Development. FSD, including FAMILY, provides over 198,000 abstracts and bibliographic records drawn from over a thousand professional journals, books, popular literature, conference papers, government reports, and other sources, many of which are indexed exclusively in FSD. About 9,000 abstracts are added each year. Access to the database is limited to 5 concurrent users
- Family Studies Abstracts This link opens in a new windowFamily Studies Abstracts (available through EBSCOhost) includes bibliographic records covering essential areas related to family studies, including marriage, divorce, family therapy, and other areas of key relevance to the discipline. The index contains over 45,000 records.
- MEDLINE (Ovid) This link opens in a new windowAccess to MEDLINE database through Ovid. Citations to articles related to clinical and research information in the bio-medical sciences. Coverage ranges from 1946-present.
- Oxford Clinical Psychology This link opens in a new windowOxford Clinical Psychology provides full-text access to over 200 titles in Oxford's global clinical psychology publishing program in an integrated online service covering a broad range of specialty areas, disorders, and treatment modalities.
- ProQuest Psychology Database This link opens in a new windowThis database provides abstracts and indexing for more than 640 titles, with over 540 titles available in full text. Many titles are indexed in PsycINFO.
- PubMed@USC This link opens in a new windowPubMed provides access to millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. This version is customized for USC users to find the full-text of articles.
- Social Work Abstracts This link opens in a new windowAbstract database of social work literature from 1977 to present. Topics include homelessness, child and family welfare, AIDs, aging, substance abuse, community organization, and more.
- Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new windowAbstract database of sociology and social and behavioral sciences literature from 1952 to present. Includes journal articles, conference papers, books, and dissertations.
- Violence & Abuse Abstracts This link opens in a new windowViolence & Abuse Abstracts (available through EBSCOhost) includes bibliographic records covering essential areas related to violence and abuse, including family violence, sexual assault, emotional abuse, and other areas of key relevance to the discipline.
More Broadly Focused Databases
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new windowFiltered Google Search finding scholarly journal articles, books, citations, and case law.
- ProQuest Research Library This link opens in a new windowProQuest Research Library is a multi-disciplinary index suitable for both undergraduates and graduate students.
- PTSDpubs This link opens in a new windowFormerly PILOTS: Published International Literature On Traumatic Stress, PTSDpubs is produced at the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, with the goal of including citations to all literature on PTSD and other mental-health sequelae of traumatic events, without disciplinary, linguistic, or geographical limitations, and to offer both current and retrospective coverage from 1871 to present day, updated monthly.
- REHABDATA This link opens in a new windowREHABDATA, produced by the National Rehabilitation Information Center, describes over 70,000 documents covering physical, mental, and psychiatric disabilities, independent living, vocational rehabilitation, special education, assistive technology, law, employment, and other issues as they relate to people with disabilities. The collection spans 1956 to the present.
- Web of Science This link opens in a new windowInterdisciplinary collection of journal articles, conference proceedings, and books. Collection of seven online database: Conference Proceedings Citation Index, Science Citation Index, Social Sciences Citation Index, Arts & Humanities Citation Index, Index Chemicus, Current Chemical Reactions, and Book Citation Index. Coverage is 1900-present.
Online Journals
- USC Libraries JournalsSearch by subject and/or title to locate key journals. The results will identify those journals available in electronic and those in print formats.
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)The aim of the Directory of Open Access Journals is to increase the visibility and ease of use of open access scientific and scholarly journals thereby promoting their increased usage and impact.
And For Items Not Available in Full Text?
To receive articles or books that the library that are not in full text:
- Use the USC Libraries' USC Libraries Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery (IDD) service
- Fill out the form for the type of item you're requesting
- Borrow: book, thesis, microfilm, etc.
- Scan and Deliver: article, book chapter, conference paper
- Hard copies of materials (books and DVDs) will be mailed to your house (distance-based users) or can be picked up at the Leavey library on campus; Electronic materials (book chapters or articles) will be emailed to you as a PDF
For additional information: visit IDD and Home Delivery.
Database Help Guides & Tutorials
- Introduction to Ovid Tutorial Designed for novice users or experienced users who may need a refresher on Ovid. This course will highlight the features and functionality of the Ovid interface. It will review the various search modes that are available on Ovid and how to work with the results from those searches (i.e. printing, emailing and exporting the records). Available in other languages