Psychology and Counseling Research Guide

These guides provide a systematic listing of major works in the field of psychology.  They are intended to lead the researcher through the field, listing major sources of information in various areas of psychology and offering advice on research techniques.

Bell, James Edward. A Guide to Library Research in Psychology

REF BF  76.8  .B43

McInnis, Raymond G. Research Guide for Psychology

REF BF 76.5 .M35       

Reed, Jeffrey G. and Pam M. Baxter. Library Use: A Handbook for Psychology

BF  76.8  .R43 1991

Journals in Psychology:  A Resource Listing for Authors

REF BF 76.8 .J68 1997

Specialized encyclopedias provide a starting point for research.  Often specialized terms and topics are not covered in general encyclopedias and dictionaries.  In addition to providing definitions and brief overviews specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries can provide background information, historical perspective, terms to be used in searching the literature, and references to important research in the field.

American Psychiatric Glossary

RC  437 .S76 1988

Provides authoritative definitions of terms used in psychiatry.  Includes tables listing drugs, legal terms, sleep disorders, schools and tests. 

Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science

REF BF31 .E52 2010

Signed articles offer definitions, explanations of theories and processes in the areas of cognitive psychology, psycholinguistics and neurology.  Entries for key personalities in the field are included. Bibliographies, cross references and an index are provided. Older (2001) edition is also available online.

A Dictionary of Psychology

REF BF 31 .C65 2001

Concise definitions of 10,500 psychological terms, entries often include etymology of the word, synonyms, extensive cross references are included. Appendix 2 provides identifies abbreviations and symbols.

Encyclopedia of Psychology

REF BF 31 .E52 2000

International in scope; the 1,500 articles cover every area of psychological theory, research and practice. Each article includes a bibliography.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders:  DSM-IV-TR

REF RC455.2 .C4 D536 2000 (additional copies on reserve and in the stacks)

Diagnostic criteria for mental disorders, included diagnosis treatment and research findings.

The Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence

REF HQ 772 .G27 1998

Authorative summary of the key theories and issues of childhood. Includes cross references, tables, and an extensive bibliography.

International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences

REF H 41 .I58 2000

Twenty-six volumes. Comprehensive articles covering topics, ideas and people. Good bibliographies with most articles.

Handbooks provide a synthesis of background material which is scattered throughout the literature.  There are a large number of handbooks in the field of psychology; many are designed for specific subject areas.  Some of the more general and comprehensive are listed in this guide. Additional handbooks in the library’s collection can be identified with a keyword search in the online catalog, for example: school psychology handbook

The California School of Professional Psychology Handbook of Multicultural Education, Research, Intervention and Training

BF 637 .C6 C27 2002

A sourcebook identifying standards, skills, and resources needed by psychologists in conducting multicultural research.

Handbook of Clinical Child Psychology

RJ503 .H36

Revised articles providing a review of research combined with practical and clinical applications.

Handbook of Contemporary Learning Theories

LB 1060  .H34

Describes new research on the learning process, both theoretical and empirical.

The Handbook of Forensic Psychology

RA 1148 .H36 1999

Authoritative reference covering training, ethical and professional issues of forensic psychology.

Handbook of Psychological Assessment

BF 39 .H2645 2000

Authoritative articles with extensive references present the major areas of psychological assessment.

Handbook of Psychology

BF 121 .H1955 2003 (12 volumes)

Each volume in this 12 volume set covers a particular area of psychology, including assessment, clinical psychology, personality and forensic psychology. Each article contains an extensive bibliography and each volume has a subject index.

Handbook of Research Methods in Industrial and Organizational Psychology

HF 5548.8 .H2653 2002

A comprehensive collection of articles covering methodological issues, data collection as well as a history of the field.

Handbook of Research Methods in Social and Personality Psychology

HM 1019 .H36 2000

An examination of the full range of methods and tools used by researchers.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5) is accessible via Psychiatry Online.