Research Guides: Psychology: Psychological Research

Research Strategy

Need help searching strategically for research assignments? Here's some tips:

Consult background resources to choose, explore, and develop your topic.
Formulate an arguable and concise research question based on your topic to answer through your research.
Choose keywords from your research question and additional alternative keywords to use when searching databases.
Remember to evaluate search results to see if the searches you're trying are effective.

Research Strategy Checklist
This checklist provides a detailed account of each step in the research process.

Exploratory Research

Need topic ideas?

Explore psychology news feeds for latest stories, research and trending topics.
Association for Psychological Science research topics and latest news
Browse through your psychology textbooks or psychology encyclopedias for general subjects / topic areas

Exploratory Research

Once you have an idea in mind, do some exploratory research on the subject to narrow down your topic into a more concise research question.

Run a subject search through the Psych Info database to ensure scholarly articles and research are available on your topic. Browse topics and journals on Psych Info Discover . You can also run searches through Academic Search Premier, SAGE Journal Online and Pub Med.

Defining a Topic

Topic: sleep deprivation and cognitive ability

Research Question: What are the effects of sleep deprivation on college students' working memory, attention span, and problem-solving skills, and how can students improve their sleep habits to reduce these effects

Thesis Statement: Sleep deprivation harms college students by reducing their working memory, attention span, and problem-solving skills. To help students overcome these issues, schools should teach better sleep habits, adjust class schedules to allow for more sleep, and create programs that encourage healthy sleep practices

A research question should introduce a problem to solved

Thesis statement is a tentative answer to your research question. A thesis statement summarizes the central points of your essay. It is a signpost telling the reader what the essay will argue and how.

Psychology Reference Books

APA Dictionary of Psychology by Gary R. Vandenbos (Editor)
ISBN: 9781591473800
Publication Date: 2006-07-15
The American Psychological Association is proud to announce the publication of an invaluable addition to your reference shelf, one that represents a major scholarly and editorial undertaking. With over 25,000 terms and definitions, the APA Dictionary of Psychology encompasses all areas of research and application, and includes coverage of concepts, processes, and therapies across all the major subdisciplines of psychology.
21st Century Psychology: a Reference Handbook by Stephen F. Davis (Editor); William F. Buskist (Editor)
ISBN: 9781412949682
Publication Date: 2007-12-17
Via 100 entries, 21st Century Psychology: A Reference Handbook highlights the most important topics, issues, questions, and debates any student obtaining a degree in the field of psychology ought to have mastered for effectiveness in the 21st century.
Experimental Psychology Research Trends by Eleanor B. Hartonek (Editor)
ISBN: 9781604569476
Publication Date: 2008-10-01
Experimental psychology approaches psychology as one of the natural sciences, and therefore assumes that it is susceptible to the experimental method. This book brings together leading research from around the world in this field.
Psychologists' Desk Reference by Gerald P. Koocher (Editor); John C. Norcross (Editor); Beverly A. Greene (Editor)
ISBN: 9780199845491
Publication Date: 2013-09-04
Fully revised and expanded, this third edition of the Psychologists' Desk Reference includes several new chapters on emerging topics in psychology and incoporates updates from top clinicians and program directors in the field.