This page provides a list of resources related to developing your skills with social scientific research. These resources will primarily focus on those skills used to conduct social science research using large-sample survey designs, which is my area of expertise.
Literature Search and Retrieval
- PsycINFO User Guide – this website from EBSCO Connect provides links to pages that give detail directions on how to use its database from basic to advanced searches.
- Google Scholar Basic Search – the first page of this PDF gives instructions on how to use the basic and advance search feature and gives a list of word phrases to use to aid in your search.
- Using Google Scholar Effectively – this YouTube video shows five different helpful hints to use Google Scholar to your advantage to search and retrieve articles.
- Google Scholar Literature Review – this YouTube video uses an example to walk you through how you can have a broad topic on Google Scholar and be able to narrow in your search results.
- PsycINFO Literature Review – this YouTube video uses an example of a random topic to show how you can use the PsycINFO/EBSCOhost database to find articles.
- Research Literature Databases Relevant to Psychology (UK students can access via their linkblue account) – a list of databases such as PsychINFO that psychology researchers use to find relevant peer-reviewed journal articles and other types of literature such as book chapters and psychological instruments
- Database Searching Skills and Databases & Advanced Searching – general tips for searching literature databases from UK Libraries experts.
Literature Review, Synthesis, and Annotated Bibliography
- Systematic & Other Advanced Reviews Video Tutorials – this page has both video recordings for viewing and the associated PowerPoint slide decks for downloading.
- Conducting Literature Reviews – this page has a list of online resources on the theory and practice of conducting a literature review.
- Literature Review in Psychology – this PDF from a writing center goes into explaining the detail on what a literature review is and how to find a topic and gather articles on it, read the selected articles, and how to write one.
- Psych Lit Review Writing Video Series – This YouTube playlist goes through how to write the introduction, body, and conclusion of a psychology literature review.
- Literature Reviews in PsycINFO – The middle of this page shows you how to find literature reviews in PsycINFO to be able to use their research to conduct your own lit review.
- Synthesis Matrix – This matrix helps organize articles you found for your literature review (scroll down and click “Literature Review Matrix”).
- Literature Review Guideline– This APA website page gives general considerations and elements of a literature review.
- Conducting a Systematic Literature Review – this website provides training on how to evaluate and conduct a systematic literature review.
Study Design and Methodology
- For University of Kentucky Students – SAGE Research Methods Database – resources to answer research methods and statistics questions.
Data Collection & Participant Recruitment
- List of Free Archival Psychology & Social Science Public Datasets – list of over 25 datasets along the the name of the sponsoring organization and a link to the webpage where the dataset can be downloaded.
Data Analysis
- See my List of Helpful Statistics, SPSS, and Mplus Tutorial Videos page for these resources.
Writing Manuscripts for Publication in Peer-Reviewed Journals
- Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited and Proposals That Get Funded – The book takes an integrated approach, using the principles of story structure to discuss every aspect of successful science writing, from the overall structure of a paper or proposal to individual sections, paragraphs, sentences, and words.
- The OWL at Purdue has a comprehensive and free website that reviews APA Style 7th Edition rules you must follow when writing papers in APA style. Their sample APA Style 7th Edition paper is one of the best ways to learn the new rules.
Revising and Resubmitting Manuscripts Based on Peer Reviewer Feedback
- Coming soon.
Presenting Your Research at a Conference: Posters and Presentations
- Presenting at a Conference – from the US National Institutes of Health.
- Wiley Poster – tips on creating a research poster.
- How to Build a Poster in PowerPoint and Publisher – Making an APA-style poster.
- Revising a Presentation – how to give a good psychology talk.
- Poster Design Advice – from the American Psychological Association.
- Conference Presentation Advice – from the American Psychological Association.
- A video on the #BetterPoster movement by Mike Morrison – an approach designed to make posters “more efficient, more usable, and easier to create.”
- #BetterPoster template – A collection of posters using the #BetterPoster format.
- Alda-Kavli Webinar Series – How to Effectively Communicate the Implications of Your Scientific Findings to Lay Audiences and other Stakeholders
Miscellaneous
- How to Organize Your Digital Files – Tips for creating an organized method for storing and retrieving your computer files.