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Writing 101 (Block): Search Strategies 6-7

6) Thesaurus - Subject Terms

Method A: Look for Subject (thesaurus) terms at the right of a search results page OR at the bottom of a citation.

Method B: Go Directly to the Thesaurus: From the Advanced Search screen in PsycInfo, you can search the Thesaurus (link found above search box).  See screenshots below.

screenshot search in psycinfo thesaurus

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screenshot thesaurus in psycinfo 2

7) Proximity Searching in PsycInfo

Sample searches on the ProQuest platform

Specific Order (Proximity)  Think of P for PRE! 

  • perceive* P/2 competition

The first term precedes the second term by two or fewer words.

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Any Order (Near)

  • culture N/3 belief

The terms are within three words apart, in any order.

Impact Factor

To see which journals are cited the most in a particular area:

  • Click to open the InCites Journal Citation Reports database
  • Select "Browse by Category"
  • Click to see "Journals by Rank" (a third of the way down the page)
  • On the left, under "Category", select "Psychology"
  • Click "Submit"

You will see a list of journals arranged by impact factor. Impact factor tells you, on average, how many times an article from that particular journal is cited.

This can help you see which journals are being read and cited by lots of people in their fields -- e.g., which ones are having impact in terms of the conversation in the field.