APA's electronic information now linked
APA Online is proud to announce that APA's premier set of electronic information, PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES, is now merged through links. When using one of these databases online, members can click their way from the reference list in an electronic article, to the PsycINFO abstract of a reference, and then to its APA full-text article--and back.
In addition, APA's full-text journal articles (PsycARTICLES) now provide links to primary and secondary literature from other publishers. For example, if PsycINFO does not have an abstract of an article cited in a reference list, a link will lead you to the Medline abstract of that citation.
APA is able to provide this service because it is one of the first publishers to take advantage of a new collaborative effort, called CrossRef, a consortium of the world's leading scientific, technical and medical publishers. CrossRef was formed out of scholarly publishers' desire to build electronic bridges among the vast stores of scholarly information that have traditionally been housed within separate publishers.
In 2000, APA Online created an electronic system that would merge the linking information from CrossRef into its databases. This electronic process, known as PsycREF, became fully operational this month. PsycREF does not change the structure of APA's databases; instead, it adds power and flexibility to them by automatically embedding links to related primary and secondary literature into APA's electronic abstracts and journal articles.
These links are located at the end of each reference in an APA journal article reference list and at the bottom of PsycINFO abstracts. For example, a link located at the bottom of a PsycINFO abstract will lead to the APA full-text journal article, if one is available (APA articles prior to 1988 may not be digitally available).
If the reference is from a non-APA source, a link will--in most cases--lead to the access information for that article (the presence of links is determined by whether the publisher participates in CrossRef). Full access to linked material from individual publishers will depend on the users' access capabilities.
The new PsycREF system also solves the problem of citing electronic material--one of the great barriers to scholars' use of electronic information. At the beginning of each paragraph in an APA full-text article, a small gray paragraph symbol appears. When clicked, the full citation information for that paragraph will appear in a "cut and paste" screen, and in correct APA style.
Now APA's databases have the performance that researchers have always wanted. Visit APA's free online journal, Prevention and Treatment (journals.apa.org/prevention/), for a demonstration.
APA Members will automatically benefit from the enhanced capabilities of APA's electronic information. Members will receive, for free, the abstracts of all of the citations in the online version of their journal. (Members get free electronic access to the print journal subscription they receive as part of their APA membership benefit package.)
APA Members can purchase additional access to PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES. APA is offering combined packages of these databases in 2001 to Members. For more information, go to www.apa.org/eproducts.
--B. BEISEL
APA INTERNET SERVICES
