PsycINFO Frequently Asked Questions

These are the top questions asked most by our visitors. If you have a question that's not on this list, please e-mail us. We'll send you a personal response within the week.

1. How do I get access to PsycINFO?
2. I'm an APA member and I paid for access to PsycINFO. How do I get to it?
3. Where's the full text of the article and how can I get it?
4. How can I get search help?
5. How do I get publications added to PsycINFO?
6. How much does PsycINFO cost?
7. Where can I find information about psychological tests? Where can I get the tests themselves?
8. I found an error in a PsycINFO record. How can I report it and get it corrected?
9. Is everything that was published in Psychological Abstracts in the PsycINFO database?
10. I want to find out what's been written about a particular topic. What can you do for me?
11. Where can I get software that formats my papers in APA style
12. Is PsycINFO COUNTER compliant?

1. How do I get access to PsycINFO?

You may have access to PsycINFO through your library or institution. Please ask your librarian or check your institution's web site. If you do not have access, then we have several options for you:

APA Members: You can subscribe to PsycINFO through APA's member packages. Visit My APA for descriptions of the packages, pricing information, and links to sign-up for immediate access to APA databases.

The Silver package includes 3 years of PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES. The Gold and Platinum packages include the full databases, plus PsycBOOKS, PsycEXTRA, and PsycCRITIQUES.

Need membership information? Visit APA's Membership Information page.

Non-APA Members:
You can search PsycINFO Direct for a nominal fee payable by credit card. Visit PsycINFO Direct to try the demo or to search now.

If you plan to search PsycINFO frequently, you may prefer to purchase annual access to both PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES through APA Gold. Visit the APA Gold homepage for more information and to order.

[BACK TO QUESTIONS]

2. I'm an APA member and I paid for access to PsycINFO. How do I get to it?

Go to the My APA web page and enter your user name and password. Your User Name is your 8-digit APA member number. Your Password (second box) is your last name, all in lower case. After clicking on "GO," you will get a page with the databases listed under "My Subscriptions." If you have trouble logging in, click on "Forgot your password?" and fill out the online form. You may change your password to something you prefer so long as it is 5 digits or more and is not your user name.

[BACK TO QUESTIONS]

3. Where's the full text of the article and how can I get it?

The PsycINFO database is a finding and linking database that contains abstracts, bibliographic citations, references, and other descriptive information. It is not a full-text database. Look for a DOI field in the full record. You may be able to link directly to the article if it is in electronic form and you have access. You may be able to get a print copy for free from a library or through interlibrary loan or for a fee from a document delivery service. Our Full Text Document Delivery Sources page has all the details.

If the journal article you want was published by the American Psychological Association, the APA Educational Publishing Foundation, the Canadian Psychological Association, or Hogrefe Publishing Group, it will appear in PsycARTICLES, APA's full-text database of journal articles. If your institution has access to PsycARTICLES, you can view a PDF or HTML version of the journal article. Or you can buy single articles with PsycARTICLES Direct. Visit the PsycARTICLES Direct page for more information.

[BACK TO QUESTIONS]

4. How can I get search help?

Most search systems provide context-sensitive online help, so that's the best place to start. There's probably a HELP button somewhere on the screen. If you're searching PsycINFO through your institution's library, a reference librarian may be able to sit down with you and guide you through the search.

Visit our Search Help and Training Center. It has search guides and other useful information specific to each vendor system that provides PsycINFO.

For help with a specific search strategy, contact us. We can give you suggestions about what terms to search and help you if what you've searched for already isn't giving you the information you want.

[BACK TO QUESTIONS]

5. How do I get publications added to PsycINFO?

We're always happy to consider new publications for coverage in PsycINFO. Go to the PsycINFO Publisher Relations section and, using the links on the left hand side, you will see details for submitting books or journals.

[BACK TO QUESTIONS]

6. How much does PsycINFO cost?

The price of PsycINFO varies depending on whether you are an individual searching from your home or office or an institution providing access to the database to many people.

Individual Access
You can get unlimited access by subscribing to a database package or get daily access from a nominal fee.

Institutional Access
APA makes its databases available for site licenses through several distribution vendors.

[BACK TO QUESTIONS]

7. Where can I find information about psychological tests and/or where can I get the tests themselves?

Start by searching PsycINFO to find the names of tests that have been used in research and written about in the literature. Test names appear in both the Abstract field and the Tests & Measures field. If the document includes the actual test in its entirety, it is marked "Appended" in the Tests & Measures field. APA's Science Directorate is a good source for general information about psychological tests and test publishers. Visit their Testing and Assessment page, which includes a link to frequently asked questions about tests.

Another good source for test information is the Buros Institute Test Reviews Online.

[BACK TO QUESTIONS]

8. I found an error in a PsycINFO record. How can I report it and get it corrected?

Please send an email message to PsycINFO describing the error. Include the PsycINFO record number (probably labeled "accession number"), what the error is, and how it should be corrected. We will research the error, and the correction will appear in a future PsycINFO update.

[BACK TO QUESTIONS]

9. Is everything that was published in Psychological Abstracts in the PsycINFO database?

No. Some technical reports appeared in Psychological Abstracts, but are not in PsycINFO. These technical reports are now included in PsycEXTRA. All records covering books and peer-reviewed journals that appeared in Psychological Abstracts are in PsycINFO.

[BACK TO QUESTIONS]

10. I want to find out what's been written about a particular topic. What can you do for me?

We can't do the search for you, but you can search PsycINFO to get abstracts of psychological literature. Check with your librarian to see if your library subscribes to one of the PsycINFO databases, or search PsycINFO on the web.

If you want to know what terms to search for your topic, contact us, and we'll be happy to help.

[BACK TO QUESTIONS]

11. Where can I get software that formats my papers in APA style?

APA offers APA-Style Helper 5.1 software. Go to the Software section of the web site to learn more about it, and order or download a copy.

[BACK TO QUESTIONS]

12. Is PsycINFO COUNTER compliant?

COUNTER is a statistics standard for reporting online usage statistics. APA PsycNET, the APA delivery platform, is fully compliant with Counter Release 2. For more information visit the COUNTER Compliance page of the Librarian's Resource Center.

[BACK TO QUESTIONS]