PsycEXTRA^® Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question that's not on this list, please e-mail us.

1. What is PsycEXTRA?
2. What is "gray" literature?
3. Who produces PsycEXTRA?
4. How does PsycEXTRA differ from the PsycINFO database?
5. Who is the intended audience for PsycEXTRA?
6. How much retrospective coverage does PsycEXTRA have?
7. What search capabilities are available?
8. How long has PsycEXTRA been available?
9. How often is PsycEXTRA updated?
10. What does access to PsycEXTRA cost?
11. If I have relevant content to contribute, how do I submit my content to PsycEXTRA?
12. Who should I contact for more information?

1. What is PsycEXTRA?

PsycEXTRA is a bibliographic and full-text database of content from a variety of highly regarded sources for "gray" literature in psychology, behavioral sciences, and health. It provides key information for clinicians, researchers, information professionals, policy makers, and consumers.

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2. What is "gray" literature?

Gray literature is generally material for professional or lay audiences that is often difficult to find because it is disseminated outside the traditional peer-reviewed journal or scholarly book. Librarians have called this literature "ephemeral" or "fugitive" because it often appears only fleetingly. Materials include conference papers, research reports, policy statements, standards, newsletters, magazines, newspapers, brochures, fact sheets, annual reports and more.

This literature is diverse, ranging from brief consumer education materials to very substantive, rigorously researched, and lengthy documents. Some are peer reviewed and some are not. The work of many researchers is found in gray literature well in advance of any formal, peer-reviewed publication. Some researchers do not submit their work to scholarly publications; consequently, the results of their research can be found only in the gray literature.

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3. Who produces PsycEXTRA?

PsycINFO, a division of the American Psychological Association (APA), produces PsycEXTRA. PsycINFO is the most comprehensive and authoritative publisher of bibliographic reference sources that cover scholarly and peer-reviewed publications in psychology and related disciplines. The division also produces the electronic versions of APA journals and books in the PsycARTICLES and PsycBOOKS databases, as well as the PsycCRITIQUES database of book and film reviews.

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4. How does PsycEXTRA differ from the PsycINFO database?

PsycINFO includes bibliographic data and abstracts from scholarly, peer-reviewed sources. PsycEXTRA does not contain data from scholarly, peer-reviewed journals, so there is no overlap with PsycINFO. In addition to bibliographic data and abstracts, PsycEXTRA also contains full-text content for a large percentage of documents covered.

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5. Who is the intended audience for PsycEXTRA?

The potential users of PsycEXTRA include major research libraries, public libraries, community colleges, secondary schools, community mental health centers, hospitals, major psychological associations, information professionals, researchers, and the general public.

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6. How much retrospective coverage does PsycEXTRA have?

Many of the document types covered in PsycEXTRA such as conference papers, technical reports, brochures, and facts sheets are one-time publications. No retrospective coverage can be provided for these, although original documents are retained in the database along with any updated or revised editions. There is a growing body of historical material in PsycEXTRA, including all issues of the APA Monitor to volume 1. The database also includes many important early studies.

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7. What search capabilities are available?

Each document in PsycEXTRA is indexed precisely using the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms to help pinpoint accuracy in retrieval. PsycEXTRA is searchable using a number of fields: Bibliographic data, abstracts, index terms, keywords, and limit fields. The full-text content is searchable for most documents in the database.

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8. How long has PsycEXTRA been available?

PsycEXTRA was launched at the end of the second quarter of 2004.

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9. How often is PsycEXTRA updated?

In 2007, PsycEXTRA is updated on a bi-weekly basis.

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10. What does access to PsycEXTRA cost?

The price of PsycEXTRA for institutions is tiered depending on the size and type of institution. Academic, K–12, public library, corporate, government, and hospital pricing are available. APA believes the data fees are very affordable. Find more details on the PsycEXTRA License Fees page.

Members who subscribe to the Gold and Platinum packages automatically have access to PsycEXTRA at no additional cost.

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11. If I have relevant content to contribute, how do I submit my content to PsycEXTRA?

You can submit content at APA's PsycEXTRA Page for Content Owners. To sign up, go to this site, register as a content owner, and follow the instructions to register your content. Once you have completed the form, we will forward a coverage agreement for signature to be faxed back to us. Then just send us your documents. APA will evaluate your content to determine whether it can be included in PsycEXTRA.

Please see PsycEXTRA Coverage Practices for coverage criteria. Once your content is accepted, APA will provide you with a user name and password that you can use periodically to review and update your file. In addition, we will provide free access to a fully indexed and classified archive of your materials.

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12. Who should I contact for more information?

To get more information, email PsycINFO. Or call our toll-free line at 1-800-374-2722.

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