Guides: Psychology: Background Resources

Background Resources

Core Reference Titles | Encyclopedias and Reference Works

Core Reference Titles

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by American Psychological Association
Call Number: Van Pelt Stacks. BF76.7 .P83 2020
ISBN: 9781433832178
Publication Date: 2019
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed., Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) by American Psychiatric Association
Publication Date: 2022
Diagnostic classification system that describes the essential features of the full range of mental disorders. The DSM web site includes fulltext for the DSM-5, its training manuals and associated publications, and the earlier editions of the DSM.
Also useful is: American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry (7th ed., Amer Psychiatric Publishing, 2019).
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by American Psychiatric Association
Call Number: RC455.2.C4 D536 2013
ISBN: 0890425574
Publication Date: 2013

Encyclopedias and Reference Works

Use dictionaries, encyclopedias, and handbooks to learn quickly about the state of research on your topic. A good encyclopedia article should describe major themes, current research fronts, and controversial areas; it should also provide a brief bibliography of classic, important, or definitive works on the article's subjects. Entries should also cross-reference other articles within the encyclopedia for further discovery.

Psychology is distinctive in its tradition of major reference works - usually titled "Handbook" - that present chapter-long articles in multivolume collections. Handbooks generally offer chapters on specific aspects of a topic: together, the handbook's chapters should provide a broad overview of the state of research; individually, chapters may be narrowly focused. Some handbook chapters may be focused on a particular position or argument. Handbook chapters typically have very rich bibliographies.

Dictionaries

Dictionary of Psychology by Ray Corsini
ISBN: 9781583913284
Publication Date: 2016 (reprint of 2002 ed.)
A classic text, though slightly dated.
A Dictionary of Psychology, 4th ed. by Colman
Publication Date: 2015
"Including more than 11,000 definitions, this authoritative and up-to-date dictionary covers all branches of psychology." -- from resource intro
Concise Medical Dictionary, 10th ed. by Law & Martin
Publication Date: 2020
"Clear and authoritative definitions for all aspects of medical science." -- from resource intro
Psychoanalytic Terms and Concepts, 4th ed. by American Psychoanalytic Association
Publication Date: 2018
"Presents a scholarly exposition of English-language psychoanalytic terms and concepts...Each entry starts with a brief definition that is followed by an explanation of the significance of the term/concept for psychoanalysis, its historical development, and the present-day controversies about best usage." -- resource intro

Encyclopedias and Major Reference Works

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology
Publication Date: 2014, continuously updated online
A recent and growing general encyclopedia. Each article has a long bibliography.
Encyclopedia of Social Work
Updated monthly. A collaboration between the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and Oxford University Press. Over 800 overview articles, on key topics ranging from international issues to ethical standards.
The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology, 4th ed.
Publication Date: 2010
Through its four editions starting in 1984, Corsini has been the basic reference work for psychology. Brief articles with short bibliographies are most easily found by browsing the "Articles by Topics" hierarchy. Corsini includes some brief biographies for major figures in psychological research - a handy way to identify major publications or classic experiments.
Handbook of Psychology, 2nd ed. by Weiner
Publication Date: 2012
"A momentous resource that codifies major advances in psychological research and applications" - that's the title of the PsycCRITIQUES book review! With 12 volumes in print, this is an encyclopedia-sized work with journal-article-length entries. Penn has five contributing authors. Volume 1: History of Psychology and Volume 4: Experimental Psychology are particularly useful.
Handbook of Social Psychology, 5th ed. by Fiske & Gilbert
Publication Date: 2010
Appearing every decade or 15 years since 1954 (with a precursor in 1935), the Handbook provides a state-of-the-art overview of the field. The 5th edition's "Articles by Topic" browsing presents three topical areas: The Science of Social Psychology, The Social Being, and The Social World. See especially the chapters on "The Science of Social Psychology", which mention classic laboratory and field experiments.
The SAGE Encyclopedia of Abnormal and Clinical Psychology by Wenzel
Publication Date: 2017
7 vol. "Its more than 1,400 entries provide information on fundamental approaches and theories, various mental health disorders, assessment tools and psychotherapeutic interventions, and the social, legal, and cultural frameworks that have contributed to debates in abnormal and clinical psychology."
Encyclopedia of Clinical Psychology, 2nd ed. by Cautin & Lilienfeld
Publication Date: 2015
"The Encyclopedia of Clinical Psychology includes well over 500 A-Z entries covering the main topics, key concepts, and influential figures in this field."
Stevens' Handbook of Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental and Social Psychology, 4th ed.
Publication Date: 2018
A classic reference work highlighting experimental research, updated to include cognitive neuroscience. Volumes cover : Learning and memory; Sensation, perception, and attention; Language and thought; Developmental and social psychology; and Methodology.
International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2nd ed. by James D. Wright
Publication Date: 2015
"Over 3,900 articles, commissioned by 71 Section Editors, and includes 90,000 bibliographic references as well as comprehensive name and subject indexes. Provides authoritative, foundational, interdisciplinary knowledge across the wide range of behavioral and social sciences fields." -- resource intro

Oxford Bibliographies Online : Psychology
More than 200 annotated bibliographies identifying good starting places, classic works, significant works, and useful reading in all aspects of psychology. Covers Affective sciences, Clinical psychology, Cognitive psychology, Criminal and forensic psychology, Developmental psychology, Educational psychology, Health psychology, History & systems in psychology, Neuropsychology, Neuroscience, Organizational psychology, Psychological assessment and testing, Research methods in psychology, and Social psychology.

PsychiatryOnline
PsychiatryOnline provides online access to the DSM-5®, The American Journal of Psychiatry, and other psychiatric references.
Online access to DSM-IV-TR, as well as American Psychiatric Publishing textbooks, journals, and the DSM archives. Includes:
DSM Library
- DSM-IV-TRB.
- DSM-IV-TRB. Handbook of Differential Diagnosis
- DSM-IV-TRB. Casebook and its Treatment Companion complete DSM archives (I-IV)
American Psychiatric Association Practice Guidelines
Textbooks:
- The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry
- What Your Patients Need to Know About Psychiatric Medications
- Essentials of Clinical Psychopharmacology
- Manual of Clinical Psychopharmacology
- Gabbard's Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders
- The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Substance Abuse Treatment
Journals (current content):
- American Journal of Psychiatry
- Psychiatric Services
- Academic Psychiatry
- Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
- Psychosomatics
- Psychiatric News

Handbooks

APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology, 3 vols. by American Psychological Association
Publication Date: 2012
One of the APA Handbooks in Psychology collection. This title is useful for its benchmarking of methods use in psychological experiments.
APA Handbook of Clinical Psychology
Publication Date: 2016
5 vols. Individual volumes cover "Roots and branches", theory and research, applications and methods, psychopathology and health, education and profession.

APA Handbooks
More than 100 volumes, published by the American Psychological Association. Handbooks provide deeper subject coverage and richer bibliographies than encyclopedia articles. Their chapters may also be more argumentative than encyclopedias'.
Oxford Handbooks Online : Psychology
More than 200 handbooks. The OHO platform includes book chapters from forthcoming titles.
Oxford Clinical Psychology
Fulltext ebook collection with 300+ titles, with several useful reference series, including:
• ABCT Clinical Practice Series.
• Best Practices in Forensic Mental Health Assessments.
• Oxford Guides to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
• Programs That Work.
• Treatments That Work.
• Specialty Competencies in Professional Psychology.
The interface offers filtering for specialties, including clinical adult psychology and counseling psychology, for disorders and clinical problems.

Oxford Handbook of Clinical Psychology
Publication Date: 2014
"Comprising chapters from the foremost scholars in clinical psychology, this handbook provides even and authoritative coverage of the research, practice, and policy factors that combine to form today's clinical psychology landscape."
Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods in Clinical Psychology
Publication Date: 2020
"Integrates philosophy of science, data acquisition methods, and statistical modeling techniques to present readers with a forward-thinking perspective on clinical science."
APA Handbook of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy by Wenzel
Publication Date: 2021
2 vols. "This book consists of three main sections. Part I provides a contextual background to understand the roots of CBT, its major theoretical and empirical findings, and current issues in the field. Part II focuses on strategies and techniques that are used across many specific approaches within the family of CBTs...Part III focuses on cognitive behavioral psychotherapy packages."
The Cognitive Neurosciences, 6th ed. by Poeppel, Mangun, Gazzaniga (Eds.), MIT Press
Publication Date: 2020
One of several good reference works on cognitive science offered on MIT Press's CogNet platform.

Routledge Handbooks Online : Psychology
Another good handbook series.

SAGE Research Methods
Research Methods is a tool created to help researchers, faculty and students with their research projects. Users can explore methods concepts to help them design research projects, understand particular methods or identify a new method, conduct their research, and write up their findings. Since SAGE Research Methods focuses on methodology rather than disciplines, it can be used across the social sciences, health sciences, and other areas of research.

Sage Knowledge
SAGE Knowledge social sciences digital library is intended for students, researchers, and faculty.