Psychology Research Guide
Reference Materials

Reference materials provide background or factual information on a topic. Most reference sources reside in the Reference area on the Lower Level of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library (one floor down from the Entry Floor). Some particularly useful Psychology reference sources follow.

| Bibliographies | | Biographical Resources | | Dictionaries | | Directories |
| Encyclopedias | | Handbooks | | Indexes | | Research Guides |

Bibliographies

Female Psychology: An Annotated Psychoanalytic Bibliography (UM Reference RC451.4.W6 F45 1991)
Over 200 articles and books are listed by subject. Each citation has a paragraph describing the work and its importance.

The Psychology and Mental Health of Afro-American Women: A Selected Bibliography (UM W.E.B. Du Bois Z1361 .N39 Y68 1984)
Contains citations covering everything from parent-child relations to gender roles on college campuses.

Psychology of Aging: An Annotated Bibliography (UM W.E.B. Du Bois Z7204 .A42 H392 1995)
2- to 3-line descriptions of each book and article.

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Biographical Resources

Biographical Dictionary of Psychology (UM Reference BF109 .A1 B56 1997)
Brief entries on about 500 psychologists from the mid-nineteenth century to the present.

*Biography Resource Center
Profiles and brief biographies from biographical dictionaries and encyclopedias.

Women in Psychology: A Bio-Bibliographic Sourcebook (UM Reference BF109 .A1 W65 1990)
Biographical essays and selected bibliographies for 36 preeminent women psychologists. Also includes a bibliography of related publications. 

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Dictionaries

Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology (UM Reference B41 .B3 1960)
Reprinted from the 1901 edition. Mostly for use by upper-division majors tracing the history of psychological concepts.

A Dictionary of Psychology (UM Reference BF31 .C65 2006)
Provides definitions of "the most important and difficult words that a reader is likely to encounter in books and articles on psychology."

*Oxford Reference Online
Searchable database of full-text reference works, including dictionaries of psychology, medicine, and biology.

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Directories

The Directory of Ethnic Minority Professionals in Psychology (UM Reference BF30 .A493 2001)
African American, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic, and Multi-Ethnic APA members. Latest edition: 4th (2001).

Directory of the American Psychological Association (UM Reference BF11 .A67)
Mail and email addresses, phone numbers, and educational and professional information of APA members. Latest edition: 2001.

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Encyclopedias

The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social Psychology (UM Reference HM251 .B476 1995)
Entries range from 3 sentences up to 3 pages.

Comprehensive Clinical Psychology (UM Reference RC467.C597 1998)
11-volume set contains 10- to 20-page articles with bibliographies on various topics.

Encyclopedia of Adult Development (UM Reference BF724.5 .E53 1993)
Contains 3- to 5-page essays and suggestions for further reading.

Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior (UM Reference HV5804 .E53 2001)
4-volume set contains 3- to 5-page essays on major topics.

Encyclopedia of Human Behavior (UM Reference BF31 .E5 1994)
4-volume set contains 5- to 10-page in-depth essays.

Encyclopedia of Mental Health (UM Reference RA790 .E53 1998)
3-volume set contains 4- to 5-page essays.

Encyclopedia of Psychology (UM Reference BF31 .E53 2000)
8-volume set contains 5- to 8-page essays with bibliographies.

The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology (UM Reference BF31 .G35 2001)
Entries run from 1/2 to 2 pages covering concepts and notable scholars. Available online in the *Gale Virtual Reference Library. 

International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (UM Reference H41 .I58 2001)
26-volume encyclopedia includes sections on applied psychology, behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, brain development and plasticity, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology and cognitive science, community psychology, developmental psychology, environmental psychology, health psychology, memory, motivational/emotional psychology, perception, personality psychology and self, and social psychology. Also available online: *International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences.

*Oxford Reference Online
Searchable database of full-text reference works, including dictionaries of psychology, medicine, and biology.

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Handbooks

Comprehensive Clinical Psychology (UM Reference RC467 .C597 1998)
10-volume set provides information "on the scientific status of clinical psychology and its subspecialties, on theory, and on clinical techniques." Also covers "the history of the field, and current thinking about training, professional standards and practices, and sociocultural factors in mental health and illness."

Comprehensive Handbook of Personality and Psychopathology (UM Reference RC456 .C66 2006)
3-volume set of essays on theories of personality, and disorders of adult and child psychopathology.

DSM-IV Sourcebook (UM Reference RC455.2.C4 D754 1994)
Volumes 1-3 of the Sourcebook provide literature reviews of the mental disorders classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (UM Reference Desk and UM Science Reference RC 455.2 .C4 D536 2000), which itself is used in clinical practice to diagnose psychiatric illnesses.

Handbook of Child Psychology (UM Reference BF721 .H242 2006)
4-volume set contains essays that summarize current scholarship in developmental science.

Handbook of Psychological Assessment (UM W.E.B. Du Bois BF176 .G76 2003)
Chapters on various kinds of psychological tests and methods of measurement.

Handbook of Psychology (UM Reference BF121 .H1955 2003)
12-volume set summarizes current scholarship in all areas of psychological science and practice.

The Handbook of Social Psychology (UM W.E.B. Du Bois HM251 .H224 1998)
Contains 10- to 20-page chapters on major topics.

Stevens' Handbook of Experimental Psychology (UM Reference BF181 .H336 2002)
4-volume set contains essays on perception, attention, memory, cognition, and learning, with an emphasis on the neurophysiological foundations of psychological phenomena.