This page consists of six sections:
All APU Library databases can be accessed through the Libraries' web site. To get to them, go to the APU Libraries home page, then click on "All Databases."
You can access databases by title using the alphabetical links, or you can use the subject menu to see a list of databases recommended for your topic.
APU has access to the electronic full text versions of nearly all dissertations published in the U.S. through a database called ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.
In PQDT, you can search for dissertations by author, title, keyword, advisor, or issuing university, then download a PDF version of the full dissertation. Most dissertations published from 1997 to current can be downloaded in whole and there are hundreds of thousands of dissertations available before 1997 in full text..
Dissertations can also be purchased directly from ProQuest through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Go to the brief record of the dissertation, click on "Abstract/Details" link and then on the upper right click on the "Order a Copy" link and follow directions.
Looking at dissertations can be very helpful as you conduct your chapter 2 literature review. You can get a sense of how lit reviews are wirtten and designed. Also, many dissertations in their appendices will include part or all of insturments used in data collection, such as surveys or tests. This can help you determine if you need to use a specific tools.
If you are considering the use of a particular survey or test in your own research, try searching PQDT for the name of the test to see if there are other dissertations that have used the instrument. This can be a good way to evaluate whether the instrument is appropriate for your project. Getting permission to use an instrument is an important part of the process. Some dissertations will include the correspondence with the tool's publisher providing a clue on how you can also get permission.
The APU library has two databases listing most existing insturments: Mental Measurements Yearbook (MMY) and HAPI (Health and Psychosocial Instruments). MMY Contains reviews of more than 2,000 surveys and tests that you can use to collect data for your dissertation. Reviews will give you the publication and price information for all tests, as well as assessments of their usefulness and validity. HAPI contains unpublished information on tools that are discussed in journal articles; tools like questionnaires, interview schedules, tests, and checklists.
For more detailed information, please see the "How to Find Dissertations and Theses" LibGuide.
Databases are collections of articles and documents. You can use a database to find articles on your topic from a variety of journals. Many of the articles you find through the Libraries' online databases will include an electronic copy of the article that you can print, save, or email.
The ERIC database contains two kinds of information: traditional journal articles (noted as EJ), and much longer ERIC Documents (noted as ED) which may be government reports, dissertations, conference papers, pamphlets, etc.
There are different steps involved in locating the full text of ERIC documents than are involved in locating full text journal articles from ERIC. These guides will help you through that process:
Cited reference searching allows you to trace the development of ideas throughout the research cycle. Using Web of Science's cited reference search, you can locate articles that have cited particular books and articles, thereby following a chain of citations.
The cited reference search process works best when you've identified an important scholar or research study, and want to discover articles that have cited that research.
Watch this short video to learn how to use Citation tracing with Web of Science.
Use these links to find a list of journals on that topic.
