Sports Psychology
From PhillipsWiki
Contents |
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Research Process/Assignment
- For guidance in the research process, look to the menu on the left hand side.
- Pick a topic that you find interesting or fascinating. Be careful not to choose a topic because you think it will be "easy."
- Prepare a list of keywords or synonyms for the topic(s) that you are searching. For example, if you are focusing on "Sports Drinks" -- other terms might include "energy drinks", "Gatorade", etc...
- Make sure you read the your assignment carefully. You can gain valuable insights into the research and paper writing process by understanding the expectations put forth in the assignment (length, sources required, etc...).
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Gaining an Overview with Reference Sources
Reference Sources are a great way to get overview information on a topic. These books can help inform you of the background of your topic as well as areas to explore in your paper.
| Title of Reference Source | About the Resource |
|---|---|
| Encyclopedia of Sports Science | A good introduction to many topics in Sports Psychology. |
| Human Behavior: The Marshall Cavendish Encyclopedia of Human Behavior | A few of the volumes are devoted to group behavior and dynamics which may be helpful to your project. |
| Encyclopedia of Human Behavior | There is an entire entry on Sports Psychology as well as other relevant types of information (motivation, competition, etc...). |
| Encyclopedia of Psychology | A general Psychology Encyclopedia which includes articles on Sports Psychology as well as information on basic psychological processes. |
| The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science | Another general encyclopedia you may find helpful. |
| Access Science | The complete text of the McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. An advanced Scientific Encyclopedia available Online. Because of its focus on Hard Science, it may not have information on every topic. Articles are signed and contain excellent bibliogrpahies.Available Electronically |
| Facts on File Library of Health and Living | A Series of books with many individual titles on specific diseases and disorders of the body. |
| New Book of Popular Science | Contains a variety of subjects and topics. |
| Human Body Systems | Consisting of about 20 books scattered around the 600 section, this series documents the body's individual systems including how they work, their purpose, and problems encountered. |
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Delving Deeper with Books
Concentration is a key component to all sports.
Books offer a more complete look at a subject as well as give good ideas for other resources and references.
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Keyword and Subject Searching
Most people start with a keyword search of the library catalog. The computer will look for your words in the book "record." The record contains an item's title, author, subject, and table of contents or item summary.
- Choose your keywords carefully. Start with the most popular name of what you are researching, but also think of other ways to refer to it.
- Subject Searches are an even more powerful way to search the catalog. They will focus your search using the exact terminology employed by librarians to describe the book. When you find a book you like using keywords, click on the subjects to find out more.
- Subjects can be found in the "more information" section of a book record. Simply click on the subject to execute the search..
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Finding Articles Using Databases
Article databases contain thousands of articles organized and searchable using keywords, specific journal titles, publishing dates, etc... Information contained in articles can be more specific than book information as well as more up to date. The primary method to access articles from magazines and journals is through databases. You can access these databases in the library, in your dorm room, or the PACC.
Below is a chart of some databases that you may find helpful in this assignment. To see a listing of all the databases to which the library subscribes, visit the Databases A-Z Page.
| Title of Database Click on to go to database | About the Database |
|---|---|
| Health Reference Center Academic | A database that includes the full text of over 2 million journal and magazine articles. A great place to get "deeper" information on your topic. |
| Health Source: Reference/Academic | Another full text database that has numerous journal and magazine articles. The library's most "scholarly" collection of medical and biological information. |
| Academic One File | A full-text general database. A good place to search for contemporary accounts of your disease. This is not the first place to search for scientific type of information.LEARN MORE |
| Academic Search Elite | Another database specializing in general journals and magazines.LEARN MORE |
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Exploring Internet Sources
The will to succeed in sports can help you overcome many obstacles.
You will probably find websites helpful for this project. Always remember to evaluate your sources when you are looking at websites. Below is a list of some sites you should find worthwhile for your project.
| Website | What is it? |
|---|---|
| Psychology of Sports | An online journal written by Doctor Lustberg, a prominent sports psychologist. Look under his columns for his takes on the recent topics. |
| Sports Psychology Links | This is a list of about 20 online articles relating to Sports Psychology. Some of the topics are: Impact of Stress, Importance of Focusing, the role of nutrition, etc... |
| Athletic Insight | An online journal of Sports Psychology. There are numerous articles available for free. |
| American College of Sports Medicine | The worlds largest organization dedicated to sports biology and science. This site offers research, readings, and information on Sports Medicine. |
| Hardin MD | Sponsored by the University of Iowa, Hardin MD is a meta directory of websites devoted to medical information. |
| Mayo Clinic Site | Use the alphabetical listings or search for your disease to get some good overview information including symptoms and treatment. |
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Citations and Documentation
Citations can seem confusing. The process usually consist of two parts.
- In-text Citations -- As you write, you will need to acknowledge the sources where ideas (not your own) originate.
- Works Cited List -- You may know it as a Bibliography. The Works Cited list appears at the end of your paper and contains all the sources used in your in-text citations.
- Consult the librarians for help on citations.
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In-Text Citations
- Diana Hacker's guide to Citing Sources - An easy to use, comprehensive resource from the author of the Writer's Reference.
- The OWL at Purdue's MLA Guide to In-Text citations -- Make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom for more information on citing sources and preparing your Works Cited List.
- The University of Wisconsin at Madison's guide to In-text citations using MLA
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Works Cited List
- Diana Hacker's guide to Citing Sources - Diana Hacker also includes an excellent section on preparing the works cited list.
- University of Wisconsin at Madison guide to the Works Cited List - In Addition to the examples, there is also a guide to formatting your works cited list.
- Long Island University's Guide to MLA Style - This color-coded guide has many examples for the different sources listed in a works cited list.
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Additional Citation Tools
- The Landmark Project's Citation Machine This tool, although not perfect, will produce citations in the proper format when you enter the citation elements (author, title, etc...)
