Welcome to the DCTC Library's Lifespan Development course guide. On this page you will find helpful information about the research and writing process, including links to help you evaluate and cite your sources.
The 2nd page has information about the resources in our library and how to find them using our catalog.
The 3rd page is a gateway to the Library's best online resources and web sites for lifespan development and developmental psychology, including some tutorials for these resources.
Let's get started!
Here's a helpful guide to writing psychology papers, including some ideas about designing your own study:
- Psychology (The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
A literature review is similar to, but not quite the same thing as an annotated bibliography. These are helpful guides to writing a lit review:
- Literature Reviews (The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
- Learn how to write a review of literature (The Writing Center • University of Wisconsin – Madison)
Abraham Lincoln famously said you shouldn't believe everything you read online. And 82% of all statistics are made up.
There's a lot of misinformation out there. Digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield developed the SIFT method to help students evaluate information and make better decisions about what sources to trust:
Stop
Investigate the source
Find better coverage
Trace claims, quotes, and media to the original context
Here are more guides to help you evaluate sources of information:
- Criteria for Evaluating Information (Otis College of Art and Design)
- Evaluating Information (Johns Hopkins University)
- Evaluating Resources (UC Berkeley)
- Evaluating Sources of Information (Purdue University)
- Online Verification Skills with Mike Caulfield (YouTube)
There are different styles for citing the sources you use in your assignments, but psychology writing usually requires APA (American Psychological Association) style. The Purdue Online Writing Lab has an excellent guide to using APA style, with lots of examples:
You can also go straight to the source:
Our catalog and databases provide citations for the books, videos, and articles you find in them. Just look for a link that says Cite or Citation, then select APA style. It's easy to copy and paste citations into your bibliography!
"Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials."
This definition of plagiarism comes from page 1 of DCTC's Student Code of Conduct.
Citing your sources like this or in a bibliography is an essential part of the research process. It allows others to verify your information and gives credit to previous researchers and writers for their work.
The Center for Student Success offers tutoring to all DCTC students, including help with writing your paper and citing your sources. You can schedule an appointment by calling 651-423-8420 or visiting room 2-101.
Use our catalog, OneSearch, to find the books and videos on our shelves, plus ebooks and streaming videos.
The best way to begin your search is to enter one or two keywords on your topic. To narrow your results, use the Modify My Results options on the left side of the screen. You can also click on a relevant title and click on one of its subject headings to focus your search on that particular topic.
Please ask a librarian if you need help locating anything you find in our catalog.
If we don't have the book, video, or article you're looking for, you can request it via interlibrary loan (ILL) and it will come to you. It's easy! E-mail library@dctc.edu to let us know what you're looking for and we'll do the rest.
We have lots of books about psychology in our collection. Many of these are shelved in the BF call number range, but you'll find most books about developmental psychology in the BF712-724.85 range specifically. Ask a librarian if you need help finding anything.
Here are just a few of our books about developmental psychology and lifespan development:
Behind the circulation desk we have our Course Resources collection. These are books and videos that instructors have asked us to reserve for certain classes. Books on reserve must be used in the Library, except with permission from your instructor to check them out overnight. Kail's Human Development: A Life-Span View is on reserve for PSYC1350: Lifespan Development; ask a librarian if you'd like to use it.
APA PsycArticles features full-text articles from about 120 peer-reviewed psychology journals, covering all fields of psychology, including developmental psychology.
Searching APA Databases tutorial
Gale OneFile: Psychology offers 4.1 million articles in all fields of psychology, including developmental psychology.
Films On Demand features almost 2,600 streaming videos on psychology, covering topics like adult development, child & adolescent development, death & dying, and more.
- Children (APA)
- Teenagers (APA)
- Aging Issues (APA)
- Death and Dying (APA)
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health (NIMH)
- Older Adults and Mental Health (NIMH)
- Developmental Psychology (Verywell Mind)
There are millions of full-text articles in our EBSCO, Gale, and ProQuest databases. The best way to begin your search is to enter one or two keywords on your topic. Each database is different, but there will be ways to limit and focus your results so that you find the most relevant and useful articles available.
Our EBSCO databases are an excellent place to start your search for magazine and journal articles. These databases include APA PsycArticles, which covers all topics related to psychology.
Our Gale databases are another great place to find magazine and journal articles. These databases include Gale OneFile: Psychology, which covers all topics related to psychology.
Search hundreds of U.S. newspapers, newswires, and news sites with ProQuest U.S. Newsstream.
Search and explore scholarly literature with Google Scholar. Some citations include links to full-text content.
Please visit the Library or e-mail library@dctc.edu if you have any questions about our online resources or if you'd like help finding articles on your topic.
Developmental Psychology is a professional journal of the American Psychological Association (APA). EBSCO provides full text from 1969 to the present.
Here are just a few of the ebooks from our EBSCO eBook Collection that relate to developmental psychology and lifespan development:
Everything You Need to Know about Jean Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development
Takeesha L Rowland, 2012
Born Together—Reared Apart : The Landmark Minnesota Twin Study
Nancy L. Segal, 2012
Psychology of Aging 101
Robert Youdin, 2016
The Late Teenage Years : From Seventeen to Adulthood
Joan Schachter, 2013
Lighter as We Go: Virtues, Character Strengths, and Aging
Mindy Greenstein, 2015