PsycARTICLES and PsycINFO Database Guide: Advanced Search Options

1. Standard Options: Limit your search by a specific journal, date of publication, to peer reviewed, or full text articles. (Limiting to full text will effectively eliminate PsycINFO from your search.)
2. Age Groups: Filter your search results to studies, research, or articles dealing with a specific aga range(s). To select more than one group left click each group while holding the CTRL key on your keyboard.
3. Methodology: Limit you search to a particular type of research, i.e. clinical studies, empirical studies, field studies, or literature reviews, etc...
4. Document Type: Limit your search to a particular format. This feature is probably not very useful for most searches. When in doubt do not make a selection. 
5. Tests and Measures: Search for results which reference a specific test or measure such as the Personality Inventory for the DSM–5. For more information view this video.
6. Population Group: Allows you to limit your search to a particular group, i.e. men, women, animals, patients, etc... 
7. Classification Codes: Categorizes documents by subject matter. These are unique to PsycARTICLES/INFO and not diagnostic codes. List of complete codes. 
8. Supplemental Material: Limit your search to results containing supplemental material such as, audio files, tables and figures, etc... This field, like document type, is best left blank unless there is a particular material you are looking for. 

Besides using keywords in a basic search these databases allow you to focus your search using the Advanced Search options. These options will allow you to specify more details about the results you're looking for such as methodology, document type, or age group. 

If your assignment asked you to find an empirical study of the effects of violent video games on male adolescents, your search could look like the following: